Some of history’s most notable individuals, including Prof. Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, and Leonardo da Vinci, have dyslexia. Entrepreneurs with billion-dollar businesses like Steve Jobs and Richard Branson have also struggled with developmental dyslexia. Researchers have now revealed that persons with learning disabilities actually possess unique abilities that have helped our species thrive.
People with dyslexia are stronger at problem-solving
According to University of Cambridge investigators, these people are stronger at problem-solving and overcoming obstacles, to the point where they may hold the secret to combating climate change. People with typical learning impairments specialize in discovering new information, which will be crucial as space exploration picks up in the ensuing decades.
The lead author, Dr. Helen Taylor, claims in a university press release that the deficit-centered perspective of dyslexia isn’t presenting the complete story. This study suggests a fresh framework to assist in understanding the cognitive advantages of dyslexics.
Around one in five adults in the US may have dyslexia, according to estimates. It primarily results in issues with reading, spelling, and writing. Irrespective of their spelling skills, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and John F. Kennedy all made a lasting impression on the globe as presidents of the United States.
Taylor added, “We believe that the areas of difficulty experienced by people with dyslexia result from a cognitive trade-off between exploration of new information and exploitation of existing knowledge, with the upside being an explorative bias that could explain enhanced abilities observed in certain realms like discovery, invention and creativity.”
Humans have evolved to excel in complementary approaches
The study is grounded on an evolutionary hypothesis known as complimentary cognition, which contends that humans have evolved to excel in several but comparable methods of information processing. By fusing these skills, we can act in ways that are more creative than the total of our individual parts.
Fundamentally, it shows how far people are willing to take advantage of the unknowable. The phenomenon stems from an established trade-off between the pursuit of new knowledge and the use of what is already known.
