5 Characteristics That Geniuses Have in Common: From Einstein to Virginia Woolf

Berfin Ceren Meray
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Since the dawn of humanity, we have been fascinated by the potential of the human mind. Many have tried to understand the key to unlocking our intellectual potential and becoming a genius. Two researchers, who were intrigued by this question, dedicated years of their lives to studying the emergence of human genius. In this article, we will explore the common traits observed in almost all of the geniuses that were studied. Is it an exceptional mind or the ability to create that makes a genius? Join me as we delve into the secrets of human genius.

Professor Craig Wright has studied geniuses for more than twenty years. He is currently teaching at Yale University.

Blogger and teacher Henrik Karlsson also reviewed forty-two biographies about twenty well-known geniuses and researched their childhood.

These two men, who had done the same research without knowing about each other, had one thing in common: they were grouping the character stages of geniuses. That is, each of them had made a list of 'characteristic features that help the intelligence of geniuses'. When we combine these two studies, we get the answer to the question of how to become a genius step by step.

Let's take a look at them! 👇

1. Your IQ level is not that important for being a genius. An average intelligence is more than enough.

Oddly enough, having an extremely high IQ is not an important factor for being a genius. Wright emphasizes that even if you rise above average intelligence, other factors are more important. Karlsson too. The first factor is about your environment. Your environment has more influence on success than you think.

2. A genius is created by the social environment and circumstances.

Wright talks about the advantage of being in the right place at the right time. Bill Gates is one of the best examples of this. During his adolescence, he lived close to the computer laboratory in the country, and his family was rich.

The same can be said for Da Vinci being in Florence during the Renaissance, or for Einstein growing up in the solid educational environments of Germany and Switzerland.

3. Education is important, but self-improvement is more important.

When Karlsson said that some geniuses, such as Blaise Pascal and Woolf, were home-schooled, 'There's no need for it. Their self-studies were enough. Especially they were left to discover for themselves.” he says.

Intense curiosity often leads geniuses to this self-education. Professor Wright says this instinct prompted Da Vinci to study anatomy, mathematics, art and even flying. The same curiosity makes learning in a wide range of subjects attractive as well. It is a pleasurable feeling for geniuses to combine information in a unique way.

A person with intellectual capacity achieves success with the education they reach at a young age or with self-improvement.

Karlsson talks about the advantage of Virginia Woolf's father being a teacher. It is also a critical point that he was friends with famous poets of English Literature such as Thomas Hardy and Alfred Lord Tennyson. Although it may seem like luck to you, it's actually an environmental factor. These famous writers used to stop by Woolf's house for dinner. They often talked to Virginia, and she listened in amazement to conversations that were difficult for a child to understand.

Besides, of course, if she hadn't worked for it and developed herself in that direction, these conversations wouldn't have been of any use.

4. "The fun of learning passes the boredom."

'Immersion in boredom is a universally observed point in the lives of people of genius.”

While children nowadays have a lot of things to have fun with, Karlsson says that most of the geniuses he studied are died starving. Moreover, most of them have led an isolated life. Whether intentionally or due to illness, they were often people who did not have playmates.

For example, Voltaire, Musk, Teddy Roosevelt, Tesla, John Stuart Mill and Descartes spent their childhoods reading books instead of being outside with neighborhood children. Thus, self-study was a way for them to 'occupy their minds'.

5. Imagining and gamifying makes it easier to find solutions.

Don't just call it a dream. Dreaming is actually something that improves your brain a lot. For example, Mozart's sister called him “the eternal child'.“ He also wrote an opera about a 'magic flute' and had imaginary friends.

When he was 35 years old, Picasso said that he had spent his life trying to paint like a child.

Einstein was also said to have a ”child-like mentality“ and had the ability to think of unusual solutions, such as ”spiele', which means free play. He would have gamified the answer.

All this does not mean, of course, that you should be as strange as Mozart or lock yourself up like Descartes.

Wright also points out the benefit of a child-like mind, likening deep thinking to play. This is referred to as 'free play with ideas'.

Adopting a curious attitude, doing some research on an interesting topic can be a way to improve your mind.

You can always take extra credit courses and make an imaginary friend.