Giftedness is more than good grades. It’s a brain wired for rapid signal flow between the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus — producing fast thought, big memory, and constant “aha” moments.
But the experience isn’t all brilliance. It’s confusion, alienation, neglect, risk of psychosis, and real physical cost. In this episode of Strange Life, I explore:
Why gifted brains develop the way they do
The psychological toll: confusion, alienation, neglect, madness
The physical toll: stress, exhaustion, even immune dysfunction
And why recognition and support matter so much
📖 Further Reading & References:
Hebbian Learning — https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/hebbian-learning
Science: “Memory—A Century of Consolidation” — https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.287.5451.248
Psychology Today on memory — https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/memory
NIMH on ADHD — https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd
VA on Complex PTSD — https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/types/complex_ptsd.asp
Frontiers in Psychiatry: giftedness and psychosis risk — https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.662558/full
Britannica on Stephen Hawking — https://www.britannica.com/biography/Stephen-Hawking
Hank Green on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usQ0rSe-C9Q
SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted) — https://www.sengifted.org/
