An ancient wisdom says: “Genius is one percent patience and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” A man of genius, possessing talent and amazing mental abilities, is rare. Insight, as the highest degree of genius, allowing one to make unique discoveries, is not the result of learning.
Recognized genius - Albert Einstein
Genius and a brilliant person
A genius is a person who has a number of distinctive qualities. These individual traits include:
- intuition - the ability to comprehend the truth without any inferential processes;
- fantasy – the power of imagination;
- creativity is an activity aimed at creating something completely new.
Important! A genius, possessing all the knowledge of the cultural heritage of his ancestors, is not afraid to step over old norms and open unknown horizons in his field of creation.
Genius is the greatest degree of personal talent that a person realizes in his work activity.
Myth No. 4. Genius is a gloomy loner
There are many similar characters in popular culture. And although geniuses, especially writers and artists, are more prone to mental disorders, particularly depression, they are rarely loners. They want to be around like-minded people who can calm them down and reassure them that they are not crazy. That’s why geniuses always have a “support group.”
Freud had the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society, which met at his place on Wednesdays, and Einstein had the “Olympic Academy”. Impressionist artists met weekly and painted together in nature to keep their spirits up in response to the rejection of critics and the public.
Of course, geniuses need to be alone sometimes, but they often switch from solitary work to communicating with others. For example, the Scottish philosopher David Hume sat in his office for weeks and worked, but then he always left and went to the local pub to live and communicate like other people.
Concept in psychology
If society defines genius as a spark of God, then psychoanalysts consider it the fruit of a defense mechanism of the psyche - sublimation. When such protection, which is responsible for relieving internal stress, is triggered, the overvoltage energy is directed toward achieving social goals. According to psychologists, a genius person is capable of insight.
Choleric - what kind of person is this?
By the way. Insight is a breakthrough on an intuitive level when solving a given intellectual problem.
From a psychological point of view, the state of genius is nothing more than a deviation from the norm. It has a genetic predisposition and sometimes borders on madness. Such people may have low emotional intelligence, which contributes to the development of bipolar affective disorder and schizophrenia. In this case, it is the disease that helps create brilliant masterpieces.
Noticed. Geniuses are “people not of this world” and are often not adapted to ordinary life. They are so passionate about what they do that they live in the gestalt moment (“here and now”). Such individuals are helpless in everyday situations and sometimes cannot find a common language with other people.
Genius and madness
How to recognize a genius?
There are no clear criteria showing genius, but we can still talk about certain patterns inherent in such people. Geniuses with a unique perception of the world, a unique attitude towards familiar things. They may not even notice something that, at the everyday level, will unbalance another person. But something unusual will cause them to become truly depressed.
For example, brilliant children will not be upset at all if they are not bought some kind of toy, but they will lose the meaning of life for a long time after learning that Einstein’s theory has been refuted.
The main signs of genius:
- Comprehensive consideration of any issue and depth of thought;
- Visualization of thinking;
- Tendency to constant experimentation;
- Combination of incompatible things;
- Ability to see analogies and metaphors;
- Developed intuition;
- Specific sense of humor;
- They don’t stop in a dead end situation, they always look for a way out.
But let’s immediately make a reservation that this applies only to the selected activity. In ordinary life, such people may not notice the obvious. Therefore, it is correct to distinguish several types of genius.
Where does the word "genius" come from?
Pessimist - what kind of person is this?
In Latin this word will be written as genius, translated as “spirit”. Even in the mythology of ancient Rome, there were spirits - geniuses (personal to humans). It was believed that especially outstanding people had a strong personal spirit. Therefore, since the time of Gaius Julius Caesar (Octavian Augustus), this word has become synonymous with the words “inspiration” and “talent.”
Interpretation of the word
Virginity and masturbation
Agree, at the end of the first part of American Pie it was immediately clear to everyone who was smarter!
There is an opinion that an intelligent person spends less time on sex. The reasons for this indicator may go much deeper than the simple explanation that no one wants to hug assholes.
But scientists recently conducted a study in which they determined that the number of sexual partners among more intelligent students is significantly lower than among their colleagues with average intelligence. Also, the virginity rate of smarter people is 45% higher than that of the general student population.
But there are a number of scientific explanations for all this:
1 Science has proven that the hormone testosterone can suppress intelligence, which means that smarter people have significantly less of it, which makes them less aggressive and relegates girls to the background.
2 An intelligent person thinks more often about the risk of pregnancy or illness and is aware of its consequences.
3 If a person is able to teach himself, most often he will lead a reclusive lifestyle and looks at parties and parties as an unnecessary risk. We should also not forget that introverts are also uncomfortable being in large crowds of people, and masturbation or abstinence does not pose a risk at all.
Types of genius
Idealist - what kind of person is this?
Who is a genius? Is it clear what are the types of this unique condition? The following forms of its manifestation are distinguished:
- emotional;
- creative;
- scientific;
- sports;
- practical;
- household;
- entrepreneurial.
Attention! Separately, two divisions can be distinguished according to the method of implementation. The first is when a person, while remaining ready for something new, can easily switch from one vector of searching for discoveries to another. The second is when a genius works and makes inventions in a narrow way until the end of his life.
Myth No. 2. Geniuses are smarter than other people
This is refuted by examples from history. Thus, most outstanding historical figures had a fairly modest level of intelligence. For example, the IQ of William Shockley, a Nobel laureate in physics, is only 125. The famous physicist Richard Feynman has the same result.
Genius, especially creative genius, is determined not so much by mental abilities as by breadth of vision. A genius is someone who comes up with new and unexpected ideas.
Also, genius does not necessarily require encyclopedic knowledge or an excellent education. Many geniuses dropped out of school or did not formally study at all, such as the famous British scientist Michael Faraday.
In 1905, when Albert Einstein published four papers that changed the face of physics, his own knowledge of the science was inferior to that of other researchers. His genius was not that he knew more than others, but that he could draw conclusions that no one else could draw.
The main signs of a genius
If a person is called a genius, what does this mean is already clear, but how can he be identified among other people?
For your information. According to statistics, there is one recognized genius for every 50 million people. For example, geneticists say that only one potential genius can be born per hundred thousand newborns.
Despite the small percentage of geniuses in society, such a person can be identified by the following parameters:
- a special state of mind combined with innate abilities;
- using intuition;
- perseverance and self-confidence;
- innovative thinking;
- understanding of vocation and its productive implementation in a certain area.
It has been noticed that some of these amazing people focus on one thing in childhood. They may fall behind in other subjects at school or even fail the school curriculum.
Interesting. Albert Einstein was considered a retarded child and did not do well in elementary school. Maxim Gorky did not write school essays at all and completed only two classes.
Innate signs of genius are not enough; they must be identified and developed.
Geniuses: why are they given so much compared to us?
While neuroscientists are trying to understand the intricacies of neurons and whether these brain features have anything to do with genius, other scientists are trying to understand whether geniuses are born or made. Thus, the psychologist Francis Galton, a cousin of Charles Darwin, did not recognize “pretensions to natural equality” and was convinced that genius was passed on through the family by blood. To prove this idea, he compiled and analyzed the genealogies of the brightest Europeans who gained fame in a variety of fields: from Mozart and Haydn to Byron, Chaucer, Titus and Napoleon. Galton published the results of these researches in 1869 in the book “The Inheritance of Talent,” which in fact marked the beginning of the debate that continues to this day about “being born or becoming.” Galton himself came to the conclusion that geniuses are rare - about one in a million. Another conclusion also turned out to be quite predictable: “most successful people have famous relatives.”
Today, scientists hope to establish: are there genes responsible for the development of intelligence, behavior, or rarer qualities such as having a keen ear for music? The study of intellectual abilities undoubtedly raises obvious ethical questions: how will the results of such research be used? In addition, carrying out such work faces many genetic problems, because hundreds of genes may be involved in the formation of intelligence, each of which makes a small but very significant contribution.
What about other abilities - like an innate ear for music? Many famous musicians had perfect pitch - for example, Mozart. It turns out that thanks to this quality he became a celebrity? Not certainly in that way. Genetic potential alone does not guarantee future success. To become a genius, you need to cultivate the talent inherent in your genes. And here a lot depends on the socio-cultural environment in which the formation of a genius occurs - as it was, for example, in Baghdad during the Islamic Renaissance (8th-13th centuries) or in Silicon Valley in our time.
However, innate Talent and a favorable environment for its development are also not a guarantee of genius: all this requires diligence in moving towards the intended goal. Darwin, far from lacking in talent and raised in excellent conditions, nevertheless spent two whole decades perfecting his life’s work - the book “The Origin of Species”. Psychologist Angela Duckworth believes that it is the combination of passion for learning and diligence—what she calls “grit”—that leads gifted people to success. Angela can also be called a genius - she receives support from the prestigious MacArthur Foundation and is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. According to her, there is too much “magic” in the common perception of geniuses: from the outside, everything looks as if the greatest achievements appear out of nowhere and do not require effort. Of course, Angela does not deny that natural talent is necessary, but it is strength of character, in her opinion, that determines whether a “born genius” can achieve something. “If you take a closer look at any successful person, it becomes clear that nothing was given to him for nothing,” she is convinced.
Dean Keith Simonton, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California (Davis), who has long studied the nature of genius, agrees that no result can be obtained “at once.” “The most important key to success is diligence and hard work,” says Simonton. As a rule, serious achievements are the result of a lot of trial and error. “Most published scientific articles are never cited. Most musical works are not recorded, and most paintings will never see their audience at exhibitions,” Simonton is convinced. Just one example: Thomas Edison is known as the inventor of the phonograph and the first industrial design of the incandescent lamp, but these are only two of the more than a thousand inventions he patented!
Another important nuance is that a lack of support can slow down the development of a potential genius, and he will never have a chance to prove himself. Until recently, women were not able to receive education on an equal basis with men; they were not allowed to grow professionally and were not recognized for their achievements. For example, Mozart’s elder sister Maria Anna was a talented harpsichordist, but at the insistence of her father she stopped playing music in order to get married when she had barely reached adulthood. Half of the women in Lewis Terman's study also ended their careers as housewives.
Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, hearing specialist Charles Limb found that jazz musicians and freestyle rappers, when improvising, involuntarily suppress the activity of the part of the brain responsible for self-control. Charles plans to use electroencephalograms to measure the electrical activity in the brains of other creative people, such as stand-up comedians. “The best way to improvise is to let go of control,” says composer Keith Jarrett.
Is it possible to develop genius?
If genius is the highest degree of talent and inspiration, then you need to know what all the steps of this ladder are called. It consists of the following items:
- inclinations – features of the human nervous system, on the basis of which various personality abilities are formed;
- abilities - psychological qualities that allow an individual to easily acquire skills, knowledge and abilities in various fields;
- giftedness is a combination of different developed abilities;
- talent - outstanding abilities that are manifested and polished with the acquisition of experience and subsequently form certain skills;
- genius is the highest form of personality functioning intellectually or creatively.
Only endless hard work put into completing all these levels leads to the final result.
Ability Levels
How to raise a genius from a child
Knowing what genius means, you can, with patience, carefully observe the child in order to initially identify the makings of genius.
Important! A genius, the definition of which is already clear, can grow out of a child. He will not be the one his parents want him to be, but the one inherent in nature.
In simple terms, adults are required to follow a certain methodology, namely:
- initially determine what type of thinking the baby belongs to and identify his abilities;
- do not interfere with the little person’s desire for independent development and refrain from imposing your opinions and ideas;
- support and assist in every possible way the development of charisma and leadership abilities; they indicate high self-esteem and awareness of one’s strengths;
- helping the child, developing self-confidence is a fundamental feeling for the manifestation of talent;
- to form creative thinking and perseverance in achieving goals;
- give the child freedom of choice, be objective and instill the ability not to dwell on the successes achieved.
Carefully. You cannot direct the child’s activities where the parents want. It is important to allow him to choose his own path and profession.
Future genius
Unfulfilled professional dreams of parents, fear of deviating from generally accepted norms of behavior and the task of social adaptation are just a few of the obstacles to the development of a brilliant personality. To become a genius, a person must think and live outside the box. Abnormality, as the public interprets it, is one of the basic signs of genius.
Myth No. 3. Geniuses can appear anytime, anywhere
We usually think of geniuses as something like shooting stars - an amazing and extremely rare phenomenon.
But if you map the emergence of geniuses around the world throughout human history, you will notice an interesting pattern. Geniuses do not appear randomly, but in groups. Certain places at certain times produce great minds and new ideas. Think ancient Athens, Renaissance Florence, 1920s Paris, and even today's Silicon Valley.
The places where geniuses appear, although different from each other, have common characteristics. For example, almost all of these are cities.
The high population density and sense of intimacy that comes with urban environments encourages creativity.
All these places are characterized by an atmosphere of tolerance and openness, and this, according to psychologists, is especially important for creativity. The relationship between intelligence and creativity: New support for the threshold hypothesis by means of empirical breakpoint detection.. So geniuses are no longer like falling stars , but to flowers that appear naturally in a suitable environment.
In the dictionary D.N. Ushakova
GENIUS, genius, husband. (·lat. genius) (·book). 1. Highest creative ability in scientific or artistic activity. Scientific genius of Lenin. 2. A person who has a similar ability. Darwin was a genius. 3. In Roman mythology - a lower deity, the patron spirit of a person, clan, or locality. | In fantasy literature - a supernatural creature, the personification of good, evil, etc. | trans. (with adj. good, evil). About a person who has something beneficial or a bad influence on someone, bringing *****
Creating qualitatively new creations
Genius (from Latin genius - spirit) - unusually high intellectual abilities.
For example, to making inventions and discoveries, original thinking, productive activity, as the highest degree of talent. Genius is also defined as the practical embodiment of the innate high level of creative potential of an individual relative to other individuals, recognized by society. Traditionally expressed in new and unique creations, recognized as masterpieces, often belatedly. Sometimes genius is explained by a new and unexpected methodological approach to the creative process. Unlike most talented individuals, a genius creates qualitatively new creations and achieves revolutionary intellectual results.
In the 19th century the idea of genius is partly combined with the cult of the “hero” as a superhuman personality (in Carlyle, Nietzsche), contrasted with the uncreative and hostile to the artist, true art, the masses, the “crowd”.
The manifestation of the abilities of a genius is individual and unique every time. It is indicative and goes back to a deep tradition to compare the activity of a genius with lightning: “The inner plan and the implementation of a brilliant fantasy simultaneously appear to us like a lightning strike in their instantaneous interpenetration and the most elusive vitality” (Hegel, “Aesthetics”). Thanks to such qualities, a genius-gifted person in art, science, philosophy, etc. begins to express its historical era with a special, maximum accessible to man, depth. The attitude of a genius to his time is always paradoxical, because... a genius sees the essence of what is happening deeper, wider, more multifaceted than his contemporaries.
The properties and abilities of geniuses can be very rare - the ability to intuitively perceive and realize, to comprehend, as a single whole, huge masses of artistically ordered material (Mozart spoke of his ability to cover an entire part of a symphony with a single, instantaneous glance). The ability to unusually associate various phenomena, their aspects that seem distant, leading to non-trivial artistic or scientific thinking, to discoveries in science, technology, art, etc.
From Isaac Newton to the Genius Bar
Geniuses are an endangered species.
And yet it seems that they are all around us. We live in a time when analysts and scientists speak without irony about the “ordinary genius” and claim that one can be found anywhere. Judging by the presence of a "Genius Bar" in every local Apple Store and hundreds of selling-out bestsellers trumpeting that "there is a genius in all of us," it seems that there really is an abundance of geniuses today. However, if we take a closer look at the concept of "genius" itself and observe how it has developed over the centuries, it turns out that we actually do not have the same need for geniuses as we once did. Perhaps we don't need them at all. The increasing banality of genius in the modern world has called into question the very necessity and usefulness of such a category.
Genius in the modern sense appeared in the 18th century in Europe as an object of religious cult of representatives of the world (genius simply took the place that was previously allocated to saints). Like the ancient prophets, geniuses at that time were perceived as higher beings, endowed by nature with higher intelligence, creativity and insight - qualities that, in the new paradigm, happily took the place of grace. They also received a privileged place in the concept of the creation of the world. As an example, one surprised man asked about Isaac Newton, one of the first true geniuses of the new era: “Does he really eat, drink and sleep like other men?” His virtues, as another contemporary noted, “showed him a Saint whose discoveries could well pass for miracles.” Newton discovered the laws of the universe, didn't he? This means that he penetrated into God's plan.
Just like the relics of saints, the bodies of “geniuses” were treated as relics. After his death in 1727, Newton was buried in Westminster Abbey, the burial place of saints, and although his skull and bones remained intact, the remains of other geniuses were dismantled and venerated as special shrines. For example, when Galileo's body was raised in 1737, he was found to be missing three fingers; Voltaire's heart and brain were removed after his death in 1778. Some admirers removed the rings from the repatriated bones of René Descartes during the French Revolution, and the skull of the great German poet Schiller was placed in a special shrine in the library of the Duke of Weimar at the beginning of the 19th century.
In subsequent decades, the fragmented remains of geniuses were in circulation and sold throughout Europe: the skulls of Haydn and Goya, the heart of Percy Bysshe Shelley, parts of Beethoven's skull, strands of Napoleon's hair... Even pieces of flesh allegedly belonging to the latter's penis were sold for considerable money. As the Austrian critic Edgar Zilsel noted in his 1918 study entitled Die Geniereligion ("The Cult of the Genius"),
“...we worship the relics of our great men, their autographs and locks of hair, their goose feathers and tobacco pouches, just as the Catholic Church worships the bones, weapons and clothes of saints.”
Contemplation of relics belonging to geniuses was a kind of search for inexhaustible power, which once had animate flesh and still fascinated the laity. For those who could not or did not want to satisfy their desire for the transcendent by other means, the cult of genius, as it developed in Europe, represented a unique way of venting their deep religious longing.
Wikimedia Commons
But while believers peered into the sublime immortal nature of geniuses, scientists began to look for the roots of genius in human physiology. Physiognomists and phrenologists sought to discern the characteristics of unconventional minds in the folds of the face and the bumps of the skull. Doctors and psychologists turned their attention to what they called the “stigmata” of genius - external signs of that rare inner strength, which often manifested itself in increased eccentricity, the presence of neuroses and mental illness. Moreover, the assumptions of these scientists were based on scientific empiricism and rationalism of the dawn of the Enlightenment. Driven by a desire to establish the natural and biological basis of human difference, this work began in response to the emergence of the opposite proposition—that all human beings are created equal.
Yes, ironically, the political and philosophical belief in human equality came to the fore in the same century that witnessed the birth of the modern genius, and in the context of the American and French revolutions raised a troubling question that many enlightened scientists and statesmen have tried to answer : If men and women are no longer separated according to the hierarchy of blood and birth that has successfully separated the majority from the minority, then how should modern society be organized? Who is best suited to be a leader? Thomas Jefferson was far from alone when he spoke hopefully that a “natural aristocracy” based on “merit, merit, and genius” might emerge to replace an “artificial aristocracy” based on wealth and birth. In the 19th century, "geniologists" - scientists who study geniuses and genius - played a decisive role in finding and isolating a new type of born elite. A pioneer in the use of modern statistical methods, Francis Galton tried to trace the prevalence of talents in their families in comparison with the general population and derive the corresponding pattern, which he described in his 1869 opus “Hereditary Genius.” ⓘGalton tried to solve the problem of the heritability of talent by analyzing the pedigrees of outstanding figures science, art, military affairs, law, sports; to discover patterns, he applied Quetelet’s law of deviation from averages. - Approx. ed.. According to Galton's calculations, geniuses, those “higher human beings who are born to be kings of men,” were found, according to statistics, one in 10 million.
