And we continue to tell you about the most interesting and outstanding personalities who have lived and are living on our planet. Do you think genius can guarantee a successful life?
In our opinion, this is a rather difficult question, since many gifted people have not achieved anything in life, despite grandiose forecasts. It also happens that the smartest among us become hermits who do not want to use their mental “super abilities” in any way.
The hero of our story - William Sidis
, who is considered the most gifted person of all times.
Find out why in our article today.
#1 Perfectionism
A brilliant person always understands that there is no limit to perfection. He sees this world differently than everyone else. Most people live with some limited knowledge and consider themselves intelligent and omniscient. The genius understands that the Universe is limitless, and science has dug only the very tip of its structure. The world is constantly changing, which means it is simply impossible to know everything. Therefore, a brilliant person understands that he knows negligibly little. And this moves him towards development, forces him to improve even more, since this is an endless process.
Einstein and Eddington
In the spring of 1914, Europe is on the verge of war, and no one has yet heard of the German physicist Albert Einstein. Meanwhile, British astronomer Arthur Eddington realizes that Einstein's theories could open up new ways to understand time and space. Despite the threat of being labeled traitors, the two men begin corresponding. An eclipse in Africa offers a chance to prove Einstein's theories, and Eddington embarks on a journey that will change the understanding of the universe forever.
#2 Thinking outside the box
As the author of the best-selling biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson, said: “At a certain point in life, it becomes obvious that there are a lot of smart people. What makes a person special is imagination. The ability to think differently."
This is what distinguishes geniuses. Not a high IQ, but an extremely developed imagination. In fact, a genius can create anything in his imagination.
He is characterized by unconventional thinking, finding ways to solve problems that other people cannot think of.
Shine
A joyless childhood under the rule of an oppressive father. Youth, full of hope and disappointment. Studying at the best music school in the world, first successes and, finally, worldwide fame. Here are just a few pages from the life of one of the best pianists of our time, David Halfgott, who went through severe hardships and titanic work to reach the heights of his mastery.
#4 Criticality of the mind
The minds of most people accept on faith axioms and postulates that are dictated by religion or authority figures. The mind of a genius does not accept any knowledge for granted. A genius perceives even his own judgments critically.
Every moment processes of synthesis and analysis of information occur in his mind. Any incoming knowledge passes through a number of filters. Therefore, a brilliant person knows: any scientifically proven law is a law only until it is refuted.
Pi
The talented mathematician Max Cohen has been trying for many years to find and decipher the universal digital code according to which the prices of all stock exchanges change. As he approaches the solution, the world around Max turns into a dark nightmare: he is pursued by powerful analysts from Wall Street and cruel fanatics from a secret religious sect, ready to kill in order to discover the code of the universe in their ancient sacred texts. On the brink of madness, Max must make crucial choices between order and chaos, holiness and diabolism, wisdom and ignorance, and decide whether he can cope with the powerful force that his brilliant mind has awakened.
#5 Alienation
This kind of thinking of a brilliant person usually leads to the fact that this person is not very successful socially. He thinks so differently that communication with most people is simply not interesting and incomprehensible to him. Therefore, a problem arises with building family and friendships. Many geniuses are loners. However, loneliness is not a factor of discomfort for them. Loneliness is an opportunity found in one's own chambers of the mind.
Most people will not be able to understand this because they live “outside”. But the thinking of a genius is such that he is comfortable with such a lifestyle.
Scientists have named a healthy tea that improves memory and concentration
Watch the video and learn about 10 hidden signs of genius:
Also read about what character traits indicate that your child is growing up to be a genius. There are only 5 such traits, but they are very eloquent and are characteristic only of gifted children. Maybe your child has them too?
And also find out that scientists have named a food additive that is harmful to the brain . Everyone uses it, but in large quantities it can cause irreversible processes. Follow the link and find out what we eat that already at a fairly young age forces our brain to age prematurely.
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Brilliant parents - brilliant child
Back in 1889, a child was born into the family of an outstanding psychologist and talented physician, who was named William James Sidis
. The boy's parents were Jews who came from Ukraine to New York.
Even before the birth of their first child, the Sidises knew that they would raise a child prodigy. In order to pay due attention to her baby, the mother gave up her career and devoted herself entirely to her child. Interestingly, Boris and Sarah developed their own education system, which they applied to William.
Amazingly, by the age of one year the boy wrote confidently, and by the age of one and a half he could easily read the New York Times magazine. At the age of 4, the child mastered Homer in the original. After another 2 years, William consciously decided to become an atheist, and by the age of 8 he had written as many as four books.
And then the moment came when the Sidises came to the conclusion that their child was ready for university. At that time, Sidis Jr. was only 9 years old. Without a doubt, their choice fell on Harvard. However, the boy did not succeed in becoming a student, since the commission from the university did not allow such a small child to attend classes.
Two more years passed... And William finally became a student at Harvard University. However, 5 years of study were far from fabulous: both students and teachers looked askance at Sidis, and the press attacks simply drove him crazy.
My name is Khan
Rizwan Khan, a Muslim from India, moves to San Francisco and lives with his brother and sister-in-law. Rizwan, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, falls in love with Mandira. Despite his family's protests, they marry and start a small business together. They live happily until September 11, 2001, when attitudes towards Muslims change dramatically. When tragedy strikes, Mandira is devastated and their relationship begins to crack. Rizwan is confused and very upset that the love of his life has left him. To win her back, he takes a touching and inspiring journey across America.
Rain Man
Charlie, a rude and selfish young rake, inherited only rose bushes and a '49 Buick from his father. A sudden “surprise” for him was the discovery that the lion’s share of the inheritance was left by his father to his autistic brother Raymond. Determined to take away his “fair share” of the family property, Charlie kidnaps his older brother and holds him hostage. But what he conceived out of selfishness grows into a magical odyssey of friendship and self-awareness, which expands the boundaries of Raymond's isolated world, and allows Charlie to escape the shackles of his once insensitive soul.
Scientists have revealed the secrets of genius
Even at the beginning of the twentieth century, scientists were looking for ways to determine the nature of genius. In the USSR, the Brain Institute was even specially created for this purpose, in which the contents of the skulls of Lenin, Pavlov, Mayakovsky and other celebrities were studied. And we are not the only ones who are so inquisitive. The brains of many Nobel laureates are stored and studied in foreign medical centers, such as the University of Ontario.
However, until now, attempts to find out what human intelligence depends on have been futile. Moreover, it often turned out that many deceased talents were by no means “curvier” than others in their convolutions.
Nevertheless, enthusiasts do not give up. This is, for example, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, Head of the Embryology Department of the Research Institute of Human Morphology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Sergei Savelyev. His book “Variability and Genius” was recently published (Moscow, Vedi Publishing House).
Professor Savelyev knows everything about insights.
— Sergey Vyacheslavovich, why do some people manage to create something original, while others don’t? Maybe if everyone received an excellent education and upbringing, then there would be more Archimedes and Balzacs?
— The idea of awakening extraordinary abilities through education arose in the minds of French physiologists back in the 19th century and still attracts with its simplicity. Its viability lies in the proclamation of the equality of potential abilities of all people, which is an ideal bait for ordinary people. Believing in this absurdity, everyone feels like an unrealized genius and a victim of circumstances. In this case, everyone understands that to correct the situation, you just need to invest money in the education and upbringing of your offspring - and the problem will be solved.
Photo of chemist Dmitry Mendeleev from 1903. From the book “Variability and Genius” by Sergei Savelyev.
- This is impossible?
- No amount of training will achieve the appearance of a second Pushkin. With a tremendous investment of time and effort, you can only achieve some progress in any skill, but deficiencies in the structure of your own brain will not allow you to jump above the bar. Without an innate neuro-morphological substrate in the form of specialized areas of the brain, it is impossible to develop any superpowers.
- What is special about the convolutions of a gifted person?
— In 75% of cases, geniuses have a brain mass higher than the average for the planet, that is, more than 1320 grams. Typically, their brain weighs about 1600 - 1700 grams. The record holders in this regard are Byron with his 1800 grams and Ivan Turgenev with 2012 grams. That is, at the maximum, the brain of a genius is almost 1.5 times heavier than normal. Of course, a big brain only means a high probability of talent, but not necessarily its presence. For example, there are idiots with brains weighing 2400 - 2850 grams.
“But, for example, Anatole France’s brain weighed only 1017 grams.
— The frequency of appearance of “lightweight” geniuses is 4 times less compared to “heavyweight” ones. And their existence proves that the reason for outstanding abilities is not only in the volume of nervous tissue. In order for the brain of a genius to develop, one must naturally have a special combination of certain areas, for example, neocortical fields and subcortical structures.
— How to find a genius who has not yet shown himself?
— It is impossible to identify geniuses with the help of mediocrity. The average person will always instinctively try on his limited understanding of the structure of the world. And select the fittest inhabitants. It is for this reason that all tests assessing a person's intelligence give high scores when testing mediocrity.
The only way out is to find a way for intravital analysis of the deep structure of the brain of each individual person.
Today, attempts are being made to search for gifted people using functional tomography or positron emission analysis methods. But so far to no avail.
BY THE WAY
What's special about…
THE ARTIST'S BRAIN...
If it were possible to disassemble, for example, the brain of Leonardo da Vinci into “cogs,” then scientists would see a lot of unusual things in it.
For example, he must have a special visual field. So, the average person has a minimum? the volume of the field is 3000 cubic millimeters, and in Leonardo it should be almost two to three times larger. Equally large should be the brain centers responsible for associations, sensory sensations and for the speed of transmission of signals from the retina to the cerebral cortex. And in order to deftly handle a hand, special development of the sensorimotor centers of the brain is required.
The chances of this entire complex of structures appearing simultaneously in one brain are extremely small.
…AND IN THE BRAIN OF A MUSICIAN
But this is how the brain of the virtuoso violinist, composer Niccolo Paganini could stand out. He must have not only hearing, but also phenomenal hearing? motor-motor coordination. And the total number of neurons involved in creativity could reach 3–4 billion.
