What Is the Rarest Form of Intelligence? How Metacognition Can Change Your Life

Hello. How have you been?

Spring is fully here, isn’t it?

Today, I’d like to talk about metacognition.

Have you ever heard this word before?In general, metacognition is a concept from cognitive psychology, first proposed by an American psychologist in 1976.This year marks its 50th anniversary! (The same age as me, actually—haha.)

Metacognition refers to the ability to objectively observe your own thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and to regulate them appropriately.It includes both metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive skills, which support self-understanding and self-regulation.

In simple terms, it means asking:“How am I perceiving things?”It’s the awareness of how we interpret our experiences.

This ability is considered essential for growth—in business, education, and everyday life—and is defined as a key concept in cognitive psychology.

However, what I want to introduce today is metacognition from the perspective of neuroscience.This connects deeply to what I’ve been sharing in my previous posts, so this may be a bit long—but I hope you’ll stay with me.

The reason I’m writing about this is because I came across a reel on Instagram:

🟠 “The Rarest Form of Intelligence, Explained by a Neuroscientist”

Since not everyone may be able to watch it, I’ll summarize the content here:

The highest form of intelligence is not IQ, logic, memory, or processing speed.The highest form of intelligence is metacognition—the ability to observe your own thinking.

Instead of living through unconscious or automatic reactions, it means observing your inner state in real time. It’s about becoming aware of your thoughts, questioning your reactions, pausing emotional responses, and updating your beliefs rather than defending them.

“Why did I react that way?”

Asking this question itself creates change in the brain.

Neuroscience research has shown that observing your own thoughts activates a region called the anterior prefrontal cortex.This area is associated with self-reflection, indicating that the brain is directing attention inward.

Most people operate their “thought programs” on autopilot.But metacognition is different.

It’s like a computer that rewrites its own program while running.People with higher self-awareness grow faster than those without it.

This is not just self-help philosophy—it’s a process where awareness rewires the brain and reconstructs neural pathways.

So why don’t more people develop it?

Because metacognition is often uncomfortable.

It requires you to pause instead of reacting, question instead of defending, and honestly face your own mistakes.And your ego resists that.

But this process is essential for growth.

That was the content.

My first reaction when I saw this was: “Science has finally caught up with spirituality.”

In cognitive psychology, metacognition is about recognizing your thinking and applying it outward.But in neuroscience, it’s about exploring your inner world.

This is exactly what I’ve been sharing through my podcast, blog, and Qigong teaching.

We create our own reality.

The energy you emit resonates with experiences that appear in your life.In other words, each of us is responsible for our own reality.

So when something uncomfortable happens, it’s natural—as human beings—to feel irritated, angry, or hurt. But once you calm down, it becomes important to reflect:

“Why did I react that way?”

By doing this, your reality begins to shift—like turning a kaleidoscope. Even if a similar situation arises again, you’ll notice that your response has changed in a more positive way.

So where do these automatic reactions come from?

From the moment we are born—(and perhaps even from past lives)—we develop defense mechanisms and coping strategies based on our experiences. These are necessary for survival. Everyone has them, including me. But when these learned patterns become too strong, they can trigger extreme reactions.

These invisible patterns create blockages in our internal flow—what I describe as the flow of Qi. This is neither good nor bad. It’s simply a natural part of being human.

However, many people live reacting automatically, repeating the same patterns over and over again. But when you begin to look inward each time, little by little, those blockages start to dissolve. And as they do, changes begin to appear in your external reality.

That said, as mentioned earlier—metacognition is not a comfortable process.

I once talked on my podcast about how “spiritual work can be painful.”This is the most challenging part.

Facing the parts of yourself you don’t want to see is not easy. Revisiting painful memories may also be necessary. And most importantly, you can no longer blame others for what happens in your life.

You must accept that everything in your life is your responsibility—truly, everything.

Blaming others is often easier, after all.

That is what metacognition asks of you, and it requires courage.

I live with metacognition.

I understand that everything happening in my world is my responsibility. Of course, I still react impulsively sometimes.(My child is actually a great teacher who constantly tests my patience—haha.)

But through my daily Qigong practice and meditation,I continue to look inward and learn to live in balance with my ego.

The ego is like a small child.You may have heard the term “inner child.”

These automatic reactions are also expressions of the ego.

Some people say we should eliminate the ego,or that the ego is bad.

But I don’t believe that.

Without the ego, we couldn’t survive in the physical world.I have an ego too—and without it, I wouldn’t be safe.

It is something necessary.

So yes, it can be scary.

But as you reflect on your reactions and look inward,you will encounter the wounded parts of yourself.

And although it’s difficult,this process is actually very beautiful.

It is a process of healing your inner child.

I won’t go into specific methods here, but if you look them up, you’ll find many different approaches.

Try them, and find what works best for you.

What matters most is consistent practice.

Doing it a few times won’t create lasting change.

Spiritual practice is like learning a musical instrument.

Whether you practice for a week or even a year, you won’t suddenly become a professional.

So please—enjoy the process.

I also talk about this in my podcast.There are some things I didn’t include here,which I may write about in another post.

Thank you so much for reading until the end.