# Would you rather have fast-healing powers or a hyper-genius intellect? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 26, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360 "2012-06-26T16:37:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/1 "2012-06-26T16:37:41Z")
Anybody want a justifying setup talking about Evil Inc and end-of-the-fiscal-year closeouts and dozens of murdered Smurfs? Too bad, because I can’t be arsed. Choose the fast-healing powers, and your immune system and recuperative powers improve by a factor of a hundred in both speed and efficiency. Just about any known infectious agent will die the second it touches you; a broken femur will heal in 20 hours instead of 12 weeks. It will even protect you against tumors, and your aging will be markedly slowed (though not stopped); let’s say you’ll age one week for every year. You don’t get any other physical improvements, though. Choose to become a hyper-genius, and your intellect will obviously be hugely increased. Think immediate total recall (but voluntary–it takes an act of will to turn it on and keep it on) of anything you know, allowing you to call not merely raw facts but whatever sensory data you wish to consciousness at will. You’ll be a lightning calculator, able to solve complex mathematical equations in your head so quickly it’s not worth the effort of writing them down. That only works once you master the given bit of math, of course, but you can learn incredibly quickly as well; given the appropriate textbooks and a bit of quiet, you can replicate four years of college in an day, and master as many different subjects as you wish. Both effects last sixty months. At the end of the five year period, you retain whatever benefits you garnered during that time, but lack the ability to replicate the raw feats. That is, any illnesses you were healed from stay gone, but your healing rate will return to normal; you’ll no longer have the immediate total recall or lightning calculator talents, but whatever subjects you learned stay in your nogging. Which do you choose, and why? ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/2 "2012-06-26T16:58:35Z")
Oddly enough, my doctor says that my arthritis is due to an overactive immune system. So I’m going with the intellect. I would spend the next five years collecting doctorates. If I could not fix [insert your favorite problem here] in five years, I figure I could at least lay a lot of groundwork. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/3 "2012-06-26T17:02:01Z")
Definitely fast healing. Intelligence does not guarantee a happy life, and if you don’t have your health you don’t have anything - this is very true. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/4 "2012-06-26T17:02:26Z")
Intellect. I can both establish myself as a tyrannical supervillain and advance medicine enough to ensure a long healthy life for myself. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/5 "2012-06-26T17:09:57Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Definitely fast healing. Intelligence does not guarantee a happy life, and if you don’t have your health you don’t have anything - this is very true. Yes. That, and I’m smarter than I am healthy. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/6 "2012-06-26T17:12:45Z")
I’ll take hyper genius. I could develop hundreds of top notch inventions, set up a world class company to take them to market, and set myself up for life on that alone. I could cure diseases, solve our energy problems, create new ways to communicate, I’d be richer than Bill Gates, and remembered forever. Hyper Healing, I could probably be some kind of daredevil, of course I don’t know how to ride a skateboard, or do much with a motorcycle, so I’ll be lucky to get one or two good jumps out of it. And I’ll get to live 5 extra years, or so, but I’ll still have to work my regular job to pay the bills, yay. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/7 "2012-06-26T17:13:58Z")
I had to choose ‘perfectly content’ because I already have those powers. Now if I could get rid of the super disabilities that conflict with those and make them much less useful, that would be a cool trick. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/8 "2012-06-26T17:22:59Z")
Gimme the brains. If the effects were permanent, then I’d be more apt to lean towards the heath, but the five year limit makes that one much less desirable. Basically, that’s a five-year life extension. I’ll take the smarts, absorb all the info I can, and then go on a _Jeopardy!_ streak that would make Ken Jennings look like Forrest Gump. Once Trebeck cuts me a check for my millions, I then begin working on the health serum that would have made taking the other choice redundant anyway. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/9 "2012-06-26T17:23:02Z")
Hyper-genius, because then I can invent an enhanced-healing chamber. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/10 "2012-06-26T17:46:57Z")
I need the healing powers. Being smart never made me happy. Hypersmart is even less likely to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/11 "2012-06-26T17:54:21Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Gimme the brains. If the effects were permanent, then I’d be more apt to lean towards the heath, but the five year limit makes that one much less desirable. Basically, that’s a five-year life extension. I’ll take the smarts, absorb all the info I can, and then go on a _Jeopardy!_ streak that would make Ken Jennings look like Forrest Gump. > > Once Trebeck cuts me a check for my millions, I then begin working on the health serum that would have made taking the other choice redundant anyway. [bastard] _heath: an area of wide uncultivated ground, often covered by heather or related plants, commonly used as grazing land for various domesticated ruminants._ [/bastard] > [@DrFidelius](#): > > Hyper-genius, because then I can invent an enhanced-healing chamber. > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I need the healing powers. Being smart never made me happy. Hypersmart is even less likely to do so. I knew a lot of people would try to game the system by planning to invent a healing chamber, but I was wondering if anyone would bring up, even obliquely, the issues of personality changes that would likely accompany being a hyper-genius. It may not make you a jackass, but it’s quite likely to change the way you perceive the world around you; everyone you meet is suddenly a nincompoop. Not to mention that the post-Reed Richards period is probably going to be a bigger letdown that the post-Wolverine one. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/12 "2012-06-26T18:01:29Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I knew a lot of people would try to game the system by planning to invent a healing chamber, I wonder if a super smart person could invent such a thing anyway. I’m pretty sure that modern medicine was not invented by one really smart person, but many very smart people. Some processes have to evolve over many generations. It’s not like the Wright brothers invented the stealth bomber. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/13 "2012-06-26T18:09:19Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I knew a lot of people would try to game the system by planning to invent a healing chamber, but I was wondering if anyone would bring up, even obliquely, the issues of personality changes that would likely accompany being a hyper-genius. It may not make you a jackass, but it’s quite likely to change the way you perceive the world around you; everyone you meet is suddenly a nincompoop. Not to mention that the post-Reed Richards period is probably going to be a bigger letdown that the post-Wolverine one. What’s really going to suck is that after 5 years no matter how much knowledge you’ve crammed into your head you’ll think YOU are a nincompoop. Still I’ll go with the evil genius. I’m in decent health and from a long lived family so 5 years isn’t likely to make that much of a difference. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/14 "2012-06-26T18:15:57Z")
Fast healing. My intellect is fine, especially if it weren’t worn out by almost half a century of abuse. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/15 "2012-06-26T18:22:56Z")
Smarts so figure out a way to make myself and my family financially comfortable once it wears off. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/16 "2012-06-26T18:32:43Z")
The health option. I can not see where super intelligence would really improve my life all that much, unless I could use it to whack the current crop of politicians and economists with a clue by four and have it stick. If I have the health option, I could get a few surgical options dealt with and not have to worry about recovery and physio, and with the knee replacement, dual hip and dual sacrum inpingement repairs, and the flaying and scraping out of the calcium crystals in my feet if healed perfectly would let me actually exercise again. Combined with the rapid muscle repair I might be able to actually exercise enough to drop my body back to diet and exercise control instead of insulin and perhaps my body would self heal whatever is giving me the damned pyrophosphate arthropathy that presents one of the main barriers to me walking much of the time. If nothing beneficial happens and everything comes back, at least I would have the majority of 5 years of health. That would let mrAru and I take a sailboat around the world and do some quality sightseeing before having to move into something less stressful on my body. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/17 "2012-06-26T18:44:25Z")
Fast healing, so I can beat up nerds who try to invent fast healing chambers. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/18 "2012-06-26T18:56:16Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Not to mention that the post-Reed Richards period is probably going to be a bigger letdown that the post-Wolverine one. Yes. I pick fast healing, because if I pick superintelligence after those 5 years are up I’d probably feel suicidal. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/19 "2012-06-26T19:31:09Z")
Fast healing. Good health is the most important thing. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360/20 "2012-06-26T19:57:49Z")
I choose intelligence. It has better applications to future earnings. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-fast-healing-powers-or-a-hyper-genius-intellect/626360.md?page=2)