Michael_vx blog

There are people who pride themselves on their excellent memories, which can certainly be useful in school or social situations. However, it is nearly impossible to remember every tiny detail of every situation, and it’s nearly as impossible to remember every fact that you learn in school, especially over a long period of time. When you forget something, it often makes you feel a bit…well…stupid. You don’t feel particularly intelligent standing in the middle of the grocery store trying to remember everything you need to get, nor do you feel exceptionally bright when you go from one room to another and forget why you made the trip. Giving more attention to the process of forgetting You might wonder why these minor brain lapses occur, but you don’t really need to worry. Researchers Paul Frankland and Blake Richards from the University of Toronto say that forgetting is as important as remembering. The paper published in Neuron focused on several studies that analyze

Have you noticed that some of the most intelligent and deep thinking individuals out there fail to be happy? They may have a loving life partner, family and be successful in their job; yet, there is something that occasionally makes them feel alone, sad and discouraged. As Ernest Hemingway said, “happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.” Here are six possible reasons why happiness in highly intelligent people is such a rare phenomenon: 1. Intelligent people overanalyze everything Many people with a high IQ tend to be overthinkers who constantly analyze everything happening in their life and beyond. This can be draining at times, especially when your thinking processes take you to undesirable, frustrating conclusions. Have you heard the saying, ‘Ignorance is bliss’? It surely is – the less you understand, the more carefree and, therefore, happy you are. Being able to read people’s true selves and hidden motives is enough to make you feel disappoi

Sometimes, talking to yourself, particularly if you use your own name in the conversation can be embarrassing. It may also make you look like you’re hallucinating since the whole purpose of talking out loud is to communicate with other people. In fact, we all talk to ourselves silently every once in a while. It’s actually healthy, playing an important role in keeping your mind fit. It may help you plan actions, organise your thoughts, modulate emotions and consolidate memory. This means that it may help you control yourself. Talking to yourself out loud could be an extension of this inner talk, triggered when a particular motor command is stimulated involuntarily. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology published a study that showed talking to yourself could enable your brain to function more effectively at recognizing objects. It could also help you stimulate your brain’s memory centers. In addition, saying the name of an object you are looking fo

It may or may not surprise you to hear there is much more to quantifying a person’s intelligence than simply their IQ or ACT score. Many factors are involved in determining a person’s intelligence quotient, and a major part of understanding it is to understand that there are separate segments of intelligence to begin with. Since intelligence is much more than just book smarts (it’s also learned skills, behaviors, and emotional intelligence as well), it’s important to look at what makes up the unique blend of intelligence levels in humans. According to recent studies, the largest factor is a person’s emotional intelligence. High EQ. “What having emotional intelligence looks like is that you’re confident, good at working towards your goals, adaptable and flexible. You recover quickly from stress and you’re resilient. Life goes much more smoothly if you have good emotional intelligence,” says psychologist Daniel Goleman. According to Goleman and a recent HuffPost art

If you’re a psychologist, professor, and researcher at one of the world’s most prestigious universities then you’re likely very intelligent. Howard Gardner is all of that and happens to work at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education where he studies, of all things, intelligence. Over the years he’s done brain research and interviewed all sorts of people, from geniuses and prodigies to victims of stroke and those with autism. His work eventually led him to develop the theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI Theory for short) which challenged traditional beliefs and definitions concerning what intelligence means. Traditionally, intelligence is viewed as a fixed amount of cognitive capacity that people are born with. It consists of only logic and language abilities, and a person’s intelligence level can’t be changed over their lifetime. Gardner’s MI Theory stands in direct contrast. Instead, he posits that individuals have different amounts, abilities, and uniq

This study reveals Why! According to an article in Elite Daily, men and women who wear colorful; crazy socks are more self-confident, exciting and a sign of success. Socks can be extreme colors like neon green or fuschia; have eyes on them, be covered in lobsters, flying pigs or delicious cupcakes! And as long as they aren’t a boring white or blue; they can reveal a lot about the person wearing them. Wearing crazy socks shows that you refuse to conform to social norms by bravely displaying your fun and unique personality. Daring socks are a rebellious act towards customs and norms. Clothes help us express our personalities, as an article on Quartz explains; and crazy socks help give us a more lively, inspiring, playful and impressive appearance; especially at our workplace. “Colorful or character socks show playfulness and make a great ice-breaker or way to connect with others,” the article states. “Another possible advantage of wearing fanciful socks and other unex

A classic optical illusion known as “My Wife and My Mother-in-Law” is making the rounds on social media. It is also sometimes called the “Boring Figure.” A theory is also going along with it from a study that was conducted at Flinders University in Australia. In the drawing, viewers can see both an old lady’s profile gazing downwards and to the left and a younger woman looking the other way. According to the study, the woman you see first will depend on your age. They say that if you are between the ages of 18 and 30 you will normally see the younger woman first. People over the age of 30 typically see the older woman right off the bat. The study says this is an “own-age bias.” This optical illusion is currently one of the most popular ones in the world. It works due to facial perception. Viewers will either see a profile of an older lady looking down or a younger lady looking away. One will catch your eye before the other. If you can’t see both, let us give yo

Look at this picture. It may seem this is the most common picture, but it’s not. Look carefully, and you will see some details. Of course, each of us will pay attention to different things. Someone can see two horses, and someone else a girl. There are also those who will see the landscape. Exactly what you see first will tell what worries you at this moment. Look at the picture again. So, what did you see first? 1. If you saw a woman’s face It says that you are mentally exhausted. You are tired physically and morally, so still, other people take your energy. It can be anyone: your relatives, neighbors, friends, etc. You must understand that your inner peace should be above all. You need rest from all. A little selfishness and you will correct this situation. 2. If you saw horses It speaks of the affairs of the heart. You have to work on your relationship. Do not deceive your loved one, be honest with them. And, if you are still alone, it will not

Do you find yourself making excuses to stay at home, perhaps to binge-watch Netflix with your cat, even when friends invite you out? Do you sometimes delay errands you need to run, simply because you don’t want to deal with traffic and people at the store? Contrary to popular belief, people who do exactly this aren’t anti-social. Rather, they are highly-intelligent individuals who cannot stand fake platitudes from people who are employed to act nice, or those who exchange small talk on the street. Yes, this declaration is supported by science. A new NCBI study suggests that people who are highly intelligent tend to associate with only a handful of people, as well as seek out social interaction less frequently. The study also found that their life satisfaction increases when these people choose to live by this strategy. The research was led by two evolutionary psychologists who challenge the modern view that social contact leads to happiness. Satoshi Kanazawa of the

It’s no secret that there are so many incredible single women in the world. We’re smart, funny and basically total catches… so where are all the great guys? While some would have you believe that dating is a simple numbers game — that there are way more amazing single women in the world than there are eligible men — that’s total crap. The real reason so many of us are still rolling solo is much simpler: most guys aren’t worth dating. 1. WOMEN ARE BECOMING MORE EDUCATED, ACCOMPLISHED AND INDEPENDENT WHILE GUYS ARE GETTING CRAPPIER. We have so much to offer a potential partner and the world at large — we’re strong, ambitious and totally self-sufficient. Meanwhile, guys seem to have thrown chivalry and romance out the window and assume they can get away with the bare minimum. No thanks — they can take that laziness elsewhere. 2. WE WON’T PUT UP WITH BS. Sure, we could have a relationship if we were willing to look the other way when immature liars and players pull th

Do you have toxic people in your life? Do they influence you in detrimental ways? Do they leave you feeling manipulated or bad about yourself after every encounter? If so, you’re probably wondering how things got to be this way. Despite your positive attitude and approach to life, you find yourself unexpectedly surrounded by negativity. It might not occur to you that some of your strongest positive attributes may actually be attracting toxic people. These people may subconsciously feel threatened by your strengths, or they may just see you as an easy target. Either way, they will attempt to undermine or control you by limiting your peace of mind, happiness or success. It’s important to understand that every character strength has what is commonly called a “shadow side.” When used too liberally, our strengths can become weaknesses and also make us more susceptible to toxic people. I’ve experienced this in my own life. One of my character strengths is that I am extreme

Sometimes, the solution to your problem just won’t come into your head, yet your thoughts are spinning at a 100 kilometres an hour, and you feel like your brain is going to explode. It’s times like this that you could do with trying some ’art therapy’ as promoted by Viktoria Nazarevich. At its most basic, the only preparation you need to carry out for this is to grab a pencil and a sheet of paper. Then, just start drawing. It doesn’t even matter what you draw. Within a certain amount of time, your thoughts will become more harmonious and you’ll calm down. To help you get started, here’s what to do if you’re feeling… Tired: draw flowers Angry: draw lines In pain: build a model Bored: colour in a sheet of paper in various colours Sad: paint a rainbow Scared: knit something Worried: make a doll Indignant: tear a piece of paper into small pieces and arrange it into a pattern Anxious: do some origami Tense: draw patterns Nostalgic: draw a maz

I’m learning not to force things to happen. I’m learning to just let them be, to let them align with my life when the time is right, to the let the universe bring them to me without having to run after them; because if you have to run after something, it means that it doesn’t want to stand still, it doesn’t want to be caught, it doesn’t want to stop at your door. I’m trusting God that what’s meant for me will eventually find me no matter where I am. I’m not going to be passive but I also won’t fight a losing battle. I’m learning to let love find me. I’m learning to stop decoding messages and mixed signals and signs and wait for the clear message, the message that is so obvious and easy to understand, the message that doesn’t make you question or second guess anything and the message that you’re truly waiting for. I’m learning to let those who don’t want me in their lives go, I might even hold the door open for them because I don’t want temporary visitors anymor

Your oldest child really has the potential to become the next Einstein! A new study carried out by Leipzig University suggests that the IQ of first-borns increases because they have to teach their younger siblings how things work. The fact that first-borns have their parents’ attention all to themselves also boosts their IQ. It is said that the variations in intelligence are a result of how a child is raised and nurtured, not of biology The study evaluates a 1.5 IQ drop per sibling. In families with two children, however, the first-born isn’t necessarily the most intelligent since they only have a 60% chance of having a higher IQ. In this equation, there is still a good chance that the younger sibling will surpass them later on life. Apart from boosted intelligence, first-born children also show a heightened perception of their brain capabilities. The data for this study was accumulated from personality and IQ tests from three different national studies, one of whi