So what do you mean when you say “I seem to be vastly above-average in my ability to perceive the world through alternate lenses”? If you believe there is more to it than just your mind making guesses, what makes you believe that?
From my practice as an artist, I can look at a forest and talk about the shading, light angles, and color palette. From certain neurological quirks of mine, I can look at the forest and discuss it in a weird internal palette, or discuss the flavor of the trees (I have vision->taste synaesthesia). I can push the “be happy” button and sit contentedly. I can push the “ADD” button and want to bounce around and be in motion (music also triggers this—kinaesthetic and auditory senses overlap strongly for me, and make it very difficult to track visual data). I can push the “depression” button and realize I’m all alone, miles from company, and I’m going to have to WALK back and I’m ALREADY exhausted and tired and oh god I’m stupid what made me think this would be enjoyable (low blood sugar will also trigger this one, although it’s actually pretty hard to put me in a bad mood if I’m walking and/or in a forest)
Basically, there’s an absolutely HUGE amount of sensory information hitting me at any given point, and I’m aware that I’m only processing SOME of it. From there, there’s an exponentially vaster sea of interpretations and patterns I can within that data—I can relate it to a wide variety of topics. So, I’m aware of this huge sheaf of possible observational angles, and can generally wander between them.
I seem to be more able to notice “I don’t like this perspective / I’d enjoy seeing this from multiple angles”. I seem more able to actually switch perception, although most intelligent people can at least follow what I’m doing and mimic my shifts. I also seem to have a much broader set to choose from.
From my practice as an artist, I can look at a forest and talk about the shading, light angles, and color palette. From certain neurological quirks of mine, I can look at the forest and discuss it in a weird internal palette, or discuss the flavor of the trees (I have vision->taste synaesthesia). I can push the “be happy” button and sit contentedly. I can push the “ADD” button and want to bounce around and be in motion (music also triggers this—kinaesthetic and auditory senses overlap strongly for me, and make it very difficult to track visual data). I can push the “depression” button and realize I’m all alone, miles from company, and I’m going to have to WALK back and I’m ALREADY exhausted and tired and oh god I’m stupid what made me think this would be enjoyable (low blood sugar will also trigger this one, although it’s actually pretty hard to put me in a bad mood if I’m walking and/or in a forest)
Basically, there’s an absolutely HUGE amount of sensory information hitting me at any given point, and I’m aware that I’m only processing SOME of it. From there, there’s an exponentially vaster sea of interpretations and patterns I can within that data—I can relate it to a wide variety of topics. So, I’m aware of this huge sheaf of possible observational angles, and can generally wander between them.
I seem to be more able to notice “I don’t like this perspective / I’d enjoy seeing this from multiple angles”. I seem more able to actually switch perception, although most intelligent people can at least follow what I’m doing and mimic my shifts. I also seem to have a much broader set to choose from.