The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Make Dumb Mistakes

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Worse still, they appear to have a bigger ‘bias blind spot’, meaning they are less able to recognize the holes in their logic. Engagement with Opposing Views: Deliberately engaging with people who hold opposing views can strengthen our ability to analyze our own positions and avoid echo chambers that reinforce our preconceptions. Experience Diversity: Exposure to a variety of experiences, cultures, and ways of thinking broadens our understanding and enhances our ability to apply knowledge contextually. After years of careful development and verification of the various sub-tests, the first iteration of the “Comprehensive Assessment of Rational Thinking” was published at the end of 2016. Besides measures of the common cognitive biases and heuristics, it also included probabilistic and statistical reasoning skills—such as the ability to assess risk—that could improve our rationality, and questionnaires concerning contaminated mindware such as anti-science attitudes.

In the revealing work “The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Do Stupid Things and How to Avoid Them,” David Robson engages with the curious contradiction that despite our advanced cognitive abilities, we are all susceptible to errors in judgment and irrational biases. The book takes a deep dive into the cognitive biases and flaws that permeate our thinking processes, even among those who are highly intelligent. With further development, the rationality quotient could be used in recruitment to assess the quality of a potential employee’s decision making; Stanovich told me that he has already had significant interest from law firms, financial institutions, and executive head­hunters. Robson presents a compelling narrative that intelligent people often fall into the intelligence trap because they misuse their cognitive resources, leading to flawed reasoning and poor decisions. These errors can have significant ramifications in various societal domains: In the insightful book “The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Do Stupid Things and How to Avoid Them,” author David Robson delves into the perplexing phenomenon of motivated reasoning, where one’s desires and beliefs cloud judgment and logic, leading even the intellectually gifted to make poor decisions.A fascinating and enjoyable investigation of what intelligence is and isn't, by one of the most exciting new voices in science writing. This thought-provoking and brilliantly researched guide to achieving true wisdomshows us how to be smarter - and how to protect ourselves from the cleverest fools. - Gaia Vince, prize-winning author of Adventures in the Anthropocene Robson delves into the psychology of this trap, examining how being highly knowledgeable can sometimes blind us to our limitations. This blindness often manifests as a cognitive bias known as the ‘curse of knowledge’, where experts fail to see things from the perspective of less knowledgeable individuals, leading to poor communication and decision-making. Moreover, experts can become so entrenched in their own field that they start to apply their deep knowledge too broadly, overlooking the nuances of different contexts and problems. It is difficult to overestimate the influence of this work, but none of the early studies by Kahneman and Tversky had tested whether our irrationality varies from person to person. Are some people more susceptible to these biases, while others are immune, for instance? And how do those tendencies relate to our general intelligence? Conan Doyle’s story is surprising because we intuitively expect more intelligent people, with their greater analytical minds, to act more rationally—but as Tversky and Kahneman had shown, our intuitions can be deceptive. Our tendency to see others’ flaws, while being oblivious to the prejudices and errors in our own reasoning. Another factor contributing to the fallibility of intelligence is the tendency to employ motivated reasoning. This means that individuals use their intelligence to argue for what they want to be true, rather than what is actually true. They may skillfully craft arguments that support their desired conclusion, all the while neglecting evidence that contradicts it.

A high IQ and education won’t necessarily protect you from highly irrational behavior—and it may sometimes amplify your errors. Pexels A high IQ and education won’t necessarily protect you from highly irrational behavior—and it may sometimes amplify your errors. Pexels SHARE In conclusion, “The Intelligence Trap” offers a sobering reminder that high intelligence does not necessarily guard against poor decision-making. By examining the broader implications of this phenomenon, Robson not only provides insights into why smart people make unwise choices but also offers guidance on how societies can better structure themselves to avoid common pitfalls of the intelligence trap, thereby enhancing collective decision-making and progress. How Does “The Intelligence Trap” Teach Us to Cultivate Practical Wisdom Over Mere Knowledge?Psychologists call this “motivated reasoning”—a kind of emotionally charged thinking that leads us to demolish the evidence that questions our beliefs and build increasingly ornate arguments to justify them. This is a particular problem when a belief sits at the core of our identity, and in these circumstances greater intelligence and education may actually increase your foolish thinking. (This is similar to Stanovich’s concept of “contaminated mindware”—in which our brain has been infected by an irrational idea that then skews our later thinking.)