[amy_seqmedia]

Why must an engineer not be socially inclined? Must curiosity and social aptitude be mutually exclusive?

My experience with developer-type leaders and sales-type leaders really breaks down to this: the developer builds a solid foundation and finds the product-market fit for it, the sales-oriented person projects the future they want others to believe in. One is slightly more logic-based, the other emotional. Some people can do both. That's rare.

[freework]

I've found that theres a certain "turning off your brain" that has to occur to be socially successful. Most technically inclined people have a habit of using their brains a lot. Not that it's totally impossible, but it's hard. I'm a socially awkward technology person. When the moon is aligned properly, I can function fairly normally in social situations, but most of time I over-think too much and come off as weird.

[jessedhillon]

"Turning off your brain" is a very condescending way to refer to people with skills you don't possess or understand.

(To borrow terminology from "Thinking, Fast and Slow"):

In my experience, more socially-inclined people are able to rely easily on System 1 -- whereas the more awkward ("engineer" types) attempt to engage System 2 continually, and thus the experience of talking with them often feels effortful and lacking in "flow."

EDIT: A quick primer, from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow#Two_sys...)

"In the book's first section, Kahneman describes the two different ways the brain forms thoughts:

System 1: Fast, automatic, frequent, emotional, stereotypic, subconscious

System 2: Slow, effortful, infrequent, logical, calculating, conscious"

[temac]

> Fast, automatic, frequent, emotional, stereotypic, subconscious

"Turning off your brain" sounds like a good summary of that. I don't think one need a particular "skill" to act stereotypically, subconsciously, emotionaly, automatically, at least... If one is inhibited and thinking too much, just give it some wine.

[obstacle1]

Without explaining what "System 1" and "System 2" are, this is a pretty useless reply.

[jessedhillon]

I'd consider it a pretty safe bet that most people who frequent HN are at least superficially familiar with the material. This is from the first result for a relevant Google query:

In the book's first section, Kahneman describes the two different ways the brain forms thoughts:

System 1: Fast, automatic, frequent, emotional, stereotypic, subconscious

System 2: Slow, effortful, infrequent, logical, calculating, conscious

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow#Two_sys...