In episode 5 of Train.Brain.Daily, Dr Michael Hewitt-Gleeson and Morry Morgan explore a powerful idea: intelligence alone is not enough; what matters is whether that intelligence has been trained.

Natural ability, high IQ, talent, or advanced technology may provide a strong starting point, but without disciplined practice, they can become ineffective, misdirected, or even dangerous. The hosts compare untrained intelligence to owning a Maserati without knowing how to drive it, and to talented athletes who are eventually surpassed by less gifted competitors committed to consistent training.

This distinction leads to the “intelligence trap”: using brainpower merely to defend an existing point of view instead of questioning assumptions and searching for something better. Rather than settling for the “right” diagnosis, answer, or strategy, trained thinkers keep looking for a better one.

The episode then examines curiosity as an active brain process, not a simple light-bulb moment. One part of the brain monitors the current situation, another notices surprises or inconsistencies, and the prefrontal cortex decides whether to defend, ignore, or investigate. Curiosity grows when the brain repeatedly chooses investigation.

That tiny decision can open a new direction, prevent mistakes, create better ideas, and move thinking from the “ground floor” to the “penthouse.”

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Hewitt-Gleeson also previews a neuroscience program for primary school children in Launceston, designed not to turn students into neuroscientists, but to make them “brain detectives.” By asking questions such as “Why did my brain do that?” and “What can my brain learn for next time?”, children can develop awareness, compassion, self-understanding, and better judgment.

The conversation also warns that the same neuroplasticity that allows a brain to be trained also allows it to be hacked. Platforms built around constant surprise can capture attention, encourage doomscrolling, and shape behaviour, making awareness an essential defence.

The practical challenge is simple: when something feels unusual, pause for a few milliseconds and notice the choice. Will you defend your current view, ignore the signal, or investigate?

Training curiosity means choosing investigation more often, using questions, conversations, books, search tools, and AI to discover a better view of the situation.

The message of episode five is clear: intelligence becomes valuable through training, and a trained, curious brain is equipped to learn, adapt, resist manipulation, solve problems, and create possibilities beyond what it already knows.

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