Hacker News Reader

I'm also INTP, and I've learned to wait a day on any important decision or problem as my subconscious percolates out better ideas as the day goes on. If I'm stumped on something, I move to a different problem, go to the bathroom, answer email. Whatever. I find that the answer comes to me, and it's often that I need to stop banging away on the same problem the same way and try a different tack, and if I don't break away from what I'm doing I keep trying the same thing the same way.

I used to smoke a lot, and needed a break every hour to go outside and smoke for 10 minutes.

At least twice a day, I'd come back in from a smoke break to find that I'd been going about the current code problem all wrong and now knew how to do it properly.

Now I don't smoke any more I find it very hard to take these breaks, as I get caught up in what I'm doing. My code has definitely suffered from giving up the smoking.

A joke comes to mind.

  Two peasants reaping crops and to pass time they play a guessing game.
  - I thought of something - says the first.
  A week passes by
  - Is it deoxyribonucleic acid?
  - Yes. But how did you know?
  - I had time to think.

Can you explain the joke for me?

I had a boss that would often take multiple minutes to answer a question. Everyone knew to say nothing and let him think. He usually gave good answers, but I was most impressed with his ability to think clearly with several people awkwardly staring at him from across his desk.

Yes! that too. I would be mentally panicking about what they thought because I wasn't saying anything and the pause was getting more and more awkward, but he didn't seem bother by it at all.

When I worked at a startup and we were on the verge of being acquired by a very large company, I remember meeting one of the reports-to-C-level executives overseeing the whole thing. He had no problem pausing for 15-30+ seconds to digest what was just told to him and would respond when he understood it and/or needed clarification. It built a huge amount of respect vs. just nodding and agreeing, even when he didn't get it, but also not asking the first question to pop into his head when a moment's thought would provide the answer.

I’m the same way as you. Very intuitive and talk too much. Tested as INTP when I was younger and have been ENTP for the last good while.

Weird how it changes over time. I still get very introvert periods where I can't stand being around other people, but now also a longing for company sometimes.

I think part of it is that I'm better at being around people now - I've learned how to avoid being socially inept (well, mostly), and I'm less anxious around people.

I'm curious if you think your boss was one of the smartest as a function of his brain working in a completely different way. In that it sounds like he had a long focus on each problem as they come in deductively reasoning through it.

INTP also has a strong ability to solve very complex problems though its through rapid fire iteration (hence the intuitive leaps).

I bet the two of your brains in combination had a good cadence for problem solving once the dynamic was figured out.

Agree - brains are super fascinating.

Yeah, we worked well together once we got used to each other.

I think the pausing to think actually conveys an impression of greater intelligence. And yes, this is counter-intuitive ;)

extremely relatable.