Inter-sections.net : Hyperbrain Owner's Manual - 2. Accept and reject your limitations

Comment on Hyperbrain Owner's Manual - 2. Accept and reject your limitations by hyperbrain

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:38:26 +0000

are you referring to any otherwise commonly known condition such as ADHD / Hypomania / something else ? (I did notice you made one mention of attention deficit)

Comment on Hyperbrain Owner's Manual - 2. Accept and reject your limitations by daniel

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:49:42 +0000

The previous article has a good description of what I’m referring to. I don’t think ADHD or other medical/psychiatric symptoms are a good description of this, for several reasons:

First of all I don’t believe it’s a medical condition, in the sense that I don’t think it needs medication or medical attention, just coaching and advice (it doesn’t even really need that, but it can benefit from it).

Secondly, most of those conditions are usually diagnosed (or supposed to be diagnosed) when they present a serious problem or disturbance that prevents the sufferer from having anything like a normal life. For instance, if you wash your hands 10 times each time you go to the sink, and have 10 locks on your door, then you probably have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. If you feel compelled to fix typos when you’re reading a text someone sent you, you probably don’t have OCD.

Thirdly, the situation I’m describing seems to touch on pretty much each of those medical conditions (as opposed to a single one), though never in a way that is severe enough to require treatment. Everyone does, in fact, but what I’m describing is a bit more acute. In that sense, I believe it’s not a diseased brain but simply a more “hyper” brain, that’s a bit more extreme in its variety than others, if you see what I mean. Hence the (arbitrary) moniker of “hyperbrain”.

However, I am not a doctor. If you think you have a mental disorder, do go and see a doctor.

Comment on Hyperbrain Owner's Manual - 2. Accept and reject your limitations by hyperbrain

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 16:59:30 +0000

Thanks. I actually got a little curious since you did mention attention deficit (and the threads you referred to on hacker news did refer to it as well). And I was looking at other data sources for what you were describing … not having got a moniker I could use to search up more, I thought the best thing would be to just straight away ask.

Of course since I do share practically every symptom you talked about, the things that came to mind were ADHD / hypomania (I must confess OCD didnt come to mind but OCPD did). I was attempting to do a pattern match exercise here.

Thanks again. Nice article. Will certainly keep up with the future posts.

Comment on Hyperbrain Owner's Manual - 2. Accept and reject your limitations by Tom

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:43:18 +0000

Good series so far and quite applicable to my own life. Thanks and keep em coming!

Comment on Hyperbrain Owner's Manual - 2. Accept and reject your limitations by Henrik

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:21:13 +0000

While reading your two articles on ‘the hyperbrain’, I constantly had the lyrics for a Henry Rollins’ song playing in the back of my head:

“I’ll tell you things that you already know, so you can say ‘I really identify with you, so much!’”

Like many of the comments on HackerNews, I was really sceptical when reading it. First instinct was that this is some kind of ego-baiting. After going through it, though, I must say that somehow a lot of it resonated with me. And I do feel (possibly imagination or wishful thinking) that I recognize the symptoms in myself.

Thanks for posting this. I look forward to reading the next installments!

Comment on Hyperbrain Owner's Manual - 2. Accept and reject your limitations by Pau

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:38:27 +0000

Daniel, I’ve just read the two posts (the first and this one), and I feel like my consciousness is talking to me, unbelievable. Both posts are very good, and I mean this in a totally subjective way, because I feel they are like a gift (I’m not alone!!). Thanks a lot, really. The advice was very welcome, it is important to read what you ‘kinda’ know already, but well written and clear, and from somebody that really knows you… ;)

Looking forward to the next, let’s see if I can shake off the “programmer’s block” once and for all (hey, not trying to put any pressure at all)…

Comment on Hyperbrain Owner's Manual - 2. Accept and reject your limitations by Kevin

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 01:21:38 +0000

please post the 3rd part now, I am so interested in it.

Comment on Hyperbrain Owner's Manual - 2. Accept and reject your limitations by daniel

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 01:24:31 +0000

Thanks for the interest, everyone :-)

Kevin - patience! Third part will be coming up by the end of the week.

Comment on Hyperbrain Owner's Manual - 2. Accept and reject your limitations by jmcmichael

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:05:28 +0000

Illuminating series of articles so far. I definitely fit the profile, and am looking forward to learning more about how to improve productivity.

Someone mentioned INTP on the Myers-Briggs test. I’m INTP as well. Those interested in psychological typing systems may want to check out the Enneagram, particularly Type 5.

Comment on Hyperbrain Owner's Manual - 2. Accept and reject your limitations by mars

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 03:14:51 +0000

Please continue these articles.

Comment on Hyperbrain Owner's Manual - 2. Accept and reject your limitations by asticow

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 01:25:40 +0000

Well, my boyfriend found those articles. And he said that match exactly with “what i am”. I agree, but actually i suffer of bipolar disorder… and i don’t really see the difference between an hyperbrain and a bipolar… except maybe the hyperbrain doesn’t want to kill himself when he is on a down time.

The great parts on your articles is when you explain how to deal with the bad sides of being a hyperbrain.

Hope to read you soon !

Comment on Hyperbrain Owner's Manual - 2. Accept and reject your limitations by I wonder

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:25:34 +0000

I do wonder if this hyperbrain theory is really just a way to trick lazy talented people with big egos into actually doing work, by making out that their sense of self-individualism and importance is actually warrented.

Well, that’s how I feel when I read that, because I’d like to believe I am one of these ‘hyperbrain’ people, but I’m more inclined to believe that I am just lazy but talented. I have had bursts of great ideas and experiments…but nothing groundbreaking; yet, always different to the norm.

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Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:07:39 +0000

This is the third article in my series on the hyperbrain. If you haven’t read them yet, you might want to look at parts 1 and 2 first. Subjectively, I think the greatest challenge about having a hyperbrain is distractibility. If not handled effect…

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Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:07:50 +0000

Comment on Hyperbrain Owner's Manual - 2. Accept and reject your limitations by senthil

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 08:23:46 +0000

facebook support group for hyperbrains? But the catch-22 is hyperbrains tend to or want to be wolves and hence are totally against facebook groups. Am I alone in wanting to be left alone, should we form a support group of some sort ?

Comment on Hyperbrain Owner's Manual - 2. Accept and reject your limitations by Quad

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:09:24 +0000

Curious, but have you considered Aspergers?