Would you rather have fast-healing powers or a hyper-genius intellect?

[Taomist]

The let-down would suck, but I still couldn’t resist being actually Brainy for a while, as I’ve always been a brainy-nerd-fangirl without having anything in common with said brainiacs.

And I already have a hyperactive immune system, so…I’m fine. Even if I didn’t, I imagine the long-term benefits of using my brain fully for the next five years would outweigh using my body fully for the same time.

[Wesley_Clark]

I was going to vote the healing abilities because I figured I’d just live 100 more years until the robots are far smarter than I could ever be and would make a hyper-intelligent version of me seem like a profoundly retarded three year old on a crack binge, but since the effects only last 5 years I pick being smart.

Being smart wouldn’t make me happy, but I could figure out how to advance my healing abilities in that time period, and I could figure out how to make myself happier as well as fight global problems like poverty and disease. Plus I’d be rich by the time it was over.

If this was over a timeline of ‘the rest of your life’ or ‘100 years’ I would probably pick the healing abilities. Let other smart people fix the world.

[MrDibble]

@Skald_the_Rhymer

The downsides of the left side of the intelligence bell curve are obvious, I think.

Sure.

The downsides of the right side are likely to be social. And I’m not necessarily talking about other people not accepting or understanding the hyper-genius; the hyper-genius can likely fake being dumber than she is. But the HG is also likely to feel alienated regardless of the way other people act, because from her point of view everyone else is extremely slow. The world becomes much more frustrating. What if most conversations feel like a normal person talking to a person with mental retardation? I foresee a lot of new hyper-geniuses becoming short-tempered and unhappy because they have no one around them to interact with in a fulfilling matter (except for purely physical interactions).

But that’s how I feel around most people now Expanding the circle of my disdain is only a matter of degree!

And, as I’ve already written, the let-down at the end of the five years is going to be much worse for the ex-Brainiacs than for the ex-Wolverines.

The Brainiac has 5 years to come up with a solution for the feeling of let-down, though - I’m thinking self-hypnosis or meditation, for example. I believe it’s possible to mentally train yourself to be content with your lot. Stoic, if you will.

Or failing that, selective amnesia pills! Remember the skills, forget the provenance. For my super-brain, this should present no challenge whatsoever.

[Dr.Love]

@Skald_the_Rhymer

The downsides of the right side are likely to be social. And I’m not necessarily talking about other people not accepting or understanding the hyper-genius; the hyper-genius can likely fake being dumber than she is. But the HG is also likely to feel alienated regardless of the way other people act, because from her point of view everyone else is extremely slow. The world becomes much more frustrating. What if most conversations feel like a normal person talking to a person with mental retardation? I foresee a lot of new hyper-geniuses becoming short-tempered and unhappy because they have no one around them to interact with in a fulfilling matter (except for purely physical interactions).

I don’t know that it’ll be as much of a letdown as you think. In my experience feeling alienated due to your intelligence and actually being intelligent enough to warrant feeling alienated only happen together by coincidence.