| I don't regard myself as an unusually intelligent guy. I'd | | | | helps me "already know what to do when a certain |
| say I'm average. But life has treated me well so far. | | | | moment comes". |
| Looks like I've been making good decisions, I've | | | | Let's say you are faced with a challenge and you |
| sometimes had good timing and why not, I'm might | | | | need to make a decision on the fly. If you had |
| even have been a bit lucky (I haven't won the lottery | | | | imagined that situation before and played with that |
| though). This article will tell you about the relationship | | | | fantasy, most likely you will have a wide array of |
| between intelligence and the imagination. The ability to | | | | different scenarios which will help you deal with that |
| represent a fictional play within your mind. | | | | particular situation. You'll be ready because you have |
| Defining it is not the purpose of this article but what we | | | | previously "lived" that scenario in your mind. You've |
| need to know is that there are several theories about | | | | been there, you've imagined different outcomes and |
| intelligence. Some people consider intelligence as one | | | | ways that lead to that goal. |
| big integrated thing (called the g-factor, or general | | | | Notice that during these whole process, your |
| factor of intelligence), others, like Howard Gardner, | | | | intelligence per se, or to make the example more clear, |
| conceive it as different intelligences that combine and | | | | none of your intelligences have been put to actually |
| interact. For instance, one of the most common | | | | work in a conscious manner. You've been thinking in |
| intelligence tests, WAIS, take into account different | | | | another channel. And your cognitive resources were |
| kinds of intelligence and integrate all the results in a | | | | harvested to put those scenarios together in your |
| general intelligence scale. The well known IQ. None of | | | | fantasy; all this in your psychological backyard. |
| these theories consider imagination a form of | | | | Imagination, in a way, works like a quantum computer, |
| intelligence. And with just cause. Imagination takes a | | | | or like the behaviors of particles in quantum physics. |
| different route, a more heuristic and intangible one. | | | | Particles have multiple histories (let's consider the |
| Many regard imagination as an expression of | | | | particle as a thought for practical purposes). Virtually, |
| intelligence. Einstein once said that "the true sign of | | | | every thought can have an infinite number of |
| intelligence is not knowledge but imagination". Bottom | | | | ramifications, or states if you want to. Unluckily infinite |
| line is that no one is absolutely sure about what | | | | will be limited to a handful by our owns brain limited |
| intelligence is. Definitions of it abound. Standpoints too. | | | | processing power. |
| The point I'll try to make is that having a big imagination | | | | We can argue that if we can only handle a few |
| won't make your logical-mathematic or spatial | | | | options, statistically, the chance of imagining a plausible |
| intelligence better. It does help in the development of | | | | possibility would be close to zero. But our mind has had |
| abstract and heuristic thinking, but it is not a factor that | | | | a lifetime of experience. It has learn to limit itself |
| will pop up as a booster of intelligence/es in any test. | | | | (compare your day-dreaming of your youth with yours |
| Imagination prepares you for unexpected events, it | | | | at say... 40). It has also learn to predict human behavior, |
| helps you plan and foresee possible situations by | | | | so the possibilities will always be conditioned by our |
| staging a theatrical play in your head. | | | | individual realities, and in some regards, they tend to be |
| I'll use myself as a Guinea Pig. I'm always thinking about | | | | pretty similar when we throw in culture, religion and |
| something, day dreaming if you'd like to call it like that. It | | | | shared history as citizens or human beings. |
| can be realistic or absurd things. But at the end of the | | | | I haven't nor pretended to cover all the benefits that a |
| day, some of those thoughts, crazy or not, are the | | | | vivid imagination entails. I just wanted to focus on its |
| ones that inspire me to write a post, to develop new | | | | relationship with intelligence. And that the imagination |
| ideas for work, or are just to wacky to be do-able in | | | | can work as a situation planner and help you make |
| the real world (although some times you can trim | | | | decisions without having to make the effort when the |
| those utopias to match reality). It triggers synapses, | | | | moment comes; because you've already been there. It |
| associations and organizes my mental map. It also | | | | feeds on your intelligence to create those fantasies, |
| helps me be prepared. For what, you may ask? It | | | | thus boosting the reach of your general intelligence. |