How do you think he does it? I don’t know!
What makes him so good?
He ain’t got no distractions
Can’t hear those buzzers and bells
Don’t see lights a flashin’
Plays by sense of smell
Always gets a replay
Never seen him fall
That deaf dumb and blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball
I finally understand the song. How could a deaf dumb and blind kid possibly be a pinball wizard?
There was a study that gave IQ tests before work, then again after people had been subjected to email and phone call interruptions. The result? IQ dropped by 10 points! About the same as sleep deprivation. Only half as much as smoking marijuana.
Another study… the test subjects were subjected to typical work stress, then half took a 50 minute break walking thru a city streets, while the other half walked thru an arboretum. When they were tested immediately afterwards, the city street walkers scored significantly worse.
Our brains are constantly trying to sift thru enormous quantities of input. Arranging and prioritizing what is important. But the brain is also constantly trying to eliminate things that don’t matter. The brain can only handle so much. Obviously, eliminate interruptions of phone calls and emails and one can be more productive in the moment. But even immediately after the interruptions cease, as the study shows, those prior interruptions impact the brain negatively.
The second study shows a walk in a quiet natural environment can help the brain recover, much more so than a walk in a synthetic man-made world. The natural world has plenty of inputs. But those inputs are more gentle, repetitive, expected. While a city street constantly taxes the brain with unusual, unexpected, potentially dangerous inputs.
So back to the Pinball Wizard. He benefits from no distractions… the buzzers, bells and lights are eliminated. Play by sense of smell? No, but maybe, just maybe by touch, the feel of the table. Add just a tiny bit of limited sight… and maybe you have a Pinball Wizard.