A Contrarian Thought: Introverted Thinking function decreases intelligence

[gregarian]

Hello,

I see that many people are asking whether introverted thinking makes INTP's smarter. I have the opposite question: does it make us dumber?

The current theories about the evolution of language and intelligence consider social interactions a key aspect of intelligence. It may be that our brains are so powerful because of the adaptive problems posed from living in large social groups.

I also find this to be true in my personal experience. Social interactions are so complex and requires so many different functions to work in unison: not only abstract thought, but thoughts about feelings, context, requiring memory and processing, along with physical acts like body language. It literally lights up our nervous system which acts with one-pointedness for extended periods of time. This is a major task, and I think there is a strong argument to be made that constantly exercising or identifying with only one particular function is actually detrimental to intelligence and unhealthy.

What say you?

 

[LAM]

I'll simplify my post because I am too damn lazy to spend the first 2 hours of my HS holidays writing a post about the semantics of intelligence.

Social intelligence is a type of intelligence. Whilst it is complicated, it is only so because not everyone is an INTP . In any case there are many, perhaps dozens of types of intelligence so to put emphasis on social intelligence is quite wrong. INTPs are just not that interested in learning pointless social intricacies (although an INTP can be excellent at psychology/behavioural psychology so when they concentrate on a person they can read them better than almost anyone else. Also those INTPs can be great manipulators.) Of course, reading someone will only get you halfway, as you then have to pretend you care about the meaningless chitchat and have to conform to social rules.

Basic evolutionary social intelligence wasn't really that complicated/needed to become that complicated to cause a rise in hominid's intelligence. There are many more types of intelligence and to say that humans got smarter because they wanted more complex social experiences (which didn't happen until the rise of tribes and civilisations. Our social rituals have become far more complicated and subtle than at the beginning of humanity.) I personally think that the wide variety of problems which beset early hominids had to be solved with a continually growing and flexible mind (I simplified this extremely in that sentence, but thats the basics.)

Also you are entirely right when saying that it is very unhealthy to only identify with one function (which in INTPs is usually Ti, being overtly introverted is a symptom of Ti dominance and is quite unhealthy for all intelligences.

To answer your question though, no introversion doesn't make you dumb. Extreme introversion does in many ways (although even an unhealthy INTP is quite smart in many ways,) but in general introverts are more intelligent than extroverts in non-physical pursuits. Extroverts are better at stuff that deals with others and the outside which makes them better at socialising. And when you start to read and research about socialising you realise that is quite simple. It just simply doesn't suit introverts. (Making emotional connections and deep connections with people is complicated a majority of the time and in general I consider it separate from socialising. Its not really socialising at the point where emotions get involved...)