It’s not so easy to understand that we are in the company of a genius. Sometimes, and because we do not know what the word means.
For example, in ancient Rome, a genius was called a genius, patronizing a person or a place. In the XVIII century, the modern meaning of this word appeared – a man with special, almost divine abilities.
Today, we easily call someone a genius of marketing or a political genius, without thinking that this genius does not need such clarifications. True genius goes beyond one area. Therefore, we should not use this word so wastefully. Let’s remember the basic misconceptions about genius.
Myth number 1. Genius is determined by genetics
This idea has appeared for a long time. As early as 1869, British scientist Francis Galton published the book “Heredity of Talent”, in which he asserted that genius directly depends on our heredity. But genius is not genetically transmitted like the color of the eyes. Genuine parents are not born brilliant children. Heredity is just one of the factors.
Another factor is hard work. In addition, the attitude to his work also influences. This is confirmed by a study conducted among children involved in musicIdentity and practice: The motivational benefits of a long-term musical identity. . It showed that the student’s success determines not the number of hours spent on rehearsals, but the attitude to music in the long run.
In other words, to be a genius, you need a certain way of thinking and perseverance.
Myth number 2. Geniuses are smarter than other people
This is refuted by examples from history. So, most of the outstanding historical figures had a fairly modest level of intelligence. For example, IQ William Shockley, the Nobel Prize winner in physics, total 125. The same result is also the case with the famous physicist Richard Feynman.
Genius, especially creative, is determined not so much by mental abilities as by the breadth of vision. Genius is the one who comes to new unexpected ideas.
Also, genius does not necessarily require encyclopedic knowledge or excellent education. Many geniuses dropped out of school or did not study at all, like, for example, the famous British scientist Michael Faraday.
In 1905, when Albert Einstein published four articles that changed the idea of physics, his own knowledge of this science was inferior to the knowledge of other researchers. His genius was not that he knew more than others, but that he could draw conclusions that no one else could have done.
Myth number 3. Geniuses can appear anytime, anywhere
Usually we think of geniuses as something like falling stars – an amazing phenomenon and extremely rare.
But if you map the emergence of geniuses around the world in the history of mankind, you can notice a curious pattern. Geniuses do not appear unintentionally, but in groups. In certain places at certain times give rise to outstanding minds and new ideas. Remember the ancient Athens, Florence of the Renaissance, Paris of the 1920s and even today’s Silicon Valley.
Places where there are geniuses, although different from each other, have common characteristics. For example, almost all of this is a city.
High population density and a sense of closeness that arise in the urban environment, contribute to the development of creativity.
For all these places is characterized by an atmosphere of tolerance and openness, which, according to psychologists, is especially important for creativityThe relationship between intelligence and creativity: New support for the threshold hypothesis by means of empirical breakpoint detection. . So geniuses are more similar not to falling stars, but to flowers that naturally appear in a suitable environment.
Myth number 4. Genius is a sullen loner
In mass culture, many such characters. And although geniuses, especially writers and artists, are more prone to mental disorders, in particular to depression, they are rarely alone. They want to be in a community of like-minded people who can reassure them and convince them that they have not gone insane. Therefore geniuses always have a “support group”.
Freud had a Viennese psychoanalytic society, which he gathered on Wednesdays, and Einstein had the “Olympic Academy”. Impressionist painters gathered every week and wrote together in nature to maintain a cheerful spirit in response to the rejection of critics and the public.
Of course, geniuses need to sometimes remain alone, but often they switch from solitary work to socializing with others. For example, the Scottish philosopher David Hume spent weeks in the study and worked, but then he always went out and went to a local pub to live and communicate like all other people.
Myth number 5. Now we are smarter than before
The number of university graduates and the level of IQ is now higher than ever, so many people think that we live in an era of geniuses. This confusion is so popular that he even had a name, the Flynn effect.
But people at all times believed that their era is the peak of development. And we are no exception. Of course, we have witnessed a huge breakthrough in the field of digital technologies, but the question of our genius is still open.
In science, many monumental discoveries have been made. Although they are impressive, but not so important as to change our perception of the world. There are no discoveries like Darwin’s evolutionary theory and Einstein’s theory of relativity.
Over the past 70 years, much more scientific research has been published than before, but the percentage of truly innovative work remains unchanged.
Yes, now we produce a record amount of data, but do not confuse this with creative genius. Otherwise, every smartphone owner would be a new Einstein.
It is proved that the information flow around us only prevents major discoveries. And this is really worrying. After all, if geniuses have one thing in common, then this is the ability to see the unusual in the ordinary.
