Like, people often use the word “talent” as in “X is very talented”. Is there a scientific explanation for being born with talent?
By talent I mean that often someone would practice 2 hours a day and be just above average, and another person could practice 20 minutes a week and is better at said activity than subject A.
In: Biology
Other than things that require physical talent which you may not be able to help due to biology/genetics, mental talent is just due to a person being able to grasps certain concepts better than others.
Everything you know how to do is a complicated intermingling of countless skills. It would make sense for some people to be born into a situation where a lot of specific skills would align into a ‘natural talent’.
Say, spending a lot of time playing video games might give you the dexterity, timing, hand-independance, and coordination skills to more easily pick up a musical instrument, for example.
I doubt that there currently is. We don’t understand the brain well enough yet.
Obviously, someone who has practiced at something far more than others may be better at it. But as you point out, some people have to put in much less practice than others to achieve far better results. There must be something that gives their brain a superior ability to pick up that skill/knowledge.
Is there a genetic factor (or factors) at play? Almost certainly. Could there also be environmental factors? Likely yes. But I don’t think that we yet know enough about how the brain actually creates and strengthens neural pathways to pinpoint those factors.
I find talent can be found in DNA. My parents are both designers and I grew up with talent for drawing.
It could also be due to intelligence, as people who have a higher IQ are able to pick up on and apply theory & application faster.
It could just be a roll of the dice.
genetics may determine if youre passionate for something however the only thing that makes you talented is practice practice and practice
I think it comes from associated skills, often people who are suddenly great at something or improve super quickly have done hundreds or thousands of hours of a similar activity, so they catch up very quick. I also think it comes from a mix of enjoyment, focus and time spent doing the activity.
The most talented sportsman I ever met loved the sport since he was a kid, and was joining u14 training 4 years before he had to. Just loved it and spent a lot of time doing it. This is AFL
When he was there he was in the zone, just completely relaxed and focussed. I think the enjoyment has to be there because that allows you to focus to the extent of blocking everything else out, and you have to be relaxed because otherwise there is background chatter in your brain that tires you out or distracts you.
The last factor I would just say is ‘Health’. Some people are just super healthy, and so they don’t get stressed easily, sleep better, have quicker reaction times, remember stuff better, and enjoy life more. Its Mental health as well as Physical health, and imho every talented person needs both. You see it in Tennis, there are plenty of physically healthy people, but not many can stay on top of the mental burden the professional tennis puts people under
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