3 ms·
This article is pretty good on covering the beneficial neural correlates of depression: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/magazine/28depression-t.html?pagewante
by pw0ncakes 17y ago
This article is pretty good on covering the beneficial neural correlates of depression: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/magazine/28depression-t.html?pagewanted=1 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/magazine/28depression-t.ht... .
Whether they bear on IQ itself is an open question, but the fundamental concept is that certain mental habits that produce depression also produce focused thinking (which is a necessity for people who want to achieve at high levels).
- yters 17y agoMaybe one explanation is that people who can focus very well on a problem can see it best and solve it best, thus have high IQs. Since their minds focus so well, it is hard for them to lose focus and loosen up, essential for socializing. Thus, people treat them as weird, they feel rejected, and grow bitter.
- pw0ncakes 17y agoVery likely. The intense, problem-solving focus doesn't hold well in social interaction. A common social quirk of smart people, when they're young-- say 5-10, is to come out with a really good retort 5 seconds after it was appropriate and when it's no longer funny (because it requires a conversational "rewind"). This is because they've put a lot of energy and focus into saying the "right" (funny, most socially beneficial) thing instead of going with the flow.