Jordan Peterson of the University of Toronto and colleages at Harvard University have found that decreased latent inhibition of environmental stimuli appears to correlate with greater creativity among people with high IQ. (same press release available here and here)
The study in the September issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology says the brains of creative people appear to be more open to incoming stimuli from the surrounding environment. Other people's brains might shut out this same information through a process called "latent inhibition" - defined as an animal's unconscious capacity to ignore stimuli that experience has shown are irrelevant to its needs. Through psychological testing, the researchers showed that creative individuals are much more likely to have low levels of latent inhibition.
"This means that creative individuals remain in contact with the extra information constantly streaming in from the environment," says co-author and U of T psychology professor Jordan Peterson. "The normal person classifies an object, and then forgets about it, even though that object is much more complex and interesting than he or she thinks. The creative person, by contrast, is always open to new possibilities."
Previously, scientists have associated failure to screen out stimuli with psychosis. However, Peterson and his co-researchers - lead author and psychology lecturer Shelley Carson of Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Harvard PhD candidate Daniel Higgins - hypothesized that it might also contribute to original thinking, especially when combined with high IQ. They administered tests of latent inhibition to Harvard undergraduates. Those classified as eminent creative achievers - participants under age 21 who reported unusually high scores in a single area of creative achievement - were seven times more likely to have low latent inhibition scores.
The authors hypothesize that latent inhibition may be positive when combined with high intelligence and good working memory - the capacity to think about many things at once - but negative otherwise. Peterson states: "If you are open to new information, new ideas, you better be able to intelligently and carefully edit and choose. If you have 50 ideas, only two or three are likely to be good. You have to be able to discriminate or you'll get swamped."
"Scientists have wondered for a long time why madness and creativity seem linked," says Carson. "It appears likely that low levels of latent inhibition and exceptional flexibility in thought might predispose to mental illness under some conditions and to creative accomplishment under others."
A less able mind has a greater need to be able to filter out and ignore stimuli. A less intelligent person with a low level of latent inhibition for filtering out familiar stimuli may well sink into mental illness as a result. But a smarter mind can handle the effects of taking note of a larger number of stimuli and even find interesting and useful patterns by continually processing a larger quantity of familiar information.
You can find the original paper here: Decreased Latent Inhibition Is Associated With Increased Creative Achievement in High-Functioning Individuals (PDF format)
The central idea underlying our research program is therefore that individuals characterized by increased plasticity (extraversion and openness)retain higher post-exposure access to the range of complex possibilities laying dormant in so-called ‘‘familiar ’’environments.This heightened access is the subjective concomitant of decreased latent inhibition,which allows the plastic person increased incentive-reward-tagged appreciation for hidden or latent information (Peterson,1999). Such decreases in LI may have pathological consequences,as in the case of schizophrenia or its associated conditions (perhaps in individuals whose higher-order cognitive processes are also impaired,and who thus become involuntarily ‘‘flooded ’’by an excess of a ffectively tagged infor- mation),or may constitute a precondition for creative thinking (in individuals who have the cognitive resources to ‘‘edit ’’or otherwise constrain (Stokes,2001)their broader range of mean- ingful experience).
Note from the text of the full paper that stress causes the release of the hormone corticosterone which lowers latent inhibition. In a nutshell, when an organism runs into problems that cause stress the resulting release of stress hormones causes the mind to shift into a state where it will examine factors in the environment that it normally ignores. This allows the organism to look for solutions to the stress-causing problem that would be ignored in normal and less stressed circumstances.
So perhaps we could hypothesize something like this:under stressful conditions,or in person-ality configurations characterized by increased novelty-sensitivity,approach behavior,and DA activity, decreased LI is associated with increased permeability and flexibility of functional cog- nitive and perceptual category [see Barsalou (1983)for a discussion of such categories ].Imagine a situation where current plans are not producing desired outcomes —a situation where current categories of perception and cognition are in error, from the pragmatic perspective. Something anomalous or novel emerges as a consequence (Peterson,1999), and drives exploratory behavior. Stress or trait-dependent decreased LI, under such circumstances, could produce increased signal (as well as noise), with regards to the erroneous pattern of behavior and the anomaly that it produced. This might offer the organism, currently enmeshed in the consequences of mistaken presuppositions, the possibility of gathering new information, where nothing but categorical certainty once existed. Decreased LI might therefore be regarded as advantageous, in that it allows for the perception of more unlikely, radical and numerous options for reconsideration, but disadvantageous in that the stressed or approach-oriented person risks ‘‘drowning in possibility,’’ to use Kierkegaard ’s phrase.
One can easily see how this response could have been selected for evolutionarily. At the same time, one can also see how chronic stress could lead a person to fall into a state of confusion as a sustained large flood of stimuli could overwhelm the brain by giving it too much to think about and make a person unable to clearly see solutions that will relieve the feeling of stress.
By Randall Parker at 2003 October 05 04:54 PM Brain Creativity | TrackBackWow! Thanks for finding this. I've posted on it on my blog on creativity and innovation, IdeaFlow. Now I'm going to go have a drink and ponder how close to psychosis I might personally be.....!
Is there a way out, or a calm down to what I have always labeled as brain clutter? No drugs, please. I'd rather live with the clutter and I LOVE the creative side of me.
Interesting, so the correlation has been established. Dumb people with low latent inhibition end up mentally ill, while the smart ones become creative geniuses. I'm sure all the mentally ill people will rejoice when they hear this one. (including me - jumping for joy!)
Interesting. I wonder how this relates to Savant Syndrome? They posess an element of creative genius, low latent inhibition, but also a low IQ, yet they are not recognized as being mentally ill.
This was orginally pointed out to me, from a magazine authored by Susan Hayes, right after I prayed to God, if I were crazy. I asked God this, because I was really really high and joyous and hadn't taken any drugs. I also could see and hear things that were non-physical. In my high state I disregarded the high-stress that I was under. For a moment I wondered, am I cheating on my course? As I was elated at a time so stressful I could have been depressed and ran ragged. Yet, I was high and could see things with a more than vivid brightness.
I am very highly creative. Have mutitple learning differences known as learning disabilities. My IQ is no doubt very high, but I because of the learning differences in the past didn't score high on standardized tests. I always wished the tests tested me, and not the standard. One day Soon! I hope! Yet, I'm learning to shift my gears and respond to the standard as a way of increased survival, even though my true calling is to be very intuitively driven.
I wish I knew more people like me! Where are you?
I met with a person that is classified as a genius this weekend, he immediately
told me I was also a genius, much to my suprise I taught he was kidding but it turned
out he was not.
This explaines why I have done certain things in my life.
I have had taughts of cure for alhymers, aging, and numerous other things just
pop into my head. I have also found passages in the bible that realates to things
I knew that was floating around in my head. I would find a thread and keep following
it until I got to an explination, and by doing that discovered lots of other things.
I have and understanding of the universe in my head and from that I have put together
taughts of a time machine. As crasy as it sounds I know I am not crazy, and if a genius
can classify me as a genius then my theories should have some validity.
This is only a few of the theories that come to me. I notice if I go to a hospital
the cure for certain comes to me, and I know nothing about the medical field.
I talked to a doctor and he said It could work. My understanding of god and different dimentions is so clear to me in my mind its all real.
I am just trying to share info here and I believe by following a thread I can get to
anywhere I want. I learned to play the drums by figuring out the patterns in my head then tried it and was better able to play it than someone who has been playing it for 3 years.
Pretty cool uh?
If you need to know more or would like to just correspond with me pls send me an email.
Thanks
Rajen
I am a qualified Psycholgist working in general business. I have been hospitalised with 2 psychotic episodes. My IQ is in the top 5% overall and my conceptual reasoning ability is 1% - 0%. Whilst I wouldn't like to be any different, the burden of my IQ has taken a considerable toll - it needn't have been the case if a litany of therapists I've been to in my life stopped looking through their DSM manuals for correlates of my behaviour. At 38 I've only begun to address managing my IQ. The findings posted here should be made more public - if nothing else rather than regaining all the friends, jobs, boyfriends and opportunities I've lost, it might prevent it happening to some one else. It would also help stop exploitation - what I call interchangably - "The Mozart Syndrome" and the "The goose that laid the golden egg" phenomenon. Thanks for making me feel "normal" for once.
This stuff clears up a lot. Ever since i was a little kid i loved science, it facinated me. My dad who is very smart and has a lot of overall knowledge would explain all types of thing's to me and I would love it. In the course of scientifical and logical things I've never had trouble understanding them. I could theorize and think about the most fictional things and like doďng it. But i've always had trouble dealing with my emotions. Not beďng able to control or understand them. Wich would result in bad social contacts, and bad school performance. As I hit puberty I noticed that there would be days where everything would go great, and then suddenly everything would go wrong and i coulden't handle or manage social contacts anymore. This resulted ofcourse in depression and feeling psychotic. What made me depressed was the fact that a person needs good social contacts to function properly. So I would get frustrated when I was working my brain to understand what was wrong. This woulden't happen if my problem was scientifical, a person doesen't need science to feel happy. So I was pretty much screwed. But then again like everybody I make progress. I read that psychosis disapears as a person get's older, this must be because that person has solved the problem and no longer needs to overload his brain to figure 'it' out.
Cya, Darkchild.
thanks for sharing this info, i have been looking for more explanation to explain the "craziness" in my head. i have always been very intelligent (sometimes testing as high as top 1%) and very creative, (i have had poetry published and sculpture displayed in an exhibit and i sell the jewelry i make). but i also am diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. i have terrible psychosis. i relate very easily to the concept of simply having too many thoughts in my head, too much information coming in to process. but i do resent any implication that i am mentally ill because my intelligence i lacking. that just can't be the reason and i wish they would figure out the real reason. i'd love to get some more latent inhibition, lol
I have a tested IQ in the 170+ range with a digit span of 22 :)
Well it seems like Im the smartest here with an IQ of 170 and a working memory of 22 chunks of information :)
Well thats nothing compared to me. I have a tested childhood IQ of 210 with a digit span of 26 :) and a near perfect memory.
I thought the article was interesting, but it showed no solution. What would the solution be? drugs to control the excessive input? psychological orientation to help maintain ideas within a "normal" level? yoga or other meditational therapy? I have a son that fits the description to a t, but how can I help him? I always thought of him as a black ball full of light that had many holes puncture through it. The rays of light come out of every hole, but none of them focuses on anything, so all the light is wasted. How can I help him edit the input and focus on just a few stimuli?
Dear fellow readers
For a while now I have had taughts come into my mind, and thinking I was crazy I had myself evaluated by a
known scientist. Mankind is putting time to measure the universe. The way it should be is like this, time which is
created by man should stay on this plane and the universe which is on its own scale should not get time thrown into it to measure distances of other objects. There is no way time could be used to measure the distance from one star to
the next. The universe exist in its own realm, and every object has its own cycle. Once the universe is comprehened as a three dimentional existance then everything makes perfect sence, a lot more than using light-years and time to determine distance. Therefore the universe with all its stars simply exist. The stars you are seeing now are really there at this moment, not a billion light years ago. Once you look at the universe in a 3 dimentional view then things start falling into place and you can use your mind to create the future.
Lucia brings up a good point. Is there a solution to bringing some focus back? Is it possible that in the fray of contemplating patterns to all the stimuli our minds bathe in, that we miss the subtle threads of social diplomacy with those around us, those who may be less able to see the bigger picture, those who may run slower, but after all, are heading down the same path. Creativity, problem solving, and the love of absorbing huge quantity of info and media are things I thrive on, but if it prevents me from integrating with society or with those I love, then I don't see it as much of a blessing, but more of a burden. Brag about your IQ, then think of how many friends you have, that truly understand you, and think of how easy it is for you to mix with the general public. Some of us cope better than others, but the active word here is cope.
The hypothesis that "dump people" with low latent inhibition end up with mental illness and "smart ones" are high functioning is a bit optimistic and a wishful thinking, don't you think? Isn't it known that highly creative individuals are the most prone to mental illness? Creativity is a quality purely human- another indication that we, humans, are 'mad animals'. Our depression is inherent just as our destructive self-consciousness with the corresponding obsession with death and sadness coming from our way too good memory (that proves to us every moment that everything mattered and loved is fleeting and soon lost). The difference between people is a degree and an expression of madness, the more creative being more prone to it. It's a natural consequence of being human, the curse of the 'forbidden fruit' of knowledge (read 'thinking') eaten in the evolutionary Eden.
For all those people looking for a way of changing above mentioned states I would suggest looking into Neurofeedback.Good Luck.
As a system of controlling the brain and brainwave states it has helped me immensly in harnessing my own creativity.
I suffer from extremely high creativity. At school I was underachievment pupil but at the University people found out that I have extraordinary ability to deal with abstract conceptual thinking. It was a big suprise to me. A few years later i got an idea to found a marketing and sales office; I designed the products, marketing and sales and it was very profitable. Later i started to design clothes and sowed 70 models and showed them to the leading clothing manufacturer in this area and the producing manager promised to employ me but unfortunately the owner of the company said "NO" because I didn`t have designing degree.
Then I started to design furniture and there was one manufacturer who promised to manufacture my first model of bed but it was "stolen". Then I started to design decorations and functional things and the innovation-association promised me a big grant if I find a co-operator. I didn´t.
Now I`ve drawn a comic book and soon the publisher lets me know whether it is published or not.
Last year happened an accident: I became involved in politics and I had very good ideas and got lot of votes. Soon I was the leader of my party and designed the action and programmes.( Now I have embraced other party).
I suffer, because it is very difficult to be different from other people; when there is smaller or bigger group discussing almost any issue and I open my mouth there will be silence and people`s mouths are open; I have very useful and high quality ideas they say. Let`s see what happens next...
I also not so much suffer from high creativity, but my IQ combined with distorted thinking has caused me tremendous troubles. I am 19 years old and spent already 2 years of my life in Federal Penetentiaries here in Canada. I was tested when I was younger and scored above 130 or close to that. Now if i would have used that creativity to do good instead of producing counterfeit bills I would be set. But, for some reason I cant seem to not want to take the easy way out. I find this so called gift of creativity more of a curse than a blessing.
I would like to refer readers of this site to the Harvard Gazzette Archives at this website: http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2003/10.23/01-creativity.html When faced with questionable, ridiculas, information, it is best to go to the "horse's mouth."
I have severe bipolar disorder with psychotic features. I am also highly intelligent. A truth which is supported by the fact, given the numerous psychiatric professionals I have seen, I have literally been told that I am intelligent more times than I have been told that I am mentally ill. Despite the severity of my illness, a psychologist did not believe that I had bipolar disorder. Instead she told me that I should be in ivy league schools discussing my theories on the structure of time with them. Praise of my intelligence did not end there. My professors in college are encouraging me to write a book in light of my "fantastic" writing ability.
Having found wellness again, I am frustrated with my mind's insistence on thinking, creating original thoughts, formulating logical arguments supporting my positions, etc. etc. when all I want to do is wash the dishes. Hence my research into latent inhibition and my discovery of this poorly reasoned website.
Visit the above sight; you will find that it is not the intention of Harvard researchers to turn the difference between mental illness and intelligence into the equivilant of neanderthal to advanced man. They simply maintain they have found another trait to link the two.
To the authors of this site: Through your misinterpretation of medical research, you threaten to turn back the tide in acheivements in dismantling stigma, battled by, for instance, the creators of The Beautiful Mind. I wonder if the conclusions you have made are similar to Hitler's when he initiated a program to elliminate the mentally ill.
To all who are mentally ill: Mental illness is no function of your intelligence. You are neither weak nor stupid.
To all who touted your IQ's in the above posts: Do not be too proud of your abilities. They are a function of your brain that could easily be taken away by a head injury. Instead find pride in your works.
i think that you should pour yourself into many creative activities. i personally read alot of stuff, write stories poems and lyrics, draw constantly (even in science classes), play dungeons and dragons, and many various videogames. sometimes i find everyting more interesting when i do two activites at once.
Hallo to all seekers of the workings of a brilliant mind. I agree with Mandy that you can be both highly intelligent as well as mentally ill, or rather that the two are not separate but can be intertwined. Also agreed, those who boast- great that you have found one area of excelling but IQ only is for ranking certain intellectual qualities, not all forms of intelligences. There are those who would also be considered less intelligent even if they do not rank high on a typical IQ scale due to other factors such as learning disabilities, which does not render one unintelligent. Sure there are those who are mentally not as advanced as certain others, but they have their special gifts, for we all have been given talents from the Great Master above! So be glad within whatever your qualities, no matter your IQ level, whether high or low, and don't brag about them- like Mandy says DO something with them, (don't sit on your backside sipping the tea of self-conceit while you could be tending to the needs of those around you- whether human, animal, plant or the environment- or wherever your heart and talents lie); and be open to those around you maybe not so fortunate as you, and think there is someone out there, even a developmentally disabled individual who might excel over you in another area such as in compassion or humility or love. (Though intelligence and creativity don't preclude
a strength in these areas, of course.)
OK, I am also creative like most here, it has it's ups n' downs, but even though I feel pride at times for my ideas and beliefs, (wish I would achieve more but self-sabotage comes into play here- sad, so sad- can any of you fellow smart and creative people relate???), I also realize that despite my gifts I must share them with the world when I am further able to, and that there is so much more to learn, and even ordinary people have precious things that they could share with you if you only open your eyes enough to see beyond the end of your nose- you know who you are.
Well, I am just human like all of us, (Why am I rambling on?) Well, just to pinch our arms to remember that we who have extra talents must not let it go to our heads and if we do just to see the beauty and potential in all, to make this world collectively a better place. (That's why some people have extra blessings, more is expected of us since more has been given to us.) Too many egos already in this world. Be confident but not arrogant if you can help it- OK, I'm not your mother! --just thought I'd toss my two cents in the swirling pool of opinions on this blog.
Agreed or not agreed- just be your best self and share, share, share.
Peace out happy (or moody) travelers.....
Sayonara for a long tomorrow. END
(who knows, I may never return here- BOO! ha-ha. ha?)
This one is for Larry Brown - (please also refer to my earlier posting). I was labeled "mentally ill" Larry and after much frustration with the "court, judge and jury" - some of whom were my "peers" (I'm a Psychologist) I decided what they had to say about me, after 5 minutes of speaking to me, was a load of rubbish. They didn't know me from a bar of soap and hadn't walked in my shoes. More to the point, they didn't know themselves enough to objectively pass judgement on some one else. Nonetheless the culture in this medical specialisation is such that they allow and facilitate each other to make these decisions. Have a read of what their decision-making "rules" are based on - a guy (Kraeplin) who stuck his finger in the air and decided there was a classification of "mental illness" at a time in history when it was still thought females presenting to doctors with head aches should have their ovaries removed to stop the headaches.
I must admit for a while I was pretty defensive about anything which was said about "mentally ill" people - after much frustration it occured to me that rather than assist people, these labels were actually stereotypes used by "normal" people and, sadly, the medical fraternity, many of whom lack broad and traumatic life experience to understand that if you get raped a few dozen times in a war, or like a friend I have, escape with the shirt on your back from a war zone, that you ARE going to be impacted. My friend has post-traumatic stress disorder, but because Australia (where I live) is a very stable and sheltered place, they are treating him as if he's a Schizophrenic - they don't have experience to understand, otherwise.
I see the whole thing being the same as it was in the dark ages, except then, people with all medical illness (physical or psychological)were exorcised or burned at the stake as witches and heretics. People with different ideas (like Giordano Bruno, for example), copped the same treatment. Was Bruno mentall ill? They'd probably call him that today because no one can follow or trace where he got his ideas - so he'd be loaded up with Zyprexa...just because he didn't fall into what we consider "normalcy" and because, basically a handful of people don't get what he says. Bruno's mate, Galileo pulled his head in and toed the line.
Churchill was Bipolar - what legacy has he left us in the middle east? In fact a whole swathe of apparenty "mentally ill" people rose to prominence historically(including Mozart). My question is therefore what is the deifintion of mentally ill? My answer is "anything I don't understand".
You might find it interesting that one ex-Oxford academic (Dr David Horrobin)who worked on the genome project is of the opinion that what society considers "mental illness" is actually a psychological step up the ladder of evolution (see his book "The Madness of Adam and Eve") - now wouldn't that be a slap in the face?
(Hope no one minds if I indulge a bit more in my monologue)...There is also the question of how you define intelligence. When I studied Psychology at Uni a couple of decades ago amongst all the theories one, in particular impressed me. Rather than presume intelligence was effectively "learned intelligence" which basically tests memory or your ability to manipulate things you'd already learned (these are the tests with matrices, word comprehension, putting puzzles together etc), this one split intelligence into two tangents - one being learned intelligence and another which was fluid (you can see this in people who think latterally - eg being stuck in the desert with a flat tyre and needing a screwdriver and coming across a knife and using this as a screwdriver).
I've been thinking about this a very long time and I still don't think this went far enough to define the nature of intelligence. I've had a few debates with friends who studied pure science who maintained (in a nutshell) that animals were less intelligent than humans. Then I got into a debate with an Astronomer who had a really narrow idea of what looking for "intelligent life" in space woud turn up. I don't think animals are less intelligent and I don't think we'll ever find "intelligent life in space" because I think the way we define intelligence is limited to what we already know - how do you develop an intelligence test for a genius if you are not one? It's like developing a test of endurance for a class athelete based on what YOU can do - bit of a joke really. Based on our limited capacity to see and hear compared to an animal, for example, how can we presume we're more intelligent? I'll accept we manipulate and combine information better, but what's the use of that when you're only doing it on a limited amount of information - if you could see or hear like an animal, that woudl be something! Imagine if we were looking for intelligent life using only one band of frequency out of millions possible - the most pathetic thing is we are not even aware that millions of bands exist.
Cutting to the chase - for me intelligence is primarily the ability to create something out of nothing and secondarily to find scope to APPLY it. It can't be anything else, because anything else is already regurgitation (or "simulcra"). The IQ tests we have measure regurgitation not intelligence.
Personally I think to be intelligent is to step outside yourself (which is very hard to do)and stop thiking of your environment and everything in it as an extension of yourself - YOU are an extension of IT. It won't sing to you, you need to absorb it - all the answers are there but we've just become to intensely focused on ourselves that we can't see it anymore. We have a linear dimension of time, when in fact, time is a cycle. Our monthly calendar, based on the moon, has been "re-packaged" into 12 months - when there are actually 13 lunar cycles, not 12 - then to compound the issue we make up a leap year every 4 years to account for it. We've prescibed and labeled things which don't exist.
Worse still, we've regurgitated it so much, everyone takes for granted it is a given - why do we have Xmas trees? Where did it come from? What's with the baubles on it? Why does a rabbit represent Easter? What's with the chocolate eggs? The answers to these questions are not as straightforward as they seem.
According to my definition of intelligence if you are not capable of ASKING these questions you are NOT intelligent - being able to answer them is superfluous as it amounts to regurgitation.
They just mentioned "low latent inhibition plus high intelligence leads to high creativity," or atleast the idea behind it, on the Fox's TV show, "Prison Break." The character Michael Scofield, played by Wentworth Miller, is described as having low latent inhibition with a high intelligence who precieves the world in a unique way. For more information you can read up on the show at http://www.tv.com/prison-break/tweener/episode/475540/summary.html or at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455275/ .
I also find the condescending attitude of the various posters not only immature and childish, but foolish and -- for the lack of a better word -- stupid. If you are going to say comments like "Well it seems like Im the smartest here with an IQ of 170 and a working memory of 22 chunks of information :)" or other similar comments, at least try to act the part of being smart instead of making said remarks. This will also prevent other future out breaks of similar comments. Everything is relative and so is intelligence, you can offer your opinion, but try not to make any of what you say stand out as fact that you are superior or all-knowing. That's all I have to rant about. Take care.
Thanks stexe I feel like an intelligent person and withintelligence I know that there is know reason to act like the person your talking about!
I wonder if there is a correlation to LLI and drugs, I use to do a lot of acid (not to be cool) and I can remember seeing the world and life for what it was the true animosity of everything, this world is so simple. Although, I believe I would have come to the same conclusions on life without drugs I dont think I would jumped levels of inteligence so fast if it wasnt for the drugs. (remember I took the drugs as a learning experience not to party)
Overall I think that maybe Drugs have a way of lowering thes LLI's, that could be why some people to learn alot and some people lose their minds????
Food for thought......
Wow, and I only thought I was crazy. Only after a recent television show did I realize what my issue maybe. I decided to do some research on this "LI" theory and I came across this blog. It fit's me to the "T". I was completely astonished by the research that was done and the conclusion of the matter. It seem's I can add this ontop of my O.C.D., which I was diagnosed with when I was 22. I analyze everything from the inner working's of a clock's second hand to the inner working's of my relationships without even really thinking about it. I get so consumed by my thought's that it becomes unclear of what it actually is that I should be thinking about. I'm not going to say I am a genius, I don't believe I should be the one to point that out. On the other hand, I am no dummy. Thanks for the insight on this Low Latent Inhibition theory. It all makes a little more sense to me.
I also just watched "Prison Break". Which the description of Low Latent Inhibition lead me to this website, while researching. It reminds me of my son, who is eleven, and has been diagnosed with everything from Autism to Asperger Syndrome and everything inbetween. I think there are thoughts in his head that have yet to be tapped, and LLI gave me a new line to tap. More Later
I notice that there are alot of old hits hopefully everyone stays on this site. this is all very interesting
In regards to Leroys post, watching Prison Break and hearing them say that is exactly the reason why im here. I googled it after watching it and now here i am.
I am kind of chewing on a thought it is not complet but I thought I would share it.
Every one that I had ever met that is truly intelligent does not associate it to any sort of IQ test. And you also do not hear them bragging about it, they usually seem content with understanding and at the same time confused with all the millions of things they dont understand. How do you measure true inteligence? happiness, knowing advanced puzzles or the definitions of words.
i chuckled when encountering the last few messages on here that contained references to prison break on fox. when the show mentioned LI it seemed to capture in a nutshell my entire life's experience. how maudlin. a pop show on one of tv's worst mainstream networks. but it did. and now i'm here chuckling because all sorts of people must have googled "latent inhibition" on cue. myself included. which demonstrates naturally, that even in genius one remains human.
Just like the last few people here. Googled it after watching Prison Break.
Just saw Prison Break too. I always kind of thought that my brain was wired a little differently, and when I saw that, I thought, Wow! Seeing every little detail! That's me! If I look at any object or device, I see all the pieces and working parts. For example if I look at, or even hear a car go by, my brain shows me all the parts in the engine and drivetrain in motion, as well as how some of the parts are made. Some time ago, I tried to explain this effect to somebody, but I could see that they were just kind of smiling and nodding, so I don't bother. If I'm helping somebody with a problem, I have to keep reminding myself that we're not viewing the situation the same way. Often, the solution is glaringly obvious, but I make it look like I just stumbled across it so as not to belittle or humble anybody. That's another problem, (not sure if it's related) is that I worry waaaaaay too much about what other people will think.
I'm pretty sure I have hefty levels of ADD. Couldn't really be bothered listening in school, it was all so boring. It takes me a long time to do things because my mind starts wandering, and boy when it starts wandering, believe me it's always a long trip.
If I was to say I have any OCD, it would be that if I don't know how something works, I have to either find out or take it apart and figure it out (much to my father's consternation when I was young). I have to know how everything works!!! Another one, (a biggie for me) is perfectionism. It will take me months to paint a room because everything has to be just so. Most of the time it turns out not as perfect as I wanted, which I guess I have to deal with or go mad, hence the teetering-on-the-edge-of-insanity thing.
Some people measure intelligence with tests or educational degrees, but I don't think they're a true measure of how smart or creative someone is. At a former company, I was given an "Occupational Test", which was kind of a mini-IQ test. When the owner of the company looked at the results, he said' "Well, according to this you should be running the company!". Well, if I was really that smart, wouldn't I already be running a company? I suspect a great number of people get degrees because they managed to memorize a bunch of information long enough to write some tests, but have no natural ability in their chosen field. (Don't forget: somewhere in the world, there is the worst doctor.) I've met mechanical engineers who frankly weren't very bright. As well, it seems that the people who wave their degrees or test scores in other's faces the most vigorously are often the least clever.
There is no correlation between LLI and intelligence. The article only says if the two are intertwined there may be heightened creativity with intelligence or mental illness with a low IQ.
It's funny, I was watching Prison Break, too. When I heard the phychiatrist explain what LLI is, I too had to run to the computer because it was like I finally had some explanation for why I seem so different from most people. Although I typically score well on general/standardized IQ or apptidude tests, I don't really think they can truly measure intelligence in a meaningful way. I learned of a professor at Harvard name Howard Gardener a few years ago while taking English 102 at a community college. He has a theory that intelligence can be measured in at least 7, and probably many more, separate catagories. I cannot recall them all now, but there is the usual math and linguistics along with inter and intra personal skills, music and kinesthetic, etc.
So, my deal is that I've always been an underacheiver, even though I can usually run circles around most people in the 'ole deductive reasoning dept. I tend to bore easily and have a hard time finishing the dozens of projects that I always have going on. I've smoked pot since I was in jr. high and I think it's a form of self medication. Anyway, I have lots more to say, but not all at once. It's nice to have an idea about why I am the way I am and why others just don't understand me.
I find the self indulgent fantasies of intelligence of people blogging this sight to be amusing. All I hear is whining about not being able to function properly. If one has high intelligence it will help in filtering the nonessential information and allow for coherent thought.
bzzzt, stop projecting. or at least rededine self-indulgence to include your sudden appearance on a site that has never shared a trace of your commentary until now.
i think the majority of people commenting here are primarily having an "a ha" moment. and in light of their apparently isolated life experiences it is probably worth letting them, you or myself indulge. unless you're the type of person who thrills in smacking someone down right at the moment that they leap for joy.
Just because I can recognize repeating patterns in long alpha-numeric strings or geometric shapes doesn't necessarily mean that I can interact with the world on it's terms. I have social/emotional/psychological issues due to the way my mind works. I was just so friggin' thrilled to finally have some explanation that fits me.
Now, that all being said, I will defend my asserations as far from "fantasies of intelligence". I failed first grade. But, by the time I was in third grade I was tested as a "gifted" child and attended classes at the high school three days per week. Unfortunately, my family life was not stable during those formative years and by the time I got into jr. high I was already heading down the wrong path (drugs, alchohol, sex, etc.).
Although I have never finished college, I did work in the biotechnology field for nearly a decade. I often was in charge of people with degree; BS/BA, MS, PhD. Granted, none were senior level, but I was in my 20s as well. Hell, I even spent some time in the biochemical engineering dept. at M.I.T for professional training. I currently work in the computer/network administration field. Again, no formal training. I just wanted to learn it and worked my way up.
Well here I am a few hours after Prison Break still tossing this phrase around in my head. It's almost 2:30am and I cant sleep, but I'm sure thats nothing new for many of you. Normally I hate when I hear something that I think might be a generic term for the way I think or feel, but tonight's theory actually seems to hit the spot. I mean I figure we have all heard we were ADD,ADHD, and well maybe we are. But with that said I cant say that I have ever in my 28 years of life thought someone else had typed what I was thinking. TOOMUCHINFO, I seriously thought I was experiencing Dejavu when I read your post. I quickly stopped reading and scrolled down to make sure I hadnt had too much caffiene, Astonishingly your name was at the bottom. Well as I scrolled back up and finished the post I just felt amazed someone sees things the same way. As a kid I was given an IQ test and scored 141 in 3rd grade and immediatly placed in gifted classes untill highschool, where the budget was cut. I had the same teacher every year and same few classmates. Upon beginning highschool I was suddendly shocked and bored of how lame even the hardest, most advanced classes were. Well you guessed it, I no longer cared about school..they had taken my ability to achieve away and even frowned upon the fact that I was done with weeks worth of work ahead of time. So I started skipping school and such and eventually quit the "public" school system. Well I enrolled in a private school which took all of about a month to graduate and moved on with life. I find it extremely hard to work for anyone else. I've owned a Automotive repair shop, Car Audio and Electronics store, and a Computer Repair shop. I find it so hard to relate to my customers, to even explain to them whats wrong with thier stuff. I just feel like every one is stupid sometimes, Like I just want to say " HOW CAN YOU NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M TELLING YOU?". I've tried explaining it to several friends of mine in sort of the aspect TOOMUCHINFO used. No matter what I look at, See, Hear, Feel, I just cant see it for what it is. Its always what it consists of..When I see any object..I see all the pieces it made up of..and whether or not they are working properly. I have used the car explanation a few times..how I see all the rods,pistons/valves etc moving ..or When I hear a certain sound I zoom in on a diagram of the failing part. The best way I can describe it as corny as it sounds..In the movie Fast and the Furious..when they show the 3D motion of the engine and the nitrous going through it or CSI how they show the pop up screens of the crime happening..thats how I see shit!! The problem is I cant turn it on or off..sure It's great when everyone wants you to tell them whats wrong with object X,Y,or Z ,But it really sucks when you cant enjoy life because you cant simply enjoy, and stop diagnosing. I lie in bed for hours sometimes with all these damn ideas and fixes for stuff, most of which I never commit to, I have a zillion 95% finished projects and those only got that far because they in some way presented me with a problem of challenge beyond the normal dealings in life. How does everyone else here deal with the sidetracking issues? How come I can fix anything but cant remember to get the dogfood or be at my 3pm appointment. As long as I am constantly presented with challenge or even change I'm fine..Its the repetitous normal stuff I forget. I'm going to end saying TOOMUCHINFO...You must be my long lost twin, LoL. I have never seen someone wtite exactly what I would have before I did..Thats some wierd shit man. Laters all, Hackowell
Well here I am a few hours after Prison Break still tossing this phrase around in my head. It's almost 2:30am and I cant sleep, but I'm sure thats nothing new for many of you. Normally I hate when I hear something that I think might be a generic term for the way I think or feel, but tonight's theory actually seems to hit the spot. I mean I figure we have all heard we were ADD,ADHD, and well maybe we are. But with that said I cant say that I have ever in my 28 years of life thought someone else had typed what I was thinking. TOOMUCHINFO, I seriously thought I was experiencing Dejavu when I read your post. I quickly stopped reading and scrolled down to make sure I hadnt had too much caffiene, Astonishingly your name was at the bottom. Well as I scrolled back up and finished the post I just felt amazed someone sees things the same way. As a kid I was given an IQ test and scored 141 in 3rd grade and immediatly placed in gifted classes untill highschool, where the budget was cut. I had the same teacher every year and same few classmates. Upon beginning highschool I was suddendly shocked and bored of how lame even the hardest, most advanced classes were. Well you guessed it, I no longer cared about school..they had taken my ability to achieve away and even frowned upon the fact that I was done with weeks worth of work ahead of time. So I started skipping school and such and eventually quit the "public" school system. Well I enrolled in a private school which took all of about a month to graduate and moved on with life. I find it extremely hard to work for anyone else. I've owned a Automotive repair shop, Car Audio and Electronics store, and a Computer Repair shop. I find it so hard to relate to my customers, to even explain to them whats wrong with thier stuff. I just feel like every one is stupid sometimes, Like I just want to say " HOW CAN YOU NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M TELLING YOU?". I've tried explaining it to several friends of mine in sort of the aspect TOOMUCHINFO used. No matter what I look at, See, Hear, Feel, I just cant see it for what it is. Its always what it consists of..When I see any object..I see all the pieces it made up of..and whether or not they are working properly. I have used the car explanation a few times..how I see all the rods,pistons/valves etc moving ..or When I hear a certain sound I zoom in on a diagram of the failing part. The best way I can describe it as corny as it sounds..In the movie Fast and the Furious..when they show the 3D motion of the engine and the nitrous going through it or CSI how they show the pop up screens of the crime happening..thats how I see shit!! The problem is I cant turn it on or off..sure It's great when everyone wants you to tell them whats wrong with object X,Y,or Z ,But it really sucks when you cant enjoy life because you cant simply enjoy, and stop diagnosing. I lie in bed for hours sometimes with all these damn ideas and fixes for stuff, most of which I never commit to, I have a zillion 95% finished projects and those only got that far because they in some way presented me with a problem of challenge beyond the normal dealings in life. How does everyone else here deal with the sidetracking issues? How come I can fix anything but cant remember to get the dogfood or be at my 3pm appointment. As long as I am constantly presented with challenge or even change I'm fine..Its the repetitous normal stuff I forget. I'm going to end saying TOOMUCHINFO...You must be my long lost twin, LoL. I have never seen someone wtite exactly what I would have before I did..Thats some wierd shit man. Laters all, Hackowell
Sorry about the double post..the page went dead when i hit post and didnt show up on refreshing :{
Well, I'm glad to say I came to this conclusion years ago. Definitely describes me, but I've learned to see some things blunt and others complex. I used to be the kind of person to get lost in the details, but now at the age of 25 I've gained managerial control over my mind and I complete projects and have begun to excel.
I recommend everyone learn from this. You have to have blunt simple thoughts rise out of the confusion of many thoughts. This is a gift. I'm ecstatic that I came across this "term". I've always said if schizophrenics had a little more humor about their situation they could rise above it.
Cruelty to those suffering from mental illness aside, if you are low latent inhibited with a high IQ get off your asses and embrace the insanity. Write a screenplay, come up with an algorithm, embark on rhetoric that'll carry you into high office, or just amuse everyone around you.
I was recently called the most highly functional insane person my friend knows.
Bivouac! Bivouac! Let's stop complimenting ourselves and get out their into the world of accomplishments!
This is really comforting, to know that I'm not the only one who is on the edge. At 44, I created companies, helped others to create theirs, ran businesses effortlessly since I was 10 years old. Took many courses, didn't show up to collect two BA degrees and one MS degree... it was just boring. Have a few recalled BS and BA degrees, two MS and a PhD in engineering, as well as tens of certifications in the technical, science, art and management fields.
I literally don't sleep for years. I thank Ambien every day and I wish there was a more relaxing way to slow down a bit. I'm demanding from my environment to catch up with me, and we all know it is not even remotely possible. I don't know how my wife tolerates me. My kids are both way above average in everything (home schooled) and I believe my wife's IQ is higher than my 176. But she is not as tense and creative as I am.
How do you manage to stay as sane as possible with so many inpompetant people around you????
Here i am also after a wonderful show of Prison Break which was yesterday.(11-01)Isn't it comical how simple entertainment briefly interspersed with factual knowledge creates a whirlpool of spectators at the door of a site not usually visited.(snickers)That my friends is interest anyhow (excuse my latent I.Q.)that article was marvelous.I beleive latent inhibition might be the key to some revolutionary ideas and discoveries not even yet pondered by our greatest geniuses.It is to basd that there probably will not be any volunteers for experiments any time soon provided the fact that any attempt to lower a subjects latent inhibition would probably convert a sane person into insane.I do however hypothesize that if experiments were done eventually we would reach breaking results scientific history.Hmm i'll be thinking about this all through the high school.{snickers)
Add me to the list of those who had their "revelation" during Prison Break last night. For years I have been sure that something was not wired quite right in my brain. I have often compared it to the previously mentioned “black ball with light spewing out going nowhere” … like I was wasting my brain power. I have tried endlessly to devise ways to categories and retain all of the information that “appears” in my mind, but it always leads to trying to figure out 100 other questions that are totally unrelated. I am 30, I have a successful career, a fabulous wife, 1st child on the way. I do not believe that this condition is “bad”, but I do think that it leads to choices and decisions that most people would not make. I have been “self-medicating” for years with drinking and smoking pot. I have found it to be the only way to “turn down” my brain….I have never found a way to turn it off completely. What do any of you others do to deal with it?
Maybe something as simple as being mentioned in a TV show will bring more public awareness to this “condition” and give all of us some answers to the questions we all ask about ….why we think this way? Has anyone come across something more structured than this blog? Anywhere?
Like everyone else I found this site from "Prison Break". Also if you are at this site you probably have a high IQ so lets get that out of the way, your smart I accept it and don't need you to post a shopping list to prove it. If anyone knows of a good blog to discuss this please post a link, I would like to learn more about this and find out what others experiance and how they cope with it. The followig is a list of things I attribute to this "condition" please post if you experience the same (or different) and how you cope with it.
1) A feeling that everyone around you is dumb or incompetent and that it is hard to communicate with them.
2) A quest for knowledge, I want to know how everything works, this seems to help, in that once I understand how things work they dont seem to bother me anymore.
3) Frustration with inefficiency. Always trying to make things work better even when they work fine. Hence the reason for my feeling towards the government, an inefficiant mess that I can't fix but the solutions are so obvious.
4) Difficulty working for someone, I cant hold a steady job because after a few months I know more than my superiors and start making them look bad so they get rid of me.
5) Advice giver (listener). Tied into number 4, everywhere I work I become my co-workers best friend and they tend to flock to me for work and personal advice.
6) An ability to fix nearly anything mechanical/electrical.
7) Problem solver.
8) Trouble communicating eveything that is in my head to others verbally of through writing. Probably the reason for number 1.
9) Underperformer in education settings yet knowing I am smarter then most "A" students.
10) A feeling that everyone around you thinks you are a nut(a kook, crazy, weird, insane...)
Yeah I too am here because I discovered this condition for the first time yesterday on 'Prison Break'. But it hit me... you know which character on TV has the most convincing case of Decreased Latent Inhibition coupled with a high IQ? Detective Robert Goren from 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent'. Now I have been following the show for the longest time (since the beginning actually) and I don't think they've ever discussed or mentioned Det Goren (played by Vincent D'Onofrio) as having low latent inhibition but it makes sense if you've seen his character on-screen and how he solves crimes by paying attention to the most minute of details that most cops let alone people would just ignore or just unconsciously put aside as having little relevance. They've only ever referenced his mother being a schizophrenic but this diagnosis makes perfect sense.
Well i'm not going to say much cause this is very weird at the moment, but I saw the show too and all these posts are blowing my mind because it's like everyone said what I would have. I am ADHD, OCD and I have an anxiety disorder. I haven't been able to sleep since I awoke this morning from my drunken haze of last nights halloween party because I can't stop thinking about this. I'm 21 and in college.
Can any of you "highly intelligent" people SPELL words correctly or put a coherent sentence together? There are so many more things / qualities that are more important than high IQ. Try coming down off your high-horse and really connect with the world. Once you stop seeing youself as "special" and begin to interact with society; you may find that everyone feels different sometimes. Don't pay so much attention to things. I used to suffer from extreme social anxiety and depression; the drugs DO NOT work, therapy DOES NOT WORK! THe only thing that has helped me in 30 years is PRAYER. Don't just talk to GOD; LISTEN TO GOD. Always look for the silver lining. It sounds trite but it works. Keep on the sunny side even if you have to FAKE it at first and on occasion. This is what "NORMAL" people do. Pick a "normal" person who you admire and simply immitate their life. I promise that unless you are alost cause this will work.
Good Day & Good Luck
Fianlly an answer for the madness!!! Ok, for those of you 'in the know' I have a few questions....
1. Does this sort of thing run in families? My Dad's side of the family has long since been labelled 'eccentric genius'. It seems to have been passed on to a few member of our immediate family.
2. The Dr.s keep saying my son is ADD. Trying to be a good Mom, and against my beliefs, I gave all the medications a good solid try with no luck. Does this often get mistaken for ADD? Wouldn't it be considered not being able to focus? And then you get 'stuck' on something that goes BEYOND focus...?
3. What happens to the individual when the creativity factor fails to manifest itself? I am not mentally ill (others might beg to differ), but I constantly have creative ideas zooming around in my head, but am unable to put them into real form. Its maddening!! I have great, wonderful ideas that never seem to manifest. I can't follow through...
4. Is there some form of test for this? Would one be able to find such a thing online?
5. Does this 'disorder' affect your social skills? I often find myself so absorbed in my environment that it is difficult to maintain conversations. I blurt out things that are off subject, and am often guilty of being too outspoken and sometimes crass. I have long given up trying to maintain solid relationships with anyone other than my husband or my family as anything more is cumbersome for me.
6. Like others, I wonder if there is a drug that will help decrease all the stimuli a tad.
Really glad this came up on Prison Break or I would have no idea such a thing existed. Really curious about any answers to these questions as well!! I look forward to hearing from everybody!
Thanks!
Miss Nik
WOW like about 20 others in this blog, i came in to work this morning remembering that mental diagnosis classification name Low Latent Inhibition from Prison break, and i googled it. I clicked on the most popular link which was this one, and now i have an understanding that my "ability" to see right through things isn't as weird as i thought. I am refreshed to know that i have a talent, that if properly channeled, can provide great wealth for myself, with possibilities to enlighten others who seem to block this stuff out. Another blogger listed above named Dave made me look in the mirror with his checklist of symptoms that relate to this behavior because he is exactly right. I will say though that there are other factors in his persona that contribute to some of his skills (like #6), but 9 of 10 are exactly me.
The question remains of how do we co-exist in a world of endless stimuli, where the majority of others are inept at receiving these stimuli? We are a significant minority and probably a big factor in the social disorders of this country, but that is unjustified. I always thought i was to emotional, and is why i was analyzing everything the way i was, or that i was lost in this anger that everyone is inept because people don't see things the way i do, while knowing that those visions were right and balanced, and i didn't understand why they couldn't. A great example of what most people with LLI probably experience is the understanding that our sitting President and the congressional republicans are ruining our democracy. They are governing this way with the understanding that most people have the reverse attributes of someone with LLI and will simply ignore their corrupt actions, and they spin the responses from the discenting as angry, radical, partisan, or "crazy". Hence someone with conspiracy theories was someone who is just simply crazy, and/or "angry". Well all i got to say, especially knowing what i now know about myself, people who question authority see authority for what it really is. Right now in our times, the only good people out there are the ones who are able to see these political NEOCONS for what they are. And to all my fellow LLI'ers, we are the good people. We are the ones, if given the proper channels to communicate, can save and help re-structure a morally lost and corrupt society. If anyone is interested in attempting to pursue this far-fetched venture for our own good and the good of the world, contact me.
One last thing i would like to say, and this comes from my own personal experiences and opinion, is that i believe someone's ability to contain their desire to absorb and analyze the endless stimuli flowing to us from our environment is someone's social status. When someone has an easy life, where things go their way by having financial resources, and sane guidance, they end up being successfully creative and a little less "insane". When someone has a hard life, and a low social status financially and support system-wise, they become the targets for criticism of being crazy because the things in their life as a result of having a low social status financially etc. make them more stressed and more angry, therefore causing them to really flex their LLI muscle. My point is that this "disease" can be camouflaged depending on someone's personal living conditions and surroundings. So results will vary, but the symptoms will remain unique. I know my talents would be so much more efficient if i didn't have to struggle with everything financially, and be super-stressed since my "disease" causes me to disect everything causing me to be in this endless rut of helplessness that nothing is positive. IDK i just want to succeed, and help make this world a better place. I'm having a rough time right now trying to achieve that, but this revelation about my mentality should help me be more confident and efficient in my understanding of the capabilities of others!!! A special thanks to the writers of Prison Break!!
WoW to the previous Dave. Read your checklist- I am just reeling! You mean there ARE other smart people in the world?!?! Maybe we should form a support group and we could all be dysfunctional together :)
Amen brother Dave!
I continually try to fit into the"matrix" but inevitably return to this same place.I am finding a sort of comfort in all that share.
...I apologize for my previous post.
I just get so very frustrated over these types of discussions. As I stated in the previous post; I have had severe bouts of instability due to "seeing / feeling" too much. I am recovered or at least better adjusted. Maybe I just outgrew it. My husband has not. He is very highly intelligent and it does NOT make his life better. He is fairly miserable. He can't seem to turn things off the way I have learned to. As with most things, there are degrees and shades of grey. I just think he's stubborn. I had a vision once where an angel whispered into my ear: "all you have to do is listen". I have been trying ever since to do just that. Listen more, talk less and see only what is important at the moment. Compartmentalize. Think of your mind as a simple computer with drives and files. Download, upload, send, shift, insert, esc(ape) delete, defrag. LOL. Everything has a definate place. See the inside of your mind as you would the inside of the computer. You have to train your mind to work properly. Simple muscle memory will take over after a while. If a slow mind needs extra stimuli to expand, would'nt a fast mind need less? Take in less by putting mental blinders on. Use your power of visualization to SEE what you want...then SEE yourself throwing the GARBAGE out. These SIMPLE techniques take time & practice. Think of them as exercises. Even though a marathon is only running, no one can make it 26 miles without conditioning and practice. I swear it worked for me even though it has taken a near lifetime to figure out on my own (doctors are pill pushing losers) a and to put into practice.
Please don't look at my post as simple and stupid...the answer is most always hidden in plain sight - right under your nose.
Exercise is also very good for clearing out the cobwebs.
Ok, ok already! I agree. I have squandered my abilities instead of embracing them. What concerns me now, however, is the fact that decades of chronic pot use may have actually, finally, changed my cognitive reasoning skills permanently. It has been starting to scare me in the past few years especially. I used to be able to keep a ballpark figure of the total cost of all the groceries in my cart and calculate the tax within a few cents within a few seconds. Now, I have a harder time with that type of stuff. I've decided to put down the bong and try to use the remaining 35 or so years of my life to do something worthwhile, instead of just trying to get away from everything and everyone.
It looks like everbody saw Prison Break. I have never watched it before and I did not see the entire episode; but I did see the "important" part. Also, the posts after the air of the program seem to be less "crazed and isolated" than the previous ones. My experience is that misery loves and thrives on company; some people would rather wallow in self pity than exert their will into existence. This condition is obviously wider spread that any of us thought. When we feel different we tend to feel like we're the only ones. I believe that we are all more alike than not. It really is easy to break the cycle and STEP OUTSIDE OURSELVES. Life is ultimately very, very simple. Once you step over the line and look back you wonder why you had such a difficult time making the move toward fitting in with society. Fitting in has been given a bad reputation. The society that we have been brought up in for the last almost 40 years has fed us a lot of bogus input. Input that is proving hard to shake off. Being an individual does not mean being T-totally different than every other human on the planet. We are basically the same. Less focus should be placed on seperation based on vagaries of perception. Be youself, edit yourself, exercise self control and train your mind to see what is relevant. Like one of the earlier posters said " do something positive with your gift". Focus on writing a story and don't do anything else until your story is finished. A painter is never finished with his portrait but he must STOP and let it be at some point. It's not worth the canvas it's painted on if no one can admire it. Pick something and go with it. Forget about writing while painting and leave painting in the studio when writing.
Knowing that you're NOT crazy is as good a place as any to begin. Knowing that you can sort your thoughts with dicipline and practice should keep you on track. Write things down then go back and read your thoughts with an objective mind. Study yourself for a while, look inside and see what makes YOU tick.
Focus and exertion of WILL are the keys to the success you deserve.
Poppy, you're being awfully.. how shall I put this.. closed minded ;). Re-read the article, the people who are SUFFERING from LLI (Myself included! I saw the Prison Break episode as well) CANNOT put on "Mental Blinders" as you so eloquently put it. That is part of the problem! Its not ADD, I am currently seeing a slew of doctors and they are all telling me that I have ADD, however I know that this isnt the case, because I AM able to concentrate on certain things, and I have no problems carrying on several hour long conversations. HOWEVER! I also see everything around me all at once and I have no control over this! I recently went to a local pier to escape these "stimuli-bombardments" by simply staring out at the water with nothing in my periferal vision, attempting to close out all external thoughts by cutting off the sources. I had nothing but water and birds in my view, however I started thinking about how the water crests with the wind, and how the sea-gulls wings allow them flight, and by locking their wings they can appear to "hover" over the water because of updrafts and the like... AHH! I could not seem to turn these things off!
I have a fairly high IQ, around the 130-140 mark typically, however I dont see this as a blessing, I see it as a curse! I saw the episode of Prison Break and my jaw dropped, I almost fell out of my chair. The shrink that the lead character was talking to said almost word for word what I told my doc. I then googled Low Latent Inhibition and voila! here I am.
The most important thing I'd like to find out is if there is any way of turning this off! The only time I seem to be able to turn off my mind is when I am doing something mindless like playing a board game or a video game. Even when I'm playing Monopoly I'll sit there when it isnt my turn and think about the odds of the dice landing a certain way, or the process of creating the board itself, or casting the little metal pieces. Does anyone else have a "Displacement activity" for their LLI? If so, PLEASE POST IT!
I can see Huricane_Poppy has a lot to say on the subject!! (I've taken it with a grain of salt after her first religious rant (too much thinking = not much belief in religion))
So after everyone here has shared their “AH-HA” moment from “Prison Break” are we going to do anything with this new found information besides dissect it to death and play out all of the endless possibilities as we do with everything else in our lives?
Seeing that this simple Blog seem to be the most informative place for shared LLI stories at the moment, would anyone like to consider www.lowlatentinnhibition.com? I am willing to get involved in something like that; however I am a graphic artist not a Web Designer. With all of these “Creative Geniuses” here we should be able to pull together our resources and keep the momentum of our moment of revelation going and come. If we pool our resources I am sure that the information we are all looking for will not be too difficult to uncover. I am sure that people like Jordan B. Peterson,*, Kathleen W. Smith & Shelley Carson, who wrote the above paper titled “Openness and extraversion are associated with reduced latent inhibition: replication and commentary”, would be very interested in hearing what we have to say and perhaps having their input heard given the appropriate forum…… anyone interested in contributing some time?
As LLI Sufferer points out, low latent inhibition is not an unalloyed blessing. It has some benefits. But like medicines things the benefits do not go up continually with higher doses. Once the dose gets high enough you end up getting harmed by it.
Also, those of you who have LLI do not all have it to the same degree. So you are not all having to fight distractions to the same extent.
I also suspect that distractability from stimuli varies between people as a function of particular stimulus sources. Some might be more easily distracted by sound and others by sight.
I find I'm more easily distracted by visual things and so tend to work in low lighting conditions where I can see my computer monitor and not much else. I'm often more productive at night because there's less ambient light and fewer things to look at.
Some people have developed better adaptations to LLI. Some are in jobs where noticing distractions is adaptive. To take a simple example, a lifeguard has got to notice the distraction of someone seeming to struggle out in the water. Or a soldier has to notice the ruffling of some underbrush. Or a boss needs to notice who is at their desk and who looks like they might be in a non-work related conversation.
The problem with getting lots of stimuli is that on one hand you might be more likely to notice stimuli that are important that others might miss. But on the other hand you are more likely to get distracted from important tasks by the stimuli.
Also, we differ in how we react to those stimuli that we do notice. Some are more easily frightened by the unfamiliar or the unknown. For those people to have LLI really puts them in the position of feeling frightened a great deal. They are always noticing unknown things. There's the saying "ignorance is bliss". Well, someone who lives in fear of all the things they notice would be better off noticing fewer things.
Whether your LLI is a curse or a blessing is a function of its severity, your intelligence, your training, your job, your emotional make-up, the kind of neighborhood you live in, and a great many other things. But if you have LLI and become aware of it you can at least start trying to adjust your environment to make LLI work for you more often and work against you less often.
Re: my previous post....
If anyone is really interested mail me at lowlatentinhibition@gmail.com and see if we can get things going.
I am struggling with this revelation as it is ivivy, I would be interested in something like what you have described, however I am afraid that my "creativity" seems to be involved with language, I can write well and the like.
This is my first exposure to this forum; Michael from Prison Break sent me. I think that the traffic here in the past day is pretty remarkable, although I'm not sure, as Randall Parker suggests above, that many other factors don't weigh heavily on the degree to which this affects us one way or another. I will say though that the possibility of LLI being a significant component of my mental makeup explains an awful lot in terms of how I have perceived and reacted to different phases of my life, as well as both my accomplishments and failures.
This is to me a very personal thing, so even submitting this post is difficult. However, I have a twelve year old who, since very early childhood, seems to have manifested the good news/bad news of this condition so I am interested in learning more. I will be sorting through all of the available information and posting links as I find them.
Tom (not my real name lol)
By the way, to LLI Sufferer - try Windows solitaire. It usually works for me until I start wondering if the face down cards are predetermined when dealt or if the algorithm randomly selects them from a pool of unused cards...
tom
Randall you have made some great points and I thank you for your post. I find myself subconsciously doing many of the things you mentioned and seeing this has helped my identify the why. LLI Suffer I agree with your comments too its not something that can be just turned on and off at will, although at times I wish it where, (similar to you my displacement activity is video games). I consider it a blessing and a curse and just hearing others talk about it has helped me to understand that I am not alone and that the majority of society does not experience things the same way we do. I was wrong in my assesment of others in my earlier post in feeling that I am surrounded by dumb people but now realize that they are not experiencing things the same way I am, this is akin to describing color to a person who has been blind there whole life, they will never be able to comprehend the experience.
I am also curious if any of you are on any medications and if any of them work. I see ADD and OC mentioned often in previous posts. I personnally have been on an anti-depressant for several years (though I have never been diagnosed with depression or related ailments, I think it was the best guess of the doctors I have seen to offer some help).
First of all I have to say that for some reason last night I turned on the TV and watched Prison Break. Don't know exactly why. I have not been diagnosed with LLI, nor do I claim to have it until diagnosed properly. But I can say that the research I have put in within the past 18 hours is definitely starting to make me uneasy. It seems like a lot of people on this blog are probably misunderstanding what LLI actually is (in my terms). In this entire thread I see people talking about how creative they are and how they just knew they had a nack for something. Also, they talk about how high their IQ is and how something just popped into their head one day and they kept following different things from research and discovered something. From my research this is not what LLI is implying, but more importantly it is stating that you are basically crazy. For instance, you think about 50 different things at one time. When people without LLI are thinking about what just happened, and how they hit the car in front of them, you on the other hand might not hit the car if you process information very fast and have the ability to "edit" thoughts. So with that same scenario, you would have already known that the middle lane was clear, and have already judged the distance to stop, as well as any maneuvers that you can do in order to miss the car. This is all done within a matter of seconds. However, someone with a low IQ would not even be able to drive a car but would be more like "Rain Man." Process large amounts of data but can't complete a sentence.
I am not saying that everyone in here does not have LLI, nor is this a flame in any way. It is just my rendition of what I have researched within the past 18 hours. I do currently have an appointment with a doctor for basically sleeping problems. I am unable to turn off my brain at night. I have 50 million things running through my head and all I want to do is go to sleep. Finally, after crawling in bed at 9 and falling a sleep at 3 and then waking up at 5 rested and ready to go, it has started to take a toll on my health. Basically, my brain just keeps taking things in and won't stop. During the day it is great because of the fact that I can do things faster than others as well as process and retain information for long periods of time. That is great.
Okay. I think I will quit rambling and go take some sleeping pills or something to go to sleep.
Later,
Jason
I am also here because I watched Prison Break. It is so nice to finally pinpoint what I have known about myself since I can remember. I dont consider myself a genious, but I know I am different. And I have never met someone that I can truly relate to. I was amazed at how the Dr. in the show basically described me!! And then when I googled LLI and read all these posts I was in pure awe. The description some of you guys have of yourselves are so close to what I experience, everything from being an underachiever at school but feeling like the smartest one to not being able to work for "The Man" because I feel more competant than the managers, to having the need to figure things out. I dont think of it as a disorder, I love being the way I am. I dont feel like I suffer at all from this. The only thing that sucks is that I sometimes feel like no one understands me, and if I start talking about certain "ideas" people think that Im crazy and I feel that I am always underestimated. I would like people that feel the same way as me, to contact me. I would love to share ideas and learn from you. Subjects that catch my interest are mechanical/Engineering, conspiracy theories(i.e. New World Order, Illuminati) Business Ownership/Investing. I think its amazing how the brain works and I look forward to the development of mankind and the human brain.
P.S Learning is AWESOME!!!!!!
Tom (and everyone else), with reference to your windows solitaire example I just want to clarify and am dead serious with the following question. Are you saying that most people who play this game do NOT start to think about how the next card is determined? This gets at the heart of my whole understanding/discovery of LLI. As hard as it must be for others who do not experience LLI to understand us I have a hard time understanding what it would be like to not have thoughts like "how is the next card determined" not be apart of my experiences. So for most of society "ignorance is bliss"
Jason, that is the same thing I have told every doctor I have ever seen, I can't turn it off, my brain is always on I also have a hard time sleeping. As mentioned above they're solution was an anti-depressant so I will be curious to find out what they say, so I hope you post your results.
Another point about adapting to LLI and creativity: If you are full of creative ideas but never translate them into useful action then the creativity is to a large extent wasted. Someone can pat themselves on the back and brag about how creative they are. But creativity only becomes impressive when it is harnessed to productive or pleasing ends.
Imagine Mozart spent his life listening to music in his head and never wrote it down. Well, today we wouldn't know about Wolfgang Amadeus. He'd just be another guy who died a long time ago.
If you want to demonstrate your creativity then find a way to harness it constructively. Write a computer program or design a building or write a song or write a short story or a movie script. Or solve a technical problem whose solution benefits other people. Or write articles on a web site that collect up research results and try to present and interpret the results in ways that let people benefit from better understanding. Or find a job or learn skills that let you harness your brain's pattern recognition and pattern creation capability.
You have to connect with the real world in some focused way or your creativity is equivalent to a bunch of natural gas getting burned in an oil field instead of getting shipped to market.
If you've managed to spin your wheels for much of your life and you think you have low latent inhibition then you need to find ways to manage the LLI and to manage your environment so that you don't just go thru life thinking lots of thoughts that stay disconnected from the world of real events and the larger society.
Jason, I'm following what you're saying. For me, its like this: Everyone keeps a mental list of what they need to do in a given day. With 3 kids and business to help run from home, mine is pretty big. However, I am unable to discriminate between what is a priority and what is not. It goes way beyond poor organizational skills. When I do start a task it is done in a very organized fashion and usually 'overthought'. The problem is, with my mental list EVERYTHING is a priority. I get so stressed by seeing everything that needs to be done at once that I am almost completely immobilized. I spin my wheels most of the time. I'm really good at delegating and telling others how to 'fix' their lives but can't seem to fix mine. My husband thinks nothing gets done because I might be a little lazy :( This simply is not the case. I feel so overburdened, and feel inadequate when the super-mom next door rambles on about how she had a great 5 mile run at 5am, she and her 6 kids made a 'such n' such' today, then she took the 2 year old twins to the park, then after her evening pottery class she made a fantastic dinner for her weary husband, then she blah blah blah. I'm lucky to be able to get a load of laundry in the wash and she just climbed Mt. Everest. On top of all this she is really nice and sweet and offers to help ME. ARGHHHH.
As for others speaking about medication, I recently went back on Wellbutrin after a few years hiatus. During my last period of taking the RX I could define that year as the happiest and most productive (yes, at the same time) time of my life. I have been on it for a month now and it does seem to be helping. The only diagnosis I ever got that I agreed with was an Anti-Social disorder. As for quelling the rampant thoughts when I lay down at night, well, Demersus has got my number on that one. I found a bedtime doobie is quite therapeutic, and I'm not groggy in the morning like sleeping pills seem to do. Science has proven there are many medicinal benefits to marijuana. Interesting enough, many of my Dad's older brothers (all eccentric geniuses)also use marijuana regularly. I haven't noticed any burn out effects with any of them. Look people, I'm not saying smoke weed! smoke weed!, but it does seem to help some people who just need a break from THEMSELVES. Of course anyone who smokes continually won't be very productive, but I think a bedtime J is no problem.
Hurricane Poppy, your answers won't help those of us who do not seek religion. I'm an agnostic, and I think if there is a God, he probably has more important things to handle than some depressed housewife in Missouri.
Has anyone else become so apathetic towards mainstream society that they have almost completely cut themselves off from the rest of the world? Perhaps 'shut-ins' or hermits suffer from this as well?
An interesting link my brother sent who also has 'LLI' details a very similar disorder (HS):
http://www.swedish.org/17003.cfm
As I ramble to my husband about various ideas and thoughts, he always tells me I 'think too much'. Derrr what? Is there such a thing? This godforsaken internet shit has really caused some trouble too, seeing how all the questions in my head can now be answered by a click of a mouse. So many questions, so little time!!!
We definitely need a web page, I would like to help but I'm afraid I'm not very reliable...lol!!!
Miss Nik, your statement:
"...However, I am unable to discriminate between what is a priority and what is not. It goes way beyond poor organizational skills. When I do start a task it is done in a very organized fashion and usually 'overthought'. The problem is, with my mental list EVERYTHING is a priority. I get so stressed by seeing everything that needs to be done at once that I am almost completely immobilized. I spin my wheels most of the time. I'm really good at delegating and telling others how to 'fix' their lives but can't seem to fix mine.."
Almost 100% accurately describes how I feel every day, all day. Like I said, my only current escape is video games, and even they are starting to lose their "displacement" appeal.. I am starting to overthink them as well! I am also a sort of "shut in", perhaps not quite to the extent that you are thinking of, but I CANNOT go into a public place without muttering under my breath about the vast majority of people around me, from decisions I see them making to food that they are eating, I cant fathom why people do these things..
(For instance, the smoking industry is the only industry that rewards its loyal customers with death...[Not looking to have a smoking debate, just giving an example, dont want to get anyone's back up either, both my parents and my fiancee smoke.])
tom- I tried solitare, but when I saw the cards I instantly started thinking of all the potential orders they could be dealt in, and became overwhelmed and turned it off :p.
I have been on anti-depressants on and off for the last two years as well, to varying degrees of success, the only thing I have found is that they help to stave off depression, but do nothing for the overwhelming amount of information that I recieve second to second.
I have been thinking about this quite a bit for the past 3 or 4 hours, and I notice a few things...:
1. Not sure if I am or am not falling into this myself, but perhaps a few of us are falling prey to the "Barum Effect" here... that is when something is so general that it could apply to a host of people.. I guess that self diagnosis isnt very practical.
2. All "creative genius" aside, I am completely unable to "switch off", and I dont think that this has to do with stress either.
3. It seems that almost everyone here has been diagnosed with some sort of other "disorder" as well, from depression to OCD, and while this may be stating the obvious, it seems that these "disorders" share "symptoms" with LLI.. So is it LLI masquerading as OCD and Manic Depression, or the other way around...
Folks,
Try not to assign everything you experience in your mind as being a consequence of low latent inhibition. One can be hyperactive without need of environmental stimuli to get you going. You can have a mind that tends to race over old events even when not reacting to new stimuli. Also, you can be depressed for reasons unrelated to receiving too much stimuli.
The idea that some people filter out less of their stimuli than others is a very useful insight. We certainly differ from each other by the extent to which we notice various sorts of stimuli. Some of the differences are due to training and education. Some of the differences are due to innate differences in how our brains got wired up during development due to genes, fetal environment, and random chance. But we also differ in our pain thresholds, ease to anger, ease to get depressed, general intelligence, and a lot of other qualities. Do not try to assign too much about what you are to having a low latent inhibition.
Randall i think you are missing the point, we are not trying to dump all of our problems and quirks onto LLI but rather this is the first any of us have even heard of it and since there is little information on the subject we are trying to share what we have in common so that we don't have so feel alone in the way we experiance things. Just knowing that there are others out there like me has already made me feel better. I also agree the world would be different without Mozarts contribution to music but to say we are wasting our lives by not sharing this creativity with society is wrong. The cure to LLI, if there is one, does not have to be creating something great for society, though that may work for some, but could be as simple and importants as being a better parent, husband, wife etc...
I dont see LLI as a blessing, and I'm certainly not "scapegoating" it, but I honestly was floored when a TV shrink described what happens in my head on a day to day basis.. I'm not sure about it being linked to genius\creativity, but those who say "YEAH I HAVE THIS AND THATS WHY I CAN DO...." are missing the point here, its fine to have a high IQ and have this, but I'd really rather see how blissful ignorance is.
I would also like to bring up the possible subject of professional athletes. From the description of LLI i would wager that many of the best professional athlete suffer from this condition especially in sports like football, basketball and autoracing. Sports where the amount of rapid sensory input is very high. The reason i bring this up is that many of these athletes have been busted for smoking pot or have admitted to smoking pot, maybe there is a connection as mentioned in an earlier post. This post in itself is what I am talking about, since starting to read this blog this morning the number of "ideas" that have crossed my cognitive thoughts about this topic is in the hundreds.
Dave,
While "LLI Sufferer" might want a cure I suspect some people with LLI enjoy it and others would just like to be able to turn it on and off depending on what they are doing.
I see LLI as a sliding scale phenomena rather than an on/off you have it or you don't phenomenon. I also think whether one's own level of LLI is maladaptive or helpful depends on a lot of other factors besides just the levle of LLI you have. One such factor is intelligence level. But surely there are others.
In any case, I do not expect a cure any time soon. But one can find many ways to manage one's level of sensory input and the types of sensory input one encounters. One can wear ear plugs and ear phones. One can turn the lights down or make a room more spartan looking. One can live in the country.
My main point you are responding was really just to avoid over-interpreting the finding. You might not be. But some are.
Another point: However one's mind works one needs to find ways to compensate for one's deficiencies and weaknesses. Can't figure out priorities? Try making lists and just go down the lists and do each item in order. At least some things will get done. Easily distracted? Make lists of what distracts you and for each one write down methods to avoid those distractions. Accept what you are and try to work around whatver makes you less effective and less able to cope.
Randall, it is odd that you comment about lists, my doc suggested the same, and I have been trying it recently, it seems to help a little!
To all those who use video games as "Displacement Activity": Why do you find that this works for you? I know why it works for me, and I know why its starting to lose its appeal, so I'd like to know why you find that this "Therapy" works!
I agree with everything that has been said. And I also have to say that I did "partake in habitual marijuana"(
Now. LLI Sufferer, I think that you might be mistaken. Yes it does seem that a lot of people have been diagnosed with other disorders or problems that correlate with LLI but I don't think anyone of them actually has an effect on the other. That is they don't create a different disorder if you have one of them. I have never been diagnosed with any disorder and have never even thought about seeing a psychologist for my thinking. I was just basically going to make a doctors appointment in order to get some sleeping pills. After reading all of this then I will be making that extra appointment in order to see exactly what is wrong and if I have LLI. But, I can tell you that I am not Manic Depressive, and I dont have OCD. OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) does not mean you think all the time. I believe there are a couple different types of LLI persons. 1. Those who have OCD and have to do things a certain way. But from what I understand is OCD persons do not actually think about things. They just do it. Without even knowing they do it. 2. Those who just are unorganized. Probably most the people in here. I for one am. But I can tell you where everything is too. I think these two types are basically the foundation of what we are looking at here. Organized/Unorganized. Creative thinking does not mean organizational skills and thinking about what has to be done during the day necessarily. You could have LLI in one area of your life. Writing, reading, or a hobby.
I am a computer programmer, so I think about different codes and algorithms all day long while I am doing my normal job. My normal job has nothing to do with computers. But I think about it all day long, with how my wife is doing, what am I going to have for dinner, getting in a fight with someone and different ways to beat the crap out of them. Okay, maybe went over the edge with that one. Just kidding.
Quit! Kidding.
Later,
Jason
LLI Sufferer,
I got the idea of making lists from a brilliant friend a long time ago. He told me he had notebooks on various topics where he collected his ideas and questions on those topics. He found that when he finally got to talk to an expert on some topic the discussion was much more productive and the experts were much more willing to talk to someone who had a list of questions and points.
I find the act of making the lists declutters my mind. I no longer have to think about all the things I have to do. I just have to go down the lists. This reduces the feeling of being overwhelmed.
I've worked at places where I made lists of tasks our development team had to do and one manager in particular really appreciated it.
In a way my blog site here is a way of decluttering my mind and it serves as an extension of my memory. I write stuff down and link to where I read about just to be able to find it again. Occasionally (like last night and today) I get an avalanche of people coming in who suddenly all got interested in the same topic. I'm glad you are all interested in LLI. I think it is a neat topic with a lot of explanatory power. It certainly has changed the way I think about myself and how I manage my environment. I more seriously treat sensory inputs as things to consciously manage.
lol Randy, LISTS?!?! When I make them they seemingly take on a life on their own. I have even made a list of things I need to make a list of. Easily distracted? I wish it were that simple. I thought it had been decided we weren't going to compare IQ's, but it would seem you are wondering about levels intelligence. I won't get into a pissing contest w/anyone here, but let's suffuce it to say mine is on the high side, rather than low. I have tried to accept who I am, but still long for my 'place' within the society I have so much disdain for. Isn't 'over-interpreting' the same as 'over-thinking, which is a manisfestation of this? I understand your pessimism towards some of us here, believe me, my husband is the same way. If ever there were a nay-sayer it would be he. I think maybe you are over analyzing the over analyzers, which is just what we are and what we do! I think people are trying to understand every facet of this, because they feel there is a strong possibility that an answer lies within this diagnosis. I've had plenty of experience with different psycholgical and physiological problems through friends and close family. I, my son, my father, and my brother have been unable to find a disorder that characterized our sypmtoms which include(but are not limited to)those associated with OCD, ODD, ADD, social dysfunction, icluding high IQ. Seems to me LLI fits the bill, and really explains a lot. I'm hoping this will help us cope and deal with life. My Dad and brother were able to find professions that utlized their abilities, one being a self taught engineer with over 300 patents, the other making video games for Playstations. Me? !@#@#$^&*@ I can't find an outlet and it IS making me nuts. I'm hostile. I'm angry. I too mumble about people in the store, on the street, in traffic. My family can sit at a dinner table and have 4-5 conversations going on at once about completely different subjects. There is so much coming in but nothing coming out. I write but my writing is crap. Please, some of us have only just discovered and are thrilled to have found it.
hahaha funny- talking about my IQ and i typo'd suffice with suffuce. lol!!! serves me right!!!
hello, i have also responded to the apparently random viewing of Prison Break. After taking in all of your comments I have realized some of the unexplainable thoughts I have been expierencing, may just be true. Every night I lay in bed contemplating death, evolution and reincarnation. Some of the thoughts I have expierenced deal with Karma and the fact of a perfect balance for every action. Gods global law, which seem to exactly follow the 10 commandments. Though school I would avoid homework and every assignment but when it came to tests I was top in the class. I graduated with avergae marks but did about 50% less of the average work of a normal student. Poetry and writing fluently flowed facinating my teachers while smarter students seemed to struggle. Every action I take in life seems to have purpose and reason for sumthign which has previously happened. I have recently tested a portion of pure MDMA which has spiritually awakened my mind into an even further stage of LLI. I believe the fact of evolution is to explain all of our supposed Psychological "problems". Through time we have evolved in periodically "noticable" changes such as we have become less hairy and smarter to our ancestors. Our bodies have not drastically evolved other then hair and intelligence, but the evolution in our brains is not over. We have an undeveloped part in our brains which is supposedly the strongest yet I feel we are slowly evolving into them. What could this mean?, telepathy?. I am the youngest child of 2 very large families, I am the least hairiest (I am 18 and I dont even shave anythign on my face) and by far the smartest. Please anyone who is expierencing karma or anything related to trying to figure out why the world is the way it is, in their heads, please e-mail me. I was never sure how to explain myself until I heard the description of LLI by the actor playing the psychologist in Prison Break. (Mainly when he exampled the way a person will mentally interpret a visial perception of a lamp).
I just finished reading every comment on this page and it seems everyone is almost arguing about LLI. I would like to hear peoples idea's and thoughts about life, such as the reason for space or other interesting topics. The fact that were all rawn here shows we are all expierencing this feeling. Maybe this was a signto brign us together and figure something out such as an answer to life and death. I do not believe this is a blessing but i do believe it has somethign with evolution in humans.
Dont get me wrong i didn't mean to say LLI is all bad and I should have used the word manage and not cure. I like the way i think but the down side is that others can not comprehend or understand it and thus i am treated differently. Just knowing that I am not alone and the realization that I do interpret things differently than most of society has helped tremendously. I understand that IQ varies from person to person but I never realized that the different levels of LLI resulted in different degrees of input stimuli. I have a friend that i will never ride in a car with because he is totally oblivious to his surroundings and the 1 time i did ride with him i was amazed that he was still alive for his lack of noticing any potentially threatening occurances. Me "holy crap we almost got hit by that semi" my frind "What semi?", not a joke this really happened.
Learning to deal with this is what we are all here trying to understand. For many people the solution for dealing with the majority of society (that come across as dumb) is to not deal with them or get overly stressed because we have to deal with them. For me no amount of prioritizing or lists will help me cope with my friends driving, the bank teller, my boss, my co-workers or the miriade of people that i have a tough time dealing with in a daily basis. Don't judge me as intolerant i own a thriving business that is based on good customer service and my hundreds of customers love me and will drive hundreds of miles past my competitors to come to me. But lately i have been bored with my business and trying something new but am unable to hold a job because of the frustration i have with dealing with others inability so see what is obvious to me. Thus resulting in what i mentioned in a previous post.
So the point of this is we are not looking for a scapegoat for who we are but rather an understanding of why we think to much and how to function with the gift/curse. Just knowing this exists is a step in the right direction and sharing our experiences and possible coping/managment tools we will be able to help each other.
Miss Nik - I honestly feel sympathy towards you, I know how you feel! My lists are comprised of the most, and I mean MOST basic of things: 8:30am -wake up 8:35am - make bed. etc etc etc. The list goes on. I only have to worry about myself, but I think it must be somewhat amplified for you, having such a large family. Have you tried playing a video game? I know it sounds immature or maybe foolish, but it seems to be almost a therapy for this... If you want to discuss why, before I state why on this forum ( I dont want to say my reasons for finding it theraputic before I hear other's reasons!!!) then e-mail me.
Randall - I have to thank you for making this blog, as it seems to be the hottest spot on the net to discuss LLI right now, and for those of you who are flying off on another tangent (ALL TOO LIKELY ON THIS TOPIC, LOL!) All the articles I personally have found have been dated approximately June 2004, thus making LLI a FAIRLY recent discovery.
Since I didnt really see an answer (Not trying to start a fight, just saying..) I'll restate my question..:
For those of us who find Video games to be a sort of "therapy" for LLI, why do you find it thus? I know my own reasons, and have rationalized them, but I'd like to know everyone else's...
I have a gamecube and a PS2 and are thinking of buying an XBOX lol i love getting lost in things it is a therapy, lose yourself in another world. Problems seem vacant when my mind is busy killing monsters ;)....I really do not think of LLI as a disfunction and absolutely not a curse. It is part of evolving, I feel our minds are expanding and realizing everything in this world and learning to cope with daily emotional management.
Thanks for the sympathy LLI Suff! As for video games, not really a big buff. I tend to get lost on the internet, and now have what I call internet ADD. You go to look up something, and wow- look at that link, which leads to another link. It's an hour later and you still haven't found what you were first looking for but discovered a new 'whatnot' you didn't know you needed. I shop. I shop alot. Mostly online. At the store it gets to be too much, my heart races, I get giddy, I talk to wackos and can't shut up. I also have really enjoyed my DVR cable box. Wow, all the stuff you can record!! So, once I get the LOUD and overly stimulating children to bed, I sit up (do my business), and watch TV for about 3 hours. I love FFWDing through the commercials!! I really need my alone time after the kids go to bed and the house has quieted down. You might try that, it does seem to help me 'unwind'.
rajen girwarr
I'm very interested in learning more about your experiences b/c I find that I have more in common with you than all the people on this forum.
OMG!!!! THIS is our "PRISON BREAK"........WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!
Thanks people, love your posts, except for Hurricane Poppy.....lol Hurricanes aren't so popular right now, even though However, I have a relative so good as a salesman he could definitely sell a hurricane to Florida!!! TRUE! LOL
Hurricane Poppy, don't worry about the spelling, I could tell, and you should have also, that the person was a foreigner, and they definitely spoke/spelled better English/American than I can a foreign language, and probably yourself also........and, by the way you did mis-spell a word yourself!!!
Back to the subject matter, LLI....Low Latent Inhibition....Odd name, actually....but who cares it seems to fit, but must we seek a Label for ourselves? What we really seek is a way to manage/understand what is going on inside our brain, or moreso, an certain level of acceptability from those who see us as crazy/different. Isn't it true that being crazy is what keeps us from going insane?
Too much input, as I see it. The cure......Stay away from stimuli. The reason to become a hermit? It is so much better for me to be alone. But not better because of the lonliness (sp), okay so if i mis-spell I at least acknowledge or question it. It is the squeaky wheel that gets the grease!!
I'd love to stay and chat more, however, I haven't even finished reading all the posts..I must return another day and catch up.
This is a relief, to know that someone is getting close to acknowledging the existance of our Prisoned Minds.....Did anyone watch "A Beautiful Mind" If you didn't, I highly recommend it.
Prison Break gave us the words...Low Level Inhibition....A Beautiful Mind gives us insight into a similar Bright Mind.
Dave, love your comments!!! Feel somewhat connected. Of course, we're the few, the proud, the smart?? It's all relative.... Good grief. here i go again.......i have to sign off before I get sucked into this ........................lata gata!
Demersus, the second paragraph in your first post is the exact description of my life. Creepy.
Terry Cowell, I felt the same way about some of the things you wrote as you did about my post. Glad to find some other crazies like me.
Dave's top ten list really hits all the nails!
Another thought just flew through (along with the uncountable others every bloody waking minute) I guess only the people who were watching Prison Break (not Academy Award material but a good cliffhanger/bad-guys-get-screwed-in-the-end type of show) and went "Jesus, that's me!" are the ones who showed up here. I figure most other people just heard "The condition is psycho-blah blah lamp blah blah pieces yada yada yada." and didn't give it any further thought. Just like the lamp example itself. Interesting. For those people, it just didn't strike a chord. I can't fathom that.
It might be interesting if this or some other forum became a place for "us" to just talk about experiences or frustrations rather than pontificate about overcoming our difficulties through mental muscular flexing (?!). It may be beneficial (for those who feel they need benefit) to talk things out and get things off their minds. Kind of like an AA meeting. Except it would be LLIA.
Hope everybody keeps coming back; it's like I found a life preserver to cling to in the middle of the ocean (of thoughts?)...
wow Jane, you know what, I'