Episode 13
13 - Are Brilliant People More Likely Trans?
Published on: 5th March, 2021
Gifted and exceptional children seem more inclined to gender nonconformity and they represent a significant proportion of the ROGD teens discussed in Dr. Littman’s research. Sasha and Stella explore why there may be a link between brilliance and transgender identity.
Links:
- “Overexcitability and the Gifted”, by Sharon Lind
- “Where Overexcitability and Gender Dysphoria Meet,” by Jessie Mannisto
- “Gender Identity and Overexcitability Profiles of Gifted College Students” Researchgate (2009)
- “Gender Dysphoria and Gifted Children,” by Lisa Marchiano
- Dr. Lisa Littman
- Living with Intensity: Understanding the Sensitivity, Excitability, and the Emotional Development of Gifted Children, Adolescents, and Adults, Edited by Susan Daniels and Michael M. Piechowski
- Carol Dweck & Mindset
- The Social Dilemma Film
- Cotton Wool Kids: What's Making Irish Parents Paranoid?, by Stella O'Malley
Extended Notes
- How do the Irish reward/acknowledge/talk about “exceptional learners” and gifted individuals?
- Educated American parents want to know how gifted their children really are.
- Children who are exceptionally gifted will be placed in a different learning program to help them accelerate.
- Kids can get set up with the expectation that they’re going to be exceptional all the time, and that leads to a lot of disappointment in life.
- Why are gender dysphoria and “giftedness” linked?
- How do you define a “gifted” person?
- Sasha believes a lot of gifted people really struggle with depression in their teenage years as they see all their peers having fun and they “just can’t relate.”
- It’s very lonely being intelligent.
- Intense kids crave really deep relationships and are dissatisfied by superficial relationships that are very common during the teenage years.
- Stella has noticed that a lot of teens aren’t “that into” music anymore. It used to be a huge part of her identity when she was growing up.
- If you have a growth mindset, you’re able to handle failure much easily.
- Everyone in life is “in a process.” Nobody starts out great.
- Do you have a fear of failure? It's a very common experience!
- Companies are savvy and they want you to get excited, emotionally, so that there’s more engagement on their platforms.
- It’s common for teenagers to have a big sense of imaginability, but these can really go “off the rails,” so to speak, with brilliantly gifted kids.
- What’s concerning is children taking on more video games instead of going outside and being physical to expend all that energy. It impacts your health and your brain.
- Life is safer for our children today than ever before, but at what cost?
- If you’re not pushing your body beyond its limits, what’s next? You’re pushing your brain and you’ll seek more and more dangerous behavior online.
- In gifted education, there is a desire to discover new ideas and gender identity is so cutting edge.
This podcast is partially sponsored by ReIME, Rethink Identity Medicine Ethics:
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