Welcome to Life Noggin.

Have you ever had some incredible ideas and wondered if you were a genius?

Maybe you came up with an invention that could change the world.

Maybe you're really good at chess.

Maybe you've scored really well on an IQ test.

But how can you know if you have a genius brain or a normal one?

What makes someone a genius is actually hotly debated.

There's no set definition, but there are two commonly used methods to determine whether

or not someone is a genius.

The first relies on IQ.

It's often thought that anyone with an IQ over 140 is a genius, but the scientific community

doesn't exactly agree.

With so many tests out there, a score of 140 on one test doesn't necessarily mean you'd

score the same on another.

IQ scores are important though.

Mensa, the oldest and probably most well-known society for “highly intelligent individuals”

only admits people who scored in the top 2% on any of their approved IQ tests.

But the IQ approach is a bit one-size-fits-all.

The second understanding of the word genius is a bit more fluid.

It still weighs heavily on intelligence, just not quantifiable intelligence.

In this sense of the word, a genius is someone with valuable, transformative ideas in a specific

area of expertise.

They're very creative and persistent and have an unfiltered view of the world.

As opposed to Mensa's test standards, the MacArthur Foundation gives their so-called

Genius Grants to these types of people.

But how does all this come about?

Are people born geniuses or are they made?

Lucky for all of us, the answer is both.

It's not entirely clear what causes a child to be highly intelligent, or a genius, but

some early tell-tale signs include unusual memory, insatiable curiosity, and an in-depth

knowledge of a certain subject.

These kids can keep their genius abilities as they grow but most of the time, they grow

up to be regular adults with regular abilities.

One particular group of individuals who do appear to keep their gifts are people with

Savant Syndrome.

This rare condition occurs in people with serious mental disabilities and gives them

remarkable skills in areas like music, math, and art.

Genius status is also thought to develop over time, but you still need to have a solid level

of intelligence.

One key factor in making a genius is the mastery of a particular subject, which some experts

estimate could take about 10 years.

Mental endurance and creative problem-solving are also big parts of becoming a genius.

People have awoken with sudden musical, mathematical, linguistic and scientific abilities, leading

some experts to believe that these gifts lie deep within all of our brains, the parts just

need to be activated.

There's also the question of whether intelligent and creative genius-ness is linked to mental

illness.

There is a lot of debate about this and sadly, no straightforward answer.

But how does all this translate physiologically?

Well, it's been found that highly intelligent people's brains are wired and programmed

differently than normal brains.

The parts associated with higher cognition have better connectivity than an average persons.

For the highly intelligent, their anterior insulae and anterior cingulate cortices play

bigger roles in the movement of information than in less intelligent brains.

There are also differences in how the prefrontal cortices are activated in highly intelligent

people.

It sounds like their brains are just better at being brains.

Don't worry though, I have a trophy for every single one of you, and it says "Good Job On Being Alive. Hooray!"

If you could be a genius is any area, what would be it?

Let us know in the comment section below.

If you're curious about why you're so...curious, make sure to check out my good friend Vanessa

on Braincraft.

She recently made a video about why we ask questions.

Check it out.

and curiosity taps into our reward circuit in our brain. This new information can trigger the release of dopamine.

which makes you feel fantastic!

as always, my name is Blocko, this has been Life Noggin. Don't forget to keep on thinking.