How to stop from becoming stupid

>>8318181
I notice the less time i spend on reddit/4chan the easier it is for me to read my textbooks. There is something about reading neverending feeds which just drains the brains attention span. Its like scrolling downwards into a deep hole with walls covered with inane useless bits of commentary and trivia.

I think because there is no logical connection between posts, and often comments, the brain does not need to retain long term concepts and instead gets used to only skimming over new concepts in the shallowest possible way then moving on.

Sorry op I don't know how to break this to you but you're a brainlet.

Sorry op. Take care.

>>8318205
posters like you are the reason /sci/ stays shitty.
You must feel so proud of your >140 IQ

>>8318198
> I think because there is no logical connection between posts, and often comments, the brain does not need to retain long term concepts and instead gets used to only skimming over new concepts in the shallowest possible way then moving on.

I can totally see this. Take a look at The Shallows by Nicolas Carr if you find the time, it expounds on this. Basically the brain is adaptive and the text and way people read on the internet is profoundly different from the reading we did in the past. Even the presence of hyperlinks represent decision triggers (whether or not to follow the link, and whether or not to do so right now) which adds cognitive load.

I find after reading and jumping from articles/comments on the internet (especially between disparate topics), my brain fizzes out and I can't focus deeply on a concept or something for a while. Caffeine seems to help but only temporarily. Ideally I'd like all my 'brain energy' to be used productively - learning concepts or creating/writing something of use - rather than frazzled away on tidbits. I've tried doing 'information diets' for periods of time (abstaining from the news and browsing social media) but always lapse.

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>>8318198
capped

Don't be lazy about being critical about ideas and yourself. The difference between smart and stupid is critical thinking. Critical thinking is as much a habit as it is a skill. Learn to think critically all the time and you'll be smart. If, on the other hand, you view critical thinking as a laborious and painful process which must be avoided then you will be stupid.

Get in the habit of thinking critically about everything. Take time alone to reflect internally about things that happen in your life. Be critical of your own logical prowess, be comfortable with being wrong. Do not view disagreements as attacks or antisocial. Take what you learn from critical thinking and reflection and try to find answers. Do all of these things as a part of your every day life and you'll be smart.

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I feel staying socially engaged is really important, as in going out and actually talking to people in person (body language and all!) on a non-superficial level - discourse rather than idle or polite chitchat, and discourse without the pretence of signalling or trying to impress the other person(s).

Think about old people who develop Alzheimers and the link with a lack of stimulation. Socially engaging with people of a similar intelligence is important as well, to keep your verbal and debating skills at that level, I say that without hubris.

>>8318249
OP here. I think I am already fairly rational bordering on neurotic. I'm comfortable with being wrong, or at least try my best to be.

Disagreements *are* seen as antisocial in many cultures and contexts and my upbringing has conditioned me to react instinctively so, though of course I try not to it is hard to make a disagreement when you know it will probably be seen as aggressive. I believe in some cultures/circles disagreeing or correcting is not seen as rude. Probably others can relate. The types of stupid I want to prevent myself from becoming is not becoming irrational, but rather becoming incapable of learning about and understanding concepts (mostly STEM related) and being able to discuss them (or other non-STEM complex topics) in an intelligent manner.

>>8318264
The closest I come to 'social engagement with people of a similar intelligence' is on /sci. I have friends irl but they don't share the same drive, even if they are math and science majors they are doing it just to make money, and partly because they 'enjoy it.' They don't see it the same way as people here on /sci...

I don't enjoy studying math and science, I feel compelled to. Any time I procrastinate for too long I am called back to it by some imaginary force, and I have observed this on /sci which I have not seen on reddit or any other website. Maybe it is the shift towards the autism spectrum that defines this website, but I think it is something else.

Some people are called to dedicate their lives to walking in one direction, most will find nothing and die unrecognized and alone. Here on /sci everyone is walking in their own direction but shares a common drive to keep moving for the good of human progress. Most will die unrecognized and alone, but not sad.

From the kipling poem, The explorer.
“Something lost behind the Ranges. Over yonder! Go you there!”

>>8318300
Autism

>>8318300
Love you anon ~

>>8318181
carbon monoxide poisoning?

>>8318181
Research dietary needs for your brain. Omega-3s and such. Meditate more (just a bit) and practice orderly thinking along with disorderly thinking. Don't let yourself get bored.

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I've personally noticed that CS is detrimental for math skills and vice versa.

The problem is that the two fields use same concepts but with slightly different meanings. Take [math]h(x) = g(f(x))[/math] as a simple example: A mathematician would claim that [math]h(x)[/math] and [math]g(f(x))[/math] equal since they give equal outputs with the same inputs. A CS guy could argue that they do not equal, because the "paths" to the output are probably different. In maths the "paths" don't matter, but in algorithmic theory they are crucial.

>>8318944
Yeah, I think this is also true for people who study too much of the 'foundations' of math like set theory and analysis. They get so wrapped up in being perfectly correct and having that security that they lose their creativity and way of thinking from other perspectives because they believe that they are always right.

I think CS people tend to conflate their technical skills with their thinking and it focuses them only on "what is" rather than "what can be" and it's unfortunate. It leads to a lot of retarded and stupid apps that people hate.

>>8318181

Can you understand if I say, model a person who is not stupid in reality, what he does.
After you've done that, found out what that is, now your goal is to always do exactly like a not stupid person, that would mean you'd never a stupid person.

Did you understand that?
That's universal when it comes to learning a skill for example, or becoming a good soldier, teacher etc..

>>8318181
Ignorance: not having information (sticking your hand in fire ONCE)
Cure: Get information.

Stupid: having information, but not using it or going against it (sticking your hand in fire TWICE)
Cure: None.

Smart: having information and using it correctly (watching stupif/ignrant people stick their hands in fire, so you don't do it yourself)

Intelligence: having the capacity to be smart.

Unintelligent: lacking the capacity to be smart.
Cure: None.

Dumb: inability to speak.
Cure: Cause dependent.

Presidential Voter/Theist: Mix of wishful thinking, ignorance, stupidity, and unintelligence.
Cure: KYS

>>8318181
Consider the personality test: There is enough literature to correlate intelligence with an observant trait. There is evidence that caffeine improves working memory if you are an extrovert, introversion in fact correlates heavily with mental illnesses. I do believe a preference towards verbal sounds instead of music implies you are Thinking rather a Feeling type. And I also believe that an ability and desire to follow plans instead of only being able to improvise comes from a more consistent mind. On the assertive-turbulent dimension, I find the turbulent mindset to lead to breakthroughs and overproductivity, while the assertive is more likely to do a shit job everyday and feel good about it. All these meaning that the perfect Jung personality is a ESTJ-T. You don't need to do the test, but just understand the scales and honestly position yourself in which extreme you tend to pursue. I have done Math and Physics tests, and I am immensely improving, just like expected from the scientific observations that brain power peaks at 30 for men, I am at 24 yo mark. I naturally stopped playing popular action video games, moving to more turn based games or none at all. I stopped masturbation because I don't identify with whores at all, I have this ideal meditative woman in my mind and I can differentiate her from whores. One of the mental aspects that I am clearly observing to improve: the potential ability to repeat tasks. When I was younger I used to feel this burn out after tasks, even after tasks that I voluntarily did. like programming exercises. I found that people are bad at math because they can't repeat mathematical thinking, not even once. The nootropic effect of repetition is what I believe to be behind a lot of things: doing something everyday, cardio, being able to focus etc. Good physical exercise is not about increasing V02max, given anaerobic is what does it, while long aerobic sessions don't. Here is what you should do OP: (continues in the next post

>>8318300
This was a very autistic post.

>>8319017

> Stupid: having information, but not using it or going against it.
Cure: None.

Would you like to find a cure to stupditiy with me?

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>>8319021
[continues]
Let's do an experiment for twenty one days, that is three weeks. I want you to maintain levels of dopamine in your brain, so you can't release massive loads of prolactin, meaning you can't fap for three weeks. I want you to take either caffeine or some dopamine reuptake inhibitor at morning everyday, I would suggest pure three hundred milligrams of caffeine or an small amount of modafinil, but I have never taken modafinil except in my imagination. Pure caffeine is better than coffee or even tea, you can dose better and it seems be much easier on your sleep schedule even at high doses like four hundred milligrams. I want you to try to do things twice, three times, until you stop experiencing dysphoria and a urge for novelty. I want you doing cardio like one hundred and twenty minutes of walking a day. I want you burning at least three thousand calories a day. This will be overclocking your brain two fold. If you are in room for long periods of time, take a ten minutes break every fifty minutes. Voluntarily listen to a sixty bpm sound from a metronome or even a noisy clock for six hours a day, it makes your mind repetitive. You will experience your mind shifting from a entertainment mindset to a problem-solving frame. Prayer supposedly increases dopamine because it involves repetition and hope, and hope is motivation. I would say concentration meditation, like a constant breath awareness, awareness of your chest, should increase dopamine and logical thought.

>>8319021
Your not smart. Just narcissistic. S's BTFO. Turb's egos are fragile as fuck and need to prove themselves to other people = lame as shit

>>8319051

And what a person who does that is capapble of doing?

>>8319051
>stop fapping to reduce prolactin production
Oh fuck please leave this board right now. Prolactin is released everytime you feel sexual arousal for a relatively long time period, it doesn't matter if you fap or not. In this sense, prolactin release is almost rythmic, and can not be controlled by outside factors.

>>8319134
Prolactin is released in orgasm:
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=prolactin+orgasm

Should you leave by your own rule now?

>I'm a programmer

Ended my activity of reading when I reached this point

>>8318181
1. In case you're not doing this anyway: drink more water. Try to stay hydrated 24/7, if it means you have to get up at night to pee.

2. Challenge yourself with manageable mental exercises. Each time you succeed increase the difficulty of the next exercise. Do not forget to take breaks inbetween.
Good luck

>>8319171
About point 2, where to find? Do you just make them up, like rolling through theoretical scenarios? Or do you use something like Euler project?

>>8318300
I like you.

>>8318232
You seriously believe those insufferable shitposters have >140 IQ?

>>8318300
I like your enthusiautism