Being intellectual is not a matter of knowing everything – but an eagerness to question, learn, and understand more – says Eve Ho, 15, from Mayfield School in Sussex.
In order to survive adolescence, parental dependency needs to be minimised, so it makes sense that teenagers want to know everything.
The desire to be taken seriously though can translate as teenagers overestimating their knowledge and therefore stopping their personal growth.In a series of studies done by independent news platform, The Conversation from 2023, more than 1,000 student participants were asked to imagine that they had failed a class and – critically – what they would do next.
Many answered in a helpless manner, such as “avoid this subject in the future”, while others had a more mastery-oriented response along the lines of “study harder next time”.
Statistics show that the more intellectually humble the students were, the more they were likely to try to learn harder materials, proving that the more open you are about recognising your mistakes, the more willing (and likely) you are to improve.
While there is no direct correlation between reading and increased intelligence, most understand that for their minds to work better, more intake of information and experience increases the number of things we know and understand.
Reading exposes people to innovative ideas and different perspectives, which helps us to build a broader world view, arguably a core trait of intellectual people.
However, no matter the extra curricular activities or hobbies we can take on, a correct mindset is needed in order to expand our knowledge. Keeping an open mind, the view that you may not be right all the time, and that there is always room for improvement, is crucial for growth. We also need to accept that there might always be someone out there who is better at certain things, but that this should not stop us from trying.
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