13 - Are Brilliant People More Likely Trans?

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:

Rethinkime.org

Learn more about our show: Linktr.ee/WiderLensPod