# Who has low latent inhibition?



## colysan

"Latent inhibition" is the "filter" which filters information before it reaches consciousness.
Having a very low filter means that a lot of information has to be processed consciously.

"The border between genius and crazy", as it is often labelled when having low latent inhibition.


This tendency [Latent inhibition] to disregard or even inhibit formation of memory, by preventing associative learning of observed stimuli, is an unconscious response and is assumed *to prevent sensory overload and cognitive overload*. Latent inhibition is observed in many species, and is believed to be an integral part of learning, enabling an organism to interact successfully in an environment (e.g., social).​
*Low latent inhibition*

Most people are able to ignore the constant stream of incoming stimuli, but this capability is reduced in those with low latent inhibition. Low latent inhibition seems to cause one person to be more distractible than another. It is hypothesized that a low level of latent inhibition can cause either psychosis or a high level of creative achievement or both, which is usually dependent on the individual's intelligence.
Those of above average intelligence are thought to be capable of processing this stream effectively, enabling their creativity. Those with less than average intelligence, on the other hand, are less able to cope, and so as a result are more likely to suffer from mental illness and sensory overload.​
Sometimes I'm just plain sick of it..."cognitive overload" pretty much hits the nail.
I kinda dislike having to keep a close watch at my sleep schedule and quality, spend up to several hours on some days creating ways of coping and struggling with not getting lost somewhere in my memories and imagination.



*Does anyone here have a low, or very low, latent inhibition? Which coping strategies do you use?*


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## devoid

It reminds me a lot of River Tam from Firefly. She was missing that entire section of her brain though...

I always kind of related to the feeling she described. Sometimes I feel like information is constantly going through me from every side, and I can rarely shut it off. I've heard this could just be an INTP quality. It definitely disturbs my sleep, and quite often makes me feel completely paranoid and insane. I think if I had a better self esteem it wouldn't drive me so nuts, since when left alone I tend to go on huge rants in my own head about what a terrible person I am. I've been called "sensitive" a lot, though I don't really feel like it. I feel like I'm constantly having to learn new coping mechanisms to handle the things I've been exposed to, and my own thoughts.

I have no idea if this is what you're talking about... did it make any sense?


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## colysan

hziegel said:


> It reminds me a lot of River Tam from Firefly. She was missing that entire section of her brain though...
> 
> I always kind of related to the feeling she described. Sometimes I feel like information is constantly going through me from every side, and I can rarely shut it off. I've heard this could just be an INTP quality. It definitely disturbs my sleep, and quite often makes me feel completely paranoid and insane. I think if I had a better self esteem it wouldn't drive me so nuts, since when left alone I tend to go on huge rants in my own head about what a terrible person I am. I've been called "sensitive" a lot, though I don't really feel like it. I feel like I'm constantly having to learn new coping mechanisms to handle the things I've been exposed to, and my own thoughts.
> 
> I have no idea if this is what you're talking about... did it make any sense?


Yeah I love River for exactly the same reason, good comparison ! 

The sleep problem. If it isn't absolutely silent in the room I'm in (an opened window is enough) I have a very hard time falling asleep, because all these noises enter my consciousness. I found that music helps a lot (and not giving the body too much sleep).

I also found the link to self esteem to be critical. It's not about self esteem in general, but when I am in a period of time where I feel like having low self esteem, the thoughts I focus on tend to become more negative. Hence it becomes a vicious circle, amplifying my bad mood even more.

It's a quite weird phenomenon:
When I drink alcohol this barrier seems to lower itself even more. So instead of becoming cheerful or tranquil I tend to fall into thinking loops.

I can very much relate to the coping mechanisms. In order to be able to process incoming thoughts more quickly and not have them fill up my whole mind I develop coping mechanisms on a daily basis.

Luckily I am able to handle it most of the times. But when I deprive myself of too much sleep it becomes dangerous.
Instead of becoming tired and the thinking slowing down, my mind starts firing huge amounts of random thoughts which quickly overwhelm me. It's like a whole cloud of clutter which I am standing somewhere in between.


But I don't think it has anything to do with CFs, really...


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## devoid

colysan said:


> Yeah I love River for exactly the same reason, good comparison !
> 
> The sleep problem. If it isn't absolutely silent in the room I'm in (an opened window is enough) I have a very hard time falling asleep, because all these noises enter my consciousness. I found that music helps a lot (and not giving the body too much sleep).
> 
> I also found the link to self esteem to be critical. It's not about self esteem in general, but when I am in a period of time where I feel like having low self esteem, the thoughts I focus on tend to become more negative. Hence it becomes a vicious circle, amplifying my bad mood even more.
> 
> It's a quite weird phenomenon:
> When I drink alcohol this barrier seems to lower itself even more. So instead of becoming cheerful or tranquil I tend to fall into thinking loops.
> 
> I can very much relate to the coping mechanisms. In order to be able to process incoming thoughts more quickly and not have them fill up my whole mind I develop coping mechanisms on a daily basis.
> 
> Luckily I am able to handle it most of the times. But when I deprive myself of too much sleep it becomes dangerous.
> Instead of becoming tired and the thinking slowing down, my mind starts firing huge amounts of random thoughts which quickly overwhelm me. It's like a whole cloud of clutter which I am standing somewhere in between.
> 
> 
> But I don't think it has anything to do with CFs, really...


Wow, I get the same thing when I drink. Even when I'm tripping over myself, I don't feel much better. I actually have a *heightened* awareness when I drink because slightly less information enters at once. And I have the exact same problem with not being able to sleep unless it's totally silent and dark. I used to keep myself awake all night for weeks on end because I couldn't stop my mind from running. I had no idea there was a term for this though. Do you think it's possible I have this?


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## vel

colysan said:


> *Low latent inhibition*
> 
> Most people are able to ignore the constant stream of incoming stimuli, but this capability is reduced in those with low latent inhibition. Low latent inhibition seems to cause one person to be more distractible than another. It is hypothesized that a low level of latent inhibition can cause either psychosis or a high level of creative achievement or both, which is usually dependent on the individual's intelligence.
> Those of above average intelligence are thought to be capable of processing this stream effectively, enabling their creativity. Those with less than average intelligence, on the other hand, are less able to cope, and so as a result are more likely to suffer from mental illness and sensory overload.


how does this differ from ADHD?


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## devoid

vel said:


> how does this differ from ADHD?


People with ADHD don't take in more information than most, but have a harder time controlling which information they focus on. The difference is between being easily distracted, and being unable to control the amount of information you intake. I've often thought I had ADHD because of my problems paying attention to things and memory problems, but I realized that I actually remember *too much* information, instead of just the wrong thing. Also, I am very capable of focusing on a single thing; the problem is that I still remember all of the other things going on around me as well. So when I think of a memory, I think of the sounds, sights, smells, tastes, textures... I can still remember what I need to, but it takes a long time for me to process through ALL of the other information before I can get to what I need. This actually leads to a stellar long-term memory, but a very poor short-term memory, because of the amount of time it takes for me to process the incoming information.

For instance, if you ask an ADHD person to repeat what you just said, they might have difficulty because they were paying attention to what you were saying. They will instead remember something they saw out the window.

If you ask me to repeat what you just said, I will spend about five minutes going through everything associated with that (the birds out the window, the color of the grass, the small hum of the heater, the smell of new paint, how many lines are on the paper) until I come to the specific words that you said. Sometimes if I have trouble processing the information that fast (for instance, if I'm low on sleep or haven't eaten much, or anything else that would slow down my brain function that day) I might become confused and not be able to focus on the specific words through all of the other information, because I simply can't sift through it fast enough.


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## colysan

hziegel said:


> People with ADHD don't take in more information than most, but have a harder time controlling which information they focus on. The difference is between being easily distracted, and being unable to control the amount of information you intake. I've often thought I had ADHD because of my problems paying attention to things and memory problems, but I realized that I actually remember *too much* information, instead of just the wrong thing. Also, I am very capable of focusing on a single thing; the problem is that I still remember all of the other things going on around me as well. So when I think of a memory, I think of the sounds, sights, smells, tastes, textures... I can still remember what I need to, but it takes a long time for me to process through ALL of the other information before I can get to what I need. This actually leads to a stellar long-term memory, but a very poor short-term memory, because of the amount of time it takes for me to process the incoming information.
> 
> For instance, if you ask an ADHD person to repeat what you just said, they might have difficulty because they were paying attention to what you were saying. They will instead remember something they saw out the window.
> 
> If you ask me to repeat what you just said, I will spend about five minutes going through everything associated with that (the birds out the window, the color of the grass, the small hum of the heater, the smell of new paint, how many lines are on the paper) until I come to the specific words that you said. Sometimes if I have trouble processing the information that fast (for instance, if I'm low on sleep or haven't eaten much, or anything else that would slow down my brain function that day) I might become confused and not be able to focus on the specific words through all of the other information, because I simply can't sift through it fast enough.


Yup similar situation here...
I try to avoid anything that slows down my brain functioning - in contrast to most people I know irl.
The sleepier / the more tired I get the harder it becomes to process all the information.

Sometimes it's actually fun, when my mind is really exhausted it starts queuing up incoming information to be processed.
I then take something which is said in a conversation between multiple persons in and it starts getting processed.
When something of more importance comes in it is handled first, but when enough capacity is free I go back to that queue.
The things which have been said can even be *hours* in the past already.
The whole conversation gets lined up for processing when I don't consciously dismiss the information as unnecessary.


The problem is, as already mentioned indirectly, this is not only about information *which comes from the outside*, but also from the inside.
Whenever I activate a memory, lots of other areas of memory and associations are activated.
Normally, the latent-inhibition-filter would filter out most information before it reaches consciousness and hence preventing activation of more memory areas.
If it's that low, more and more memories are activated until an conscious effort is done to stop the process.

If I want, I can lay down on my bed and relive a day of my life in great and vivid detail in real time. I can tell you what the prizes of the coffee shop I was in _months ago_ were. What clothes the people were wearing I was with. Retell the *whole* conversation we were having.
But once activated, memory areas stay active until going to sleep, because the information is recalled into the working memory.

I once did this past wandering for about 20 hours, the penalty was over 48 hours of sleep afterwards.


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## sprinkles

Sounds like me to an extent.


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## Emerson

If more than one person talks around me I cannot phase out what they're saying as in I'll listen to both conversations simultaneously and not be able to listen to either as a result. Any noise like music or such means that I cannot listen or pay attention to anything else. I cope with it by only having music very quiet as a background unless I don't want to talk to people (which is often) also when I'm thinking about something that I'm really getting into it can feel like I'm running a race in my head, like I can feel my brain forming an idea particularly if its an idea that's going to solve an issue. As a result of this unless I am really involved with something my attention span particularly with other people is very low, like I can't concentrate on most things for a very long period of time unless its something that I'm really drawn into like a book or something.

I'd be interested to wonder which MBTI types are most likely to have this sort of issue? I'm going to wager its those who N types?


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## emerson_live_free

Hi Everyone,i am new to this community. Oh my God i have low latent inhibition. I knew it, but now thanks for you all i am sure i have it. Yes i am frustrated with this condition, i am depressed, destroy my comfort and yes I am genius in particular ways. Do u all know food or activities can reduce this condition???Thanks a lot


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## dizzygirl

colysan said:


> "Latent inhibition" is the "filter" which filters information before it reaches consciousness.
> Having a very low filter means that a lot of information has to be processed consciously.
> 
> "The border between genius and crazy", as it is often labelled when having low latent inhibition.
> 
> 
> This tendency [Latent inhibition] to disregard or even inhibit formation of memory, by preventing associative learning of observed stimuli, is an unconscious response and is assumed *to prevent sensory overload and cognitive overload*. Latent inhibition is observed in many species, and is believed to be an integral part of learning, enabling an organism to interact successfully in an environment (e.g., social).​
> *Low latent inhibition*
> 
> Most people are able to ignore the constant stream of incoming stimuli, but this capability is reduced in those with low latent inhibition. Low latent inhibition seems to cause one person to be more distractible than another. It is hypothesized that a low level of latent inhibition can cause either psychosis or a high level of creative achievement or both, which is usually dependent on the individual's intelligence.
> Those of above average intelligence are thought to be capable of processing this stream effectively, enabling their creativity. Those with less than average intelligence, on the other hand, are less able to cope, and so as a result are more likely to suffer from mental illness and sensory overload.​
> Sometimes I'm just plain sick of it..."cognitive overload" pretty much hits the nail.
> I kinda dislike having to keep a close watch at my sleep schedule and quality, spend up to several hours on some days creating ways of coping and struggling with not getting lost somewhere in my memories and imagination.
> 
> 
> 
> *Does anyone here have a low, or very low, latent inhibition? Which coping strategies do you use?*


I didn't know there was something like this!!! :shocked: 
I just thought i have a bad memory. Since like the last 3 years, there's like compartments in my brain and information gets processed by themselves...all that i can't handle(bad memory, unwanted details) go somewhere...im not really sure this is a good thing though :sad:


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## Kelly617

Yeah, I don't know if it's just an NP thing, but I experience a lot of what's been said here too. Distractions are actually DANGEROUS for me sometimes. XD If I'm not absolutely, 100% interested in what's going on, I can't focus worth a damn. It gets really bad when I'm having a conversation with someone, and they're telling me something, and I SO BADLY want to process what they're saying and formulate an appropriate response, but by the time the words hit my ears and I register that they're saying something, I've already forgotten what it was, probably because I'm so busy trying so hard to push aside the other thousands of things running through my mind to make room for what's happening in that very moment.

As for coping...I don't really do anything differently, I just warn people that if I ask them to repeat themselves, it's not because I wasn't listening the first time, it's just that my brain just doesn't process things properly sometimes. Folks are usually pretty understanding. XD 

What really annoys me about it is that most people who don't know me very well, or are just meeting me for the first time assume I'm just stupid, ditzy or flighty, which is entirely untrue. Makes for bad first impressions.


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## Sapphyreopal5

I would say those with NP personality types are much more prone to this, due to having the Ne being dominant or auxiliary (creativity, seeing the big picture, etc.) and Si being tertiary or inferior (attention to detail, relating sensory experiences with previous ones, etc.) functions. That's just me though. I saw Prison Break and became curious about LLI (of course, LLI is not presented quite correctly). After I did some research on it (not that there's much on it but still) and based on what other people have said, it is quite possible I too have this.
I'm guessing a lot more people have LLI than people think but it just goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Apparently people with LLI can easily be diagnosed with disorders, such as with ADHD, ADD, Autism and Asperger's, depression, anxiety, etc. In reality they just might have this brain "dysfunction" that isn't necessarily a good thing or a bad thing (this varies with person to person.). There are drugs (if this is considered an option) out there to help with this if it is too much.


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## devoid

If there's a standard amount of latent inhibition that a person has, then you've got to imagine that most people are either above or below that line. That means a good 30-50% of the population likely has "low latent inhibition" in the most basic sense of the term. Having too little latent inhibition to function normally is more a matter of the ratio between your IQ and your amount of latent inhibition (if you've read the original study conducted by Harvard, you will understand the correlation). So saying that "more people have LLI than are diagnosed" is silly. Some people have incredibly low latent inhibition to almost none and manage to function perfectly in the human world because their high IQ (or specifically their brain's ability to quickly process large amounts of information) prevents them from getting information overload. Meanwhile people with LLI and low IQ end up being schizophrenic.


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## LadyO.W.BernieBro

l've thought that l probably do. 

Mmm...it can be a sign of high intelligence and also mental illness in some cases but l wouldn't equate it with the border between genius and insanity so quickly. l really think it is just a neurological trait that can be partially genetic. In my family there is severe mental illness.

Maybe more common among intuitives? l don't know, l think l actually wouldn't even go that far. In my case it's really just environmental sensitivity, a sensor could easily have this too and maybe even more so. 

l drink 3-4 cups of coffee daily and have been caffeinated since probably 1997, without it l really have a dangerously low filter. l used to get overloaded and have trouble doing simple things in public. l would just freeze up. And forget me driving a car in my unaltered state.

But l do use caffeine to regulate this, it sort of works the way other stimulants would for blocking out external stimuli in the case of ADHD and other disorders. Not quite as well but l was nearly an automaton when on Ritalin, anyway.


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## LadyO.W.BernieBro

devoid said:


> If there's a standard amount of latent inhibition that a person has, then you've got to imagine that most people are either above or below that line. That means a good 30-50% of the population likely has "low latent inhibition" in the most basic sense of the term. Having too little latent inhibition to function normally is more a matter of the ratio between your IQ and your amount of latent inhibition (if you've read the original study conducted by Harvard, you will understand the correlation). So saying that "more people have LLI than are diagnosed" is silly. Some people have incredibly low latent inhibition to almost none and manage to function perfectly in the human world because their high IQ (or specifically their brain's ability to quickly process large amounts of information) prevents them from getting information overload. Meanwhile people with LLI and low IQ end up being schizophrenic.


This, high IQ actually softens the effects and contributes to creativity or other forms of higher thought. You can have the exact same trait with low intelligence and a total breakdown in processing is usually the result.


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## BeauGarcon

/edit


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## Sapphyreopal5

May be there is more people with LLI, may be there isn't more but I wouldn't say the possibility is silly and therefore dismiss it. While you do have a good point about there being a standard for how much latent inhibition people have (or don't have), I was not talking about people with simply lower than average latent inhibition. When I say LLI, I'm talking about people who would actually clinically qualify for being diagnosed as having LLI. Since not too much is well known about this subject (not to mention there are people in the psychology field who may not know much about it or at all), I tend to think there may be more people with LLI than is thought. I mean there's people with a high IQ and LLI, just as there those with a low IQ and LLI and even those with LLI and an average IQ, so I wouldn't really say LLI is the border between genius and insanity. There are also those with LLI, low IQ, yet are also intelligent like those who may have Savant Syndrome (this goes without saying all people with Savant Syndrome have a low IQ but a lot of them do).

The problem with the study I find to be is that they used Harvard undergraduates in their study (enough said on the Harvard undergraduates part if you ask me). I certainly think that this study was well done as far as actually testing for LLI and the participants' IQ and all that, I would've liked to see them step outside of Harvard where you're more likely to find those with average intelligence and LLI.


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## devoid

Sapphyreopal5 said:


> May be there is more people with LLI, may be there isn't more but I wouldn't say the possibility is silly and therefore dismiss it. While you do have a good point about there being a standard for how much latent inhibition people have (or don't have), I was not talking about people with simply lower than average latent inhibition. When I say LLI, I'm talking about people who would actually clinically qualify for being diagnosed as having LLI. Since not too much is well known about this subject (not to mention there are people in the psychology field who may not know much about it or at all), I tend to think there may be more people with LLI than is thought. I mean there's people with a high IQ and LLI, just as there those with a low IQ and LLI and even those with LLI and an average IQ, so I wouldn't really say LLI is the border between genius and insanity. There are also those with LLI, low IQ, yet are also intelligent like those who may have Savant Syndrome (this goes without saying all people with Savant Syndrome have a low IQ but a lot of them do).
> 
> The problem with the study I find to be is that they used Harvard undergraduates in their study (enough said on the Harvard undergraduates part if you ask me). I certainly think that this study was well done as far as actually testing for LLI and the participants' IQ and all that, I would've liked to see them step outside of Harvard where you're more likely to find those with average intelligence and LLI.


There is no clinical definition for LLI because it's not a clinical term. Like it or not, Harvard *started *the research into low latent inhibition, and there haven't been any actual studies on it since, only theories written by psych students. Doctors can prove that your brain produces low amounts of latent inhibition, but there is no medical precedent for what to call it or what to do about it. There's no anti-low-lantent-inhibition pill, no standard treatment recommendation, and the best you would likely be able to get is either anti-anxiety pills, SSRI's or in severe cases schizophrenic medication. Seeing as you cannot get an official diagnosis for something which is not in the medical books or even recognized by the medical community, you would have to label it as either schizophrenia or an anxiety disorder. Even if you spent several thousand dollars getting an MRI scan of your brain, it wouldn't really help the doctors treat you any more effectively.


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## LadyO.W.BernieBro

Sapphyreopal5 said:


> I would say those with NP personality types are much more prone to this, due to having the Ne being dominant or auxiliary (creativity, seeing the big picture, etc.) and Si being tertiary or inferior (attention to detail, relating sensory experiences with previous ones, etc.) functions. That's just me though. I saw Prison Break and became curious about LLI (of course, LLI is not presented quite correctly). After I did some research on it (not that there's much on it but still) and based on what other people have said, it is quite possible I too have this.
> I'm guessing a lot more people have LLI than people think but it just goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Apparently people with LLI can easily be diagnosed with disorders, such as with ADHD, ADD, Autism and Asperger's, depression, anxiety, etc. In reality they just might have this brain "dysfunction" that isn't necessarily a good thing or a bad thing (this varies with person to person.). There are drugs (if this is considered an option) out there to help with this if it is too much.


l will agree that ADHD is over/misdiagnosed but in the case of Asperger's they will not diagnose you based on LLI alone, in fact some people with As are considerd to have an extremely narrow focus and block out all extraneous stimuli, whether or not that may be the result of actually having LLI(womp womp) is a possibility but it any case it presents differently.

l also don't see the others as being misdiagnosis. If a person with LLI is depressed or anxious, they still have depression and/or anxiety. l'm not depressed and l actually was diagnosed with GAD, l don't feel anxious. l do think my general weirdness leads to the appearance of anxiety and that is most likely due to LLI.

But l see no reason to be "diagnosed" with this. If anything it is a useful step in learning more about the development of actual mental illness and developmental disorders.


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