Research Form Link: https://form.typeform.com/to/IDXgrLlc Research Feature: Understanding Cognitive Dimmers Aoa everyone! It’s been a while since I shared updates on my research about different traits of human thinking at NUST, where I’ve been working for the last 1.5 years. Recently, my professor, Dr. Hamid, and I have been analyzing a new trait of people we named "Cognitive Dimmers" —individuals of high intelligence who intentionally dial down their presence around loved ones. For a long time, neither I nor the professor could find a single person who completely showed this trait in real life. After thinking about it for a week, I eventually went through a post from one of my buddies, a friend of mine whom I hadn't met in over three years. With that post, it immediately reminded me of my friend and connected perfectly with my research. n He is Aliyan Barcha, coming from a beautiful place in Northern Pakistan, and his personality matches the beauty of his hometown. I had the chance to live and work together with him for around a year. He was such an intelligent student, an entrepreneur, and a software developer who even passed the Microsoft entry test. We used to wonder how a guy without a computer science degree could clear that! Yet, he was a real humble guy. When I first met him, I won't lie, he felt a bit arrogant or like someone who wasn't even for a second interested in anybody. For the first few days working on the same team, he hardly talked with me or our other two members, Mira and Azaeeka. But with the passage of a month, we really got close. I think he was way more capable and deserving, yet he voted for me at the GSM nominations. Being an attitude person with very little interaction with others there, his closeness with me and Sajid was something else. The three of us had such a great time together. We had an age gap between us, but one thing I still admire is he always stood tall before me like an elder brother, even though I was elder. The guy had the guts to stand against literally anything. I was completely fascinated with this friend circle, and I questioned why he chose me when there were more competent ones in our team. When I finally asked him indirectly who he wants to be his friends, I will never forget his answer: "Beauty lies in imperfection instead of perfection." That is why he chooses unique ones, not the perfect ones. He has his own philosophy for everything in his life. For a normal trait person like him, people would usually expect him to be an arrogant guy, which Aliyan seems to be to outsiders. But for those near him, he is one of the most humble and loving persons. Aliyan used to ask things he surely knew very well just to make fun of those around him. He always used to keep a smile even when we had hard times at work—he was always the only relaxed one. He was a guy who could do literally anything while acting immature intentionally. With all this, he also had the habit of spending money unwisely. Whenever I asked him why he was spending on such things, he used to reply with the exact same philosophy: "Wise ones never think twice because life doesn't guarantee a second chance." I am still stunned that he once bought an old, scratchy watch for 0.55 million rupees when our salary at that time was under six digits! And the crazy thing is, he never even wore it—he just kept it as a collection. Now, for our complete research on traits, a person usually is either arrogant or humble at a time. But Aliyan seems to be the first person I ever met who can be both at the same time, which is very rare. He used to become the silliest and the dumbest person I would ever know, even while being so intelligent. This thing just threw me off. I knew he was doing all this intentionally, but I could never understand why an intelligent person would try to act like the dumbest person while knowing everything. The day came when I had to move back to Lahore in a few days, and I was more sad than anyone there. I finally asked Aliyan directly why he used to act like the dumbest person around his close circle and a completely different professional person at work with others. I still remember he smiled and answered: "Maqdoom it's a secret yet open to all. The immature are the ones who live life to the fullest. Remember I told you Beauty is in IMPERFECTION. We need to turn off our mind at times with our loved ones, completely shut down the Prefrontal Cortex and act as if we do not know anything. I act the stupidest and immature with the ones I love the most and I want to give them the chance to spell out everything they have on their mind without any hesitation. Intelligence never brings two together, it always fights against it. Intelligence is the enemy of emotions and feelings, it always counters them and finds ways to prove them wrong. Intelligent are those who know how and when to use the intelligence, it never helps everywhere." This thing stuck with me since then. A person of high intelligence and immature at the same time, choosing this trait for the ones he wants to have life at its fullest and fun with. This is the exact definition of a Cognitive Dimmer: a highly intelligent individual who intentionally chooses to dim their sharp mind to let emotional connection, vulnerability, and fun thrive. This means a cognitive dimmer does not just lose control; they actively choose to turn off their high-level thinking to protect the feelings of others. Instead of correcting people or winning arguments, they create a safe, judgment-free space where their friends can feel smart, confident, and completely relaxed. It shows that true intelligence is not about showing off what you know, but knowing exactly when to hide it for the sake of love. We are documenting this rare trait in our research and referencing my friend Aliyan Barcha. Everyone who knows him will feel this deeply. Love you buddy! :D Ps- If you are reading this, I never lied :D #Please share this on your walls. Especially requesting Aliyan to post this, I know you do not like posting such things but this is for your friend.