In the study noted in the article above, investigators
confirmed the postulation that first-children generally excel beyond the levels
achieved by their younger siblings, and they asked “Why?”
A genetic basis for the difference (i.e., where some
advantage would be conferred on first-borns by “Nature” … like the first-born
gets the best genes) was considered a possible explanation, but there were too
many confounding factors to make it a compelling hypothesis.
After sifting everything down, the largest, most consistent
and most compelling differentiation element between first-borns and later
siblings was a change in PARENTING.
“Hotz and Pantano settle close to Theory (6).
Parents are more likely to make strict rules (about, e.g., TV-watching) and
be intimately involved in the academic performance of their first
children, according to survey data. They're also more likely to punish their
first child's bad grades. Hotz and Pantano say moms and dads start tough
and go soft to establish a "reputation" within their household
for being strict—a reputation they hope will trickle down to the younger
siblings who will be too respectful to misbehave later on.”
One has to allow that it happens
with pets, as well. The first dog is
taken to “obedience school”, given all sorts of in-house and out-house
training, given extra “play time”, and taught as many “tricks” as possible
while the second dog is left to be “trained” by the first and its main purpose
is to be a “companion”. Besides, who has
the time to train TWO dogs?
An insurance agent in Appalachian
Pennsylvania inquired of one of his clients how she had the time to deal with
all 12 of her children. “Well, the first one took 100% of my time and
the next 11 couldn’t take any more!”
The question of what comprises GENIUS was taken up by
National Geographic in its May 2017 issue.
The unsettling first observation made was that the gallery of geniuses
past is almost exclusively populated by white males of European origin. However, considering the fact that patterns
of “culturation” and “nurturation” gave most favorable advantage to males of
European origin … never mind that most of that culturation and nurturation came
from mothers and wives of the same, one is compelled to factor culturation and
nurturation – at least to some significant degree – into the overall formula
for the emergence of genius. NG further
observes: “Around age six [girls] start
to avoid activities said to be for children who are ‘really, really smart,’
[that’s negative nurturation]”, and asks:
“Can our planet afford to have any great thinkers become discouraged or
intimidated and give up?”
Equipping minds is a relatively new enterprise dedicated to
intense “brain training” as a vehicle for maximizing human potential. [ http://equippingminds.com/
] With a mission to integrate a tidal
wave of new research on brain development and neuroplasticity into learning, EM
has demonstrated that a broad portfolio of brain functions, including memory,
cognitive processing and IQ, can all be enhanced by intensive “nurturation”.
So what’s the take-away message here? If any
of the above holds any water at all,
then we should become very attentive to the “environment” in which we place our
brains. The bedrock platitude of
computer culture is: “Garbage in, garbage
out!” At least we can hold to that
guideline. But brains are much more
complicated – and much more malleable – both positively and negatively! There is increasing evidence that brain capacity
in all aspects can be increased by normal growth and development, by experience,
by exercise and by education, including high-intensity training. Conversely, it is conjectured that brain capacity
can be decreased or derailed by inattention, by gratuitously indulgent activity
(social media, TV, video games, etc.), by drugs and other dependencies, by
decadent diet, by lack of exercise, by stress, or by physical or emotional or psychological
challenges.
While a magic formula for the creation of genius has yet to
be found, and while current working hypotheses are still only “working
hypotheses”, there are enough nuggets of possibility emerging from the fog to
suggest that we CAN do and be better than we started out, as well as better
than we currently ARE!
One has to ask, then:
Why would anyone not take the maximum advantage possible of the
most positive environmental influences to maximize their ability to excel in
the world? I’m off to the library and to
do some genius-level networking, as soon as I water and fertilize the garden. You come, too! Quartermaster
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