"Studies show that people with high fluid intelligence can process multiple "what if" scenarios concurrently, helping them see ahead, identify concealed dangers, and plan their actions. This mode of thinking requires a lot of working memory because the brain isn't looping idly; it's stress-testing every single possibility that comes to mind. This might be why these people seem to be frequently lost in their thoughts, even when they're alone."
"However, highly intelligent people are not always faster, calmer, or more decisive. Sometimes, their minds are busier, slower, and more conflicted. In my work as a psychologist, I've noticed that people with higher cognitive ability are often misunderstood simply because their mental habits don't always look the way we expect intelligence to look. These tendencies get labeled as overthinking, indecision, or hesitation when, in reality, they reflect deeper cognitive processing."
Intelligence is often portrayed as mental efficiency, but highly intelligent individuals can be mentally busy, slower, and more conflicted. High cognitive ability frequently involves replaying conversations and simulating multiple future scenarios to anticipate dangers and plan actions. Fluid intelligence enables concurrent processing of many "what if" possibilities, which demands substantial working memory because the brain stress-tests each option. Mental simulation is flexible and exploratory, shifting perspective, updating assumptions, and producing insight, unlike maladaptive rumination which is repetitive and emotionally sticky. These thought patterns can make intelligent people seem distracted, indecisive, or overthinking, and therefore often misunderstood despite their strategic benefits.
Read at Psychology Today
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