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Can everyone be a genius?

timesonline.co.uk — The brain is not, as the brain trainers like to say, a muscle. It is a mix of fat, water and proteins driven by electricity and chemicals called neurotransmitters. The plasticity of the brain means that it is able, in the face of injury or decay, to find ways of adapting itself to preserve strong patterns of activity.

Who dugg this? Made popular Nov 16, 2008

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  • warrenterr, on 11/16/2008, -0/+68...that not everyone can.
  • wannarto, on 11/16/2008, -0/+44can everyone be a moron? we already did.
  • jamesdew, on 11/16/2008, -1/+27I wonder if reading Digg makes me stupider
  • Kev8888, on 11/16/2008, -0/+23"The brain is not, as the brain trainers like to say, a muscle. It is a 1.3-kilogram crème caramel-like mix of fat, water and proteins "

    Sounds tasty
  • Stevo23, on 11/16/2008, -0/+20Step 1: Stop reading Digg comments.
  • dsmx, on 11/16/2008, -1/+19Me fail english? that's unpossible.
  • CarStan, on 11/16/2008, -4/+18SCIENCE! ***** YEAH!
  • gbudavid, on 11/16/2008, -5/+18I am living proof...;))
  • Mujokan, on 11/16/2008, -0/+11Please see your doctor -- you may have zombyitis.
  • thePTS, on 11/16/2008, -0/+8"more stupider" = safe version
  • Jeffler, on 11/16/2008, -0/+8Articles no, comments yes
  • bsmang, on 11/16/2008, -1/+8No.
  • jetcombo15, on 11/16/2008, -0/+7You were waiting for just the right comment to unleash all your knowledge regarding the undead, weren't you?
  • bipolarruledout, on 11/16/2008, -0/+6At least that's what you tell them right?
  • ImYourRealDad, on 11/16/2008, -0/+6It does, and you'll be shocked to hear what commenting does for you..
  • inactive, on 11/16/2008, -0/+5No, I call them idiots. 'Cause I'm a bit of a dick.
  • Rudegar, on 11/16/2008, -1/+6my mum said that if i ate all my veggies I would become a genius ;) :P
  • Mujokan, on 11/16/2008, -0/+5I predict that the sparkling brilliance of the comments on this thread will put the lie to your sarcasm, sir!
  • GoingPostal, on 11/16/2008, -0/+5http://www.instantrimshot.com/
  • schnibitz, on 11/16/2008, -3/+8Interesting that the article didn't even touch on TMS (Trans-cranial magnetic stimulation). It's been shown to literally induce genius. They basically put an electromagnet next to your head, tune it to a particular frequency then fire it up. If they aim it at the creativity side of your brain, you become Da vinci, or Mozart. If you aim it in math area, people are much better at doing complex mathematics etc. I'm a little disappointed that the implications of this research weren't explored. It seems like if you have a repeatable way of inducing genius, that should be explored.
  • inactive, on 11/16/2008, -0/+5This meme is a has-been that never was.
  • JCPahl, on 11/16/2008, -0/+5No, actually "stupider" is a word.
  • Pixelante, on 11/16/2008, -0/+5Zombies do not eat only brains, it's a misconception. A spontaneously reanimated corpse will consume the flesh of any living person if given the chance.
    By the way, reanimation is not due to a disease. It's a phenomenon that involves all the recently deceased, unless death occurred because of massive head trauma or if the brain was destroyed post-mortem.
    Get your living dead facts straight, it may save your life.
  • nj10ii, on 11/16/2008, -0/+5Sources needed....
  • MasterTonberry, on 11/16/2008, -0/+4Can everyone be a genius? The short answer is 'no'.

    However as the article pointed out, emerging evidence on the plasticity of the brain has shown that intelligence can increased. I think people should be sceptical of some of these brain training games, more often than not they simply improve the ability to play those games as opposed to increase overall general intelligence (what psychologists call g).

    However the article also made reference to a game which was found by a recent peer-reviewed study to increase g, which is dual n back. It's obviously not going to be as fun as the Nintendo DS brain training games but anyone with 20 minutes to spare may want to check it out.

    http://www.soakyourhead.com/dual-n-back.aspx

    And a link to the study,
    http://www.iapsych.com/articles/jaeggi2008.pdf
  • Stevethegreat, on 11/16/2008, -0/+4This whole matter has more to do with how you define genius, rather than an actual state of being. If you describe a genius from his/her IQ score then the answer is definitely no, as our adult IQ is pretty much fixed, if you however define it by one's skill on a certain field (for example a great physicist) or the quickness to another -say language- then clearly one with a rather unexceptional IQ of 120 like Richard Feynman can be considered a genius. In which case we can certainly say that much of the intelligence was derived by mr Feynman's dedication to his work and the development of more efficient thinking in certain set problems, rather than being born "pre-destined" to win a Nobel Price.

    I just don't think -however- that any of those popular games make you more of a genius rather than just delay the deterioration of the brain from old age (as it has been shown by studies). "Consuming" crosswords and Brain academy like games is unlike to make you a genius as for that it is required a certain dedication to a certain field (and most possibly a certain genetic endowment) rather than -just- solving general purpose problems
  • michelsonmorley, on 11/16/2008, -1/+5That was really long and convoluted. It's point was to prove that brain age doesn't work?
  • circuitbent, on 11/16/2008, -0/+3Step 3: Profit
  • inactive, on 11/16/2008, -0/+3Who says that? I know plenty of chicks with huge ***** who're smart.
  • RudeTurnip, on 11/16/2008, -0/+3These ditches aren't going to dig themselves!
  • Mujokan, on 11/16/2008, -2/+5Slate had a (kind of a) review of a new book called "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell, which takes a holistic look at where geniuses come from. http://www.slate.com/id/2204398/entry/2204400/
  • karmaroks, on 11/16/2008, -0/+3If everyone were to be geniuses wouldn't the least genius person still be a moron?
  • Jarrane, on 11/16/2008, -0/+3http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/6264/abstrusego ...
  • chypher, on 11/16/2008, -0/+3they say people with big penis or boobs are dumber than the others..
  • hierophantus, on 11/16/2008, -0/+3While they're at it, they should really go into the very real and incredible revelations that can be had through phrenology, too.

    /s
  • nj10ii, on 11/16/2008, -0/+2I also know plenty of chicks with big boobs that are smart enough to stay away from me.
  • johnstar, on 11/16/2008, -0/+2If you don't use it you lose it, (getting rusty)
  • CVL4317, on 11/16/2008, -0/+2Everyone can, but not everyone want to be one.
  • Deadpixel1221, on 11/16/2008, -2/+4I've become stupider having read that tripe.
  • fx666, on 11/16/2008, -1/+3I totally agree with you. But not everyone is born to be a scientist, so they play their silly "mind games"
  • MrOmniscient, on 11/16/2008, -0/+2The only reason that I didn't Digg this down as spam is I just found it so damn interesting. You don't expect to find geniuses in any kind of celebrity section, but there are certainly a few here. I didn't really expect to see anyone I know there either, but I found Joe Young listed. Though I haven't seen him in a number of years, I became acquainted with him through my involvement in the Charlotte (NC) music scene what seems like a lifetime ago. I didn't really fully appreciate what he did musically at the time, but he's always been a super nice dude.
  • stupidcatdog, on 11/16/2008, -0/+2Do I have to? whatever I guess I will.....

    Step 3: PROFIT!!
  • inactive, on 11/16/2008, -1/+3It also has a risk of inducing seizures...
  • bipolarruledout, on 11/16/2008, -1/+3Perhaps the school is the problem?
  • JoeMerchant, on 11/16/2008, -0/+2Wonder no more. It obviously already has.
  • helixed, on 11/16/2008, -1/+3I'm definitely going to get dugg down for this, but seriously dude, get a life.
  • LeepII, on 11/16/2008, -0/+2No, some people are born retarded.
  • blast_flame, on 11/16/2008, -0/+2I'm a libertarian, I like that site but what exactly does it have to do with the topic at hand?
  • supermanly, on 11/16/2008, -0/+2Step 2: ???
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