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Summary of The Intelligence Trap — Why Smart People Do Stupid Things and How to Make Wiser Decisions 

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Short summary

For several decades, most people have been defined by an IQ score that does not examine all their mental abilities. The irony is that people with high IQ scores are seen as highly intelligent, but they are prone to more mistakes than average individuals. They often lack essential skills such as emotional intelligence, humility, and tenacity. So, having a high IQ does not automatically translate to success. The Intelligence Trap by British science writer David Robson is a must-read for all specialists and experts in various fields. It answers questions on why we often make mistakes and how to develop characteristics and qualities that can shield us from grave errors. You will learn how to use evidence-based wisdom to improve the point-of-view, memory, and quality of life. “It is not enough to possess a good mind; the most important thing is to apply it correctly.” ~ René Descartes

Table of content

  • Summary of The Intelligence Trap — Why Smart People Do Stupid Things and How to Make Wiser Decisions
  • About the author
  • What is The Intelligence Trap — Why Smart People Do Stupid Things and How to Make Wiser Decisions about?
  • Who should read The Intelligence Trap — Why Smart People Do Stupid Things and How to Make Wiser Decisions
  • Topics in The Intelligence Trap — Why Smart People Do Stupid Things and How to Make Wiser Decisions
first key point

Over time, society demands various things from us, and we respond by refining our skills and thoughts

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Contemporary psychologists, including Lewis Terman, believed that the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is the only important part of a person. At a young age, he knew he was different and more gifted than other kids around him. To him, intelligence is a natural characteristic that predicts our path in life, and IQ tests could capture raw brainpower. To confirm his theories, Terman modified the old IQ test and created a formula for tracking results. His goal was to enable schools to develop and use teaching suitable for each child’s ability.

In 1920, he started to use this tool to track the lives of over 1,000 gifted children (fondly called Termites) in California and studied their progress for several decades. One of the Termites, Shelley Smith, dropped out of Stanford University and launched a successful career at Life magazine as a reporter and researcher. She married photographer Carl Mydans, and today, they travel around the world.
IQ tests are not an adequate measure of total intellectual potential.
The use of the IQ test is not really in fashion anymore, but some schools still use standardized tests inspired by IQ. For instance, US colleges use the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) to capture the necessary abilities of applicants for admission purposes. These tests show our learning and complicated information processing abilities. For example, if you want to study courses like computer science or law, higher intelligence is an advantage since you will learn and apply abstract or complex ideas. But other vital skills, like practical problem solving and creativity, are discarded as irrelevant.

But we can’t entirely rely on the test results without considering the changes in behavior and performance that aren’t included in the results. In various fields, we have seen regular folks that do way better than people with high IQ scores. Despite the general intelligence of the Termites, most of them made conscious decisions to avoid stressful and high-flying careers.
Not only do general intelligence and academic education fail to protect us from various cognitive errors, smart people may be even more vulnerable to certain kinds of foolish thinking. ~ David Robson
This summary highlights some common misconceptions that have led us into an intelligence trap and what we can do to find our way out of it.
second key point

Training one aspect of our reasoning won’t automatically lead to the development of other problem-solving abilities

The Flynn Effect has come out to challenge the interpretation of general intelligence as an almighty learning-and-problem-solving ability. The Flynn Effect indicates a sudden spike in IQ over the last few years. Psychologist James Flynn became interested in IQ when he stumbled on bizarre claims that people from some races are less smart. He believed that environmental factors could be used to explain the differences in IQ. While analyzing studies, he surprisingly found that intelligence for all races has been increasing over the years.
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third key point

We can get compelling results by improving our reflective skills and merging them with other principles of evidence-based wisdom

fourth key point

Modern psychologists have discovered that curiosity is way more essential to development than general intelligence

fifth key point

Modern psychologists have found that curiosity trumps general intelligence when it comes to our development throughout childhood, adolescence, and beyond

sixth key point

Once people become interested in something, a dose of dopamine enables them to memorize related information

seventh key point

Conclusion

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Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.