"Introverts are a minority in the regular population but a majority in the gifted population...it is very difficult for an extrovert to understand an introvert." - Jill D. Burruss and Lisa Kaenzig.
Richard Feynman had an IQ of 126. George "Dubya" Bush has as IQ of 126. I have an IQ of 126.
Feynman was a theoretical physicist known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics, and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as in particle physics. He won a Nobel Prize.
George Bush got an MBA (worthless degree), started two unnecessary wars that killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people, wasted over a trillion dollars, took away some of American's freedoms, and basically was an utter incompetent who did not know what he was doing.
Why the difference between genius and moron, when they both had the same IQ?
I think one of the main reasons is that Feynman was an introvert and Bush an extrovert.
I am an introvert, so I know what we are like. I have a vivid imagination, so much so I used to get completely lost in reading something. It was more vivid than reality.
Feynman had to be the same way, otherwise he could not concentrated, imagined and been intellectually curious enough to do what he did. He was a creator. Bush, an extrovert, has no imagination at all. And he was nothing but a destroyer.
Imagination allows you to empathize with other people because you can imaginatively put yourself in their place. This is why extroverts can so easily murder people. They cannot "see" them as people in their minds. Politicians are extroverts, the most murder-loving of soldiers and police are extroverts, almost all prisoners are low-IQ extroverts.
Introverts are intellectually curious. Extroverts aren't. Without introverts we'd have few scientists, artists, writers, musicians, and just creative people in general. It wouldn't be much of a society, more like 1984 that anything else.
Bush has been described as "incurious" and has told people, "I don't do nuance." ("'Are you still so dull?' Jesus asked them.")
I do believe you can judge a book by its cover. Feynman had a high forehead ("egghead") showing high intelligence. Bush has beady little lopsided eyes, set too close together in a narrow head. What does "beady little eyes" mean? Untrustworthy and dishonest.
One of the more amusing (and for all I know, possibly true) theories I've encountered is that introverts have far more Neanderthal ancestry than extroverts, who are mostly Cro-Magnon. Whether or not it's true, it does point out the profound differences between introverts and extroverts. They are so different they are almost different species.
Pareto's Law tells us that 80% of people will be extroverts and 20% introverts. That's unfortunate for introverts, since society is set up to kill us. That's why I'm so much for political and economic liberty (by the way those are introvert values) since under them everyone can flourish.
Unfortunately, under group-oriented extrovert values (since extroverts mostly don't have an inner life and get their "self-esteem" from the Herd/Ants/Sheeple/Borg), societies will always descend into fascism/socialism.
When introverts start to withdraw too much from society, they show sign of Schizoid Personality Disorder. When extroverts go bad, they turn into narcissists and psychopaths. While schizoids only harm themselves, narcissists and psychopaths harm everyone.
Then society collapses and ultimately introvert values ascend again. Otherwise we'd be permanently stuck in the Dark Ages.
It is a very unpleasant cycle. There is hope that someday introverts will figure out a way to break it (Crazy Eddie, for those who've read The Mote in God's Eye). Dubya and his kind will never do it. That, of course, includes Barak Yomama, Bush's half-breed twin.
"Extroverts...dominate public life. This is a pity. If we introverts ran the world, it would no doubt be a calmer, saner, more peaceful sort of place." - Jonathan Rauch
1 comment:
I don't know how true this is, but I've read that the 80-20% statistic (sometimes seen as 2/3 - 1/3) is actually a mistake that has its roots with Isabel Myers. She had estimated that only 1/3 of the population was introverted based on the people that attended her studies. This statistic was then repeated over and over again all over the place, which is why it is so commonly accepted today.
Other studies actually suggest that the distribution between introverts and extroverts is 50-50! The percentage of introverts may seem lower however in day-to-day life because many introverts try to "act" as extroverts to fit in better with the group.
Btw, I like your blog. Keep up the good work!
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