Of course, intelligence comes in many forms. You can acquire knowledge from reading, following the stats on your favorite sports team, or even the street smarts that may be helpful in certain cultural contexts.
Fluid intelligence, meanwhile, isn’t related to culture or learning. It is defined as one’s ability to acquire information from their surroundings on a basic level — how to process it and solve novel problems. This sort of intelligence is largely associated with multitasking and working memory.
These are the kind of smarts that play out instinctively; for example, when multitasking by talking on a cellphone while walking. You need to watch what’s in front of you without tripping, while also carrying your side of a conversation.
“People differ greatly in their ability to maintain attention,” says Randall Engle, a psychologist with the Georgia Institute of Technology who has studied working memory for four decades. “The ability to manage all of that turns out to be hugely important.”
Pupils and the Brain
Most people think that pupil size simply relates to the body’s response to light. This is true, to a degree. When someone shines a flashlight into your eyes, your pupils will constrict or shrink. In the darkness, your pupils typically dilate in an effort to improve eyesight.
Such responses are driven by the parasympathetic system. It essentially keeps your basic nervous system in order and dictates basic tasks like resting, digesting, eating and reproduction, Engle says. But pupil dilation is also related to another area of unconscious nervous system function — the sympathetic nervous system. This area controls the “fight or flight” decision-making process. That’s why your pupils may dilate when you're nervous, angry or afraid — a good reason to wear sunglasses if you play poker. READ MORE
Most people think that pupil size simply relates to the body’s response to light. This is true, to a degree. When someone shines a flashlight into your eyes, your pupils will constrict or shrink. In the darkness, your pupils typically dilate in an effort to improve eyesight.
Such responses are driven by the parasympathetic system. It essentially keeps your basic nervous system in order and dictates basic tasks like resting, digesting, eating and reproduction, Engle says. But pupil dilation is also related to another area of unconscious nervous system function — the sympathetic nervous system. This area controls the “fight or flight” decision-making process. That’s why your pupils may dilate when you're nervous, angry or afraid — a good reason to wear sunglasses if you play poker. READ MORE
