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by alexpotato 796 days ago
Many years ago I read an article (which I can't seem to find) that had the following key points:

- Very smart guy

- Had some kind of blood circulatory issue so reduced oxygen to the brain

- BUT was a very active cyclist so has very good cardio

- due to both of the above, he was getting enough O2 to be functional but effectively had a lower IQ

- circulatory issue was eventually identified and then corrected

His comments (paraphrased):

"Being less smart was kind of a blessing. Instead of getting frustrated when things weren't working when there were obvious solutions, my attitude changed to just accepting things.

As soon as my circulatory issues where resolved, I went right back to being frustrated."

5 comments

Huh, interesting. Kind of a real-life Flowers for Algernon scenario.
I believe it was a hn or reddit post, I remember it also.
Me too. I think it was on HN.
I remember that too - I think it was an HN comment, iirc he also had more empathy for less capable people as a result of having temporarily been less capable himself.
This resonates deeply with me on major hangover days... somehow life is just more basic and I find more enjoyment in nothing more than the basics.
There was a House MD episode about something similar. https://youtu.be/tLMzEOoSjc4?si=j08sc6pptBqWinbq