I just read an article which states that intelligence and speed of thought are directly related.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102169531
This could explain so many phenomena that have been puzzling me — sorta — for a while now.
One thing is how some people can enjoy movies I think are boring. For me, a movie is boring if after half an hour, I can predict more than 60% of what’s to come. If I notice this, the movie is ruined for me, and I cannot watch it. Ever.
Others genuinely enjoy said movie, and I imagine it’s because they did not foresee as much of the plot as others like me have. Having this new study in mind, I guess the people who enjoy those movies simply don’t have the brain speed to figure out what’s about to happen before the movie actually shows them. Obviously, a boring movie can still be a good movie. Being unpredictable is not the only thing I’m looking for, but it sure helps.
This study applies to life in general too, obviously. I truly believe that being able to see what’s about to happen really dampens your fun. I once heard a line in a movie that stuck with me. It went something like: ‘The worst part of being smart is knowing what is going to happen next.’ Sadly, I could not find where it’s from.
This makes me wonder if smart people can get bored easier. All the smart people I know have this problem.
What’s your take?
7 Exquisite Comments
My take? Ignorance is bliss. But you already knew (and disagreed with) that. If you want to be entertained by something that looks boring (predictable movie/night out/life), you just have to make an effort not to keep guessing and thinking about the most likely outcome.
In a nutshell: you have the choice between being bored, grinning and bearing OR switching your brain to standby mode (popularly reffered to as ‘carpe diem’). Whichever is easier to stomach for you.
ily, it’s not about being preocupied with the future, it’s about seeing the present facts. If they give you instant insight about what’s next, you can’t pretend you don’t know.
Also, there’s moist robot mode, which turns you into a spectator of your own life, mocking the pitiful activity that you are engaged in.
I’m getting the feeling that this topic can’t really be put in a nutshell.
You can`t put it in a nutshell because you don`t like contradicting yourself. But that`s okay, nobody really does.
Isn`t anticipating the ending of the movie the same as being preoccupied with the future? (but on a smaller scale, of course; real life is the actual big picture)
“If they give you instant insight about what’s next, you can’t pretend you don’t know.”
You get plenty of insight about the fact that you`re going to die, yet that doesn`t make you want to commit suicide, as you would quickly turn off a movie simply because the ending is predictable.
Nice try at framing this ‘debate.’
It’s not about knowing how the movie will end, it’s about knowing what will happen up to the end AND how it will end.
We all know we’re going to die (hopefully) but few of us know how, or when, or why, or what we’ll be doing in a year or in a month or tomorrow.
When you realize exactly what will happen in the next two hours, for example, you need other activities in that time frame to keep your mind busy. Say you’re at a lecture, and you already know much of what’s being said, and you’re not interested in sucking up to the teacher, and the teacher is very dull and speaks monotonously – either he changes rhythm, or you start talking to someone else, or you look out the window. Do you know why you look out the window? Because you got bored.
No, because you got ADHD.
In response to your previous post: I know what will happen in my life. What I don`t know is how it`s going to happen. You know what will take place in said movie. But you don`t know how exactly.
You can most definitely be inclined to say ‘oh, I saw this coming’ every five minutes, but what about the remaining 299 seconds which lead to the one you predicted?
Congrats, you win the internet.
I was refering to those movies that are so cheap, you ca predict the dialogue before it actually happens – and others.
Have fun, little engineer!
I`m not in it for the win, I`m in it for the journey. The win is /so/ predictable..