High Cognitive Minds

When cartoonist Scott Adams lost his voice to a condition called Spasmodic Dysphonia, he was told that it wasn't reversible-no improvement was to be expected, and no cure. Botox injections can help a bit but their effect is temporary and is somewhat harmful in itself. There were conditions under which Adams could speak, oddly enough, but everyday communication was impossible.

Unlike the majority of people who accept a medical prognosis, Adams decided to see what he could do for himself. "My theory was that the part of my brain responsible for normal speech was still intact, but for some reason had become disconnected from the neural pathways to my vocal cords. (That’s consistent with any expert’s best guess of what’s happening with Spasmodic Dysphonia. It’s somewhat mysterious.) And so I reasoned that there was some way to remap that connection. All I needed to do was find the type of speaking or context most similar – but still different enough – from normal speech that still worked. Once I could speak in that slightly different context, I would continue to close the gap between the different-context speech and normal speech until my neural pathways remapped."

He experimented with voice therapy exercises, affirmations, changing pitch, and a host of other methods. Even when he found the method that finally worked, he had to repeat it when his voice slipped away. "During the worst of my voice problems, I would know in advance that I couldn’t get a word out. It was if I could feel the lack of connection between my brain and my vocal cords. But suddenly, yesterday, I felt the connection again. It wasn’t just being able to speak, it was KNOWING how. The knowing returned."

What's most interesting is that he went about doing something he was told couldn't be done, and doing it in a way that most people apparently aren't capable of. He used close analysis of his situation, the possibilities of other forms of speech, intense self-awareness as he worked, and a good dose of lateral thinking. I've often wondered why people turn to advice columnists or support forums for help with problems that seem to require little more than some analysis and thought. And I've been in situations where the solution I've offered for someone's problem seems to them like a kind of miracle. But the problem and its solution were both simple, almost obvious. If people can't solve uncomplicated everyday problems for themselves, it's no wonder that they have a blind dependence on experts, like doctors, for the really hard ones. They not only can't find their own answers, the possibility that they might be able to do it on their own doesn't seem to occur to them.

Who taught Adams to think the way he did, to try something even in the face of expert opinion? Probably no one. I can't help thinking that this is one of the unsung benefits of superior IQ, that it bestows the ability to question what we're told, and to think through a problem to its eventual solution.

You'll find Adams's complete blog entry at Dilbertblog
http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2006/10/good_news_day.html