I've read upwards of 140 comments, and have yet to stumble on some kind of solution for those of us who fell into the "smart praise" category as children. Is there some way to flip the proverbial work-ethic switch in your mid-twenties (or later) or are we doomed to a life of self-doubt and avoiding anything remotely challenging that we're not already proficient in?
The Trouble with Bright Kids
151–156 of 156 posts
Re: The Trouble with Bright Kids
#152Earlier quoted context omitted.
This. I agree completely. Get a bright kid to know other, possibly brighter kids in an environment that values them.
This is exactly the reason I have been drawn to HN. Being around people that are smarter than you is great motivation to increase your own knowledge. I only wish I could've been exposed to groups of similarly well-read and knowledgable people at an earlier age.
This is also the reason why good universities seem so attractive to a special kind of people -- they gather people with similar traits to theirs, and makes them focus on their common goal, that is, advancing their knowledge.
Nowadays, there are some really excellent textbooks, so that with enough effort, everyone can learn CS or Math himself, and with some funds also Physics, Chemistry etc. Unfortunately you cannot talk and share ideas with books.
Re: The Trouble with Bright Kids
#153Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I'm one of the few percentage of the population that can frisson to certain works of music. I've been labeling this feeling as an ASMR[1] (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response). Is it really a rare occurrence? I can pretty much do this on demand when listening to certain songs/types of music. [1] http://www.asmr-research.org/
My understanding is that ASMR and Frisson are similar, but different experiences. As far as I can tell, I can frisson, but not ASMR. Interestingly, reddit has both a frisson and an ASMR subreddit. I know that frisson is highly personal. What causes me to frisson won't cause another person to frisson, and I only know a couple people personally who I believe can frisson (but nobody really talks about it, because there'…
I knew about the ASMR subreddit, but the frisson one is new to me. They are both strange. I do get chills/euphoric sensations from certain music and certain sounds, though. It would be cool to know exactly what's going on.
Re: The Trouble with Bright Kids
#154Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's interesting. So what you're saying is basically that if a kid is smart then he will be smart even without verbal acknowledgement of it. So it's better to keep hammering "you're really disciplined!" because then the kid will be smart AND disciplined. The latter of which is a learned trait, as opposed to raw smarts.
I went to college with people who had been raised according to the "praise hard work" theory (i.e. Asians), and it's got its own set of problems, I think.
Asians aren't praised for hard work, they are praised for getting the top score (whether it required hard work or not is usually irrelevant)
Re: The Trouble with Bright Kids
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
I had no idea frissoning was a unique thing. How repeatable is it for you? I've felt it countless times from music or moments in film or life in general when I experience something that is particularly profound or impressive on a visceral level. It's not a daily occurrence though. I've usually attributed it to the feeling of getting a surge of adrenaline. Interesting.
If I find a new piece of music that triggers a strong reaction, it can be very repeatable. For example, when I was 12 I had a tape of some Rachmaninoff performances with one particular section in I think the Paganini Variations, only a few seconds long, that would send me into the stratosphere. I played it thousands of times until the tape finally broke. It's very different than finding something beautiful or sublime…
I've always had that reaction to that 3rd piece too. I wonder if there is any objective reason for that.
Re: The Trouble with Bright Kids
#156Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you apply that to other areas? Do you avoid saying that e.g. invisible pink unicorns do not exist? I think it is reasonable to take everyday speech saying "does not exist" as meaning "appears not to exist, and if it does exist this is indistinguishable from not existing".
Do you avoid saying that e.g. invisible pink unicorns do not exist? Come to think if it, I'm pretty sure I've never stated "invisible pink unicorns do not exist". On the other hand, I've never had to avoid saying it either; oddly enough, I've never felt any urge to comment on the possible existence of invisible pink unicorns until now. But this is immaterial to the issue at hand, which is one of logical arguments, no…
Have you considered that God doesn't fall into the same category as an invisible unicorn?
The IPU is a poor analogy for disproving the existence of God because it gives up too much ground.
God is in the same category as a square circle. Something that is self-contradictory and therefore cannot exist.