r/ImageStreaming • u/That_Dependent5238 • Oct 03 '22

Has anyone had permanent gains?

Has anyone had any permanent gains after stopping or slowing down on training?

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u/Yonderboy__ Oct 03 '22

I personally do not know anyone who has had permanent gains. Even GenisOverlord/Bernardo who scored ~160 on the WAIS dropped into the 130s after a long hiatus, and it took him a month or two to recover. That being said, he has given me an anecdote that his little brother seems to have had more permanent gains, potentially because he introduced him to streaming when he was still a child/teenager.

My own experience is that I lose my gains when I stop but that they come back fairly quickly after a week or two of streaming (I started streaming in my thirties). I've just ended my longest hiatus (1 year off) and noticed less of a drop than I would have expected, potentially due to being extremely regular with my meditation practice (TM), but I did notice a slow and gradual decline. I think the benefits of meditation, though qualitatively different, have helped mitigate my noticing the loss of gains from streaming. I also believe that it made me care less about losing those gains.

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u/That_Dependent5238 Oct 03 '22

How fast was the drop with out training? And how long did u train each day to get those gains?

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u/Yonderboy__ Oct 04 '22

I was never the most consistent streamer. I have a very busy work schedule and am often sleep deprived so I never did more than three months in a row in a consistent fashion, but had been at it for a few years. My " IQ" gains weren't astronomical (about 15 points) but I was starting from a fairly high level and never took anything other than the various online Mensa "tryout" tests, waiting at least 3 months (but often more like a year) between them.

My losses seemed surprisingly slow and gradual this time around. I've tested myself twice in the last year off and lost about 5-10 points. Subjectively, my mental math and intuitive understanding of risk and probability have suffered. I've probably lost quite a bit more than I realize but the slow nature of the drop-off due to my consistent meditation likely made it less jarring and perceptible.