Episode 175: High IQ and Low Level of Consciousness

Psychology Has It Backwards

The higher the IQ a person has and the more they have depended on analysis and retention of information, using what they know to "figure out" what to do moment-to-moment, the harder it is for them to trust insights — fresh ideas that just pop up for us. Many of us have rejected helpful ideas we've had, inspiring new thoughts, because we hadn't analyzed the situation sufficiently to believe we could trust an unexpected insight, even if it made sense. Once we understand the way our minds work, and we recognize that wisdom is always available to us, it's like discovering that behind the thick vegetation we thought defined the limits of our property, a lovely river flowed, offering a constant source of all the clear, fresh water we could want. Until we knew it was there, we had to figure out how to get water every day, driving several miles to find places to fill jugs and buckets. But when we stumbled upon a path behind the house one day and walked through it, there was the river. It was always there for us, but we had to discover it for ourselves to believe that we would never lack for fresh water again.

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