[rzodkiew]

I believe that the independent-mindedness actually has some sort of biological underpinning. Original thought requires more energy expenditure (to push against entropy) than simply copying someone else's thinking.

So my hypothesis is that if your body is better at providing energy to the brain and not "wasting" it on other energy sinks around your body, you'll be better at independent thinking (and also intelligence, since it also boosts your ability to create models).

But that's just my totally unproven and anecdotal hypothesis, although I guess it might be worth checking out scientifically.