Buzz
We all tend to think we’re somewhat smart. Not necessarily geniuses in the Mensa sense, but still above average in terms of intellect. If asked, most of us would likely say we're 'fairly intelligent.'
Sadly, that perception is often misguided. Even if we feel far more capable than the online fools we encounter, science says otherwise. Here are 10 ways we misunderstand intelligence completely.
10. Search Engines Can Trick You Into Feeling Smarter Than You Are
We’ve all experienced it. In the midst of an intense trivia debate, someone pulls out their phone and looks up the answer. Perhaps you’ve even been that person. If so, we’ve got some news for you: all that searching has made you feel smarter than you really are.
In early 2015, a team of researchers from Yale set out to investigate how the Internet has shaped our perceptions of intelligence. Over nine experiments, participants were asked questions of varying difficulty and given the choice to either use a search engine or not. Afterward, they rated their own knowledge on unrelated topics. Want to know what they discovered?
Those who used the Internet significantly overestimated their intelligence. In one experiment, after simply looking up how to use a zipper, participants believed they were experts on subjects like the history of America’s first labor unions or the patterns of seasonal hurricanes. In another, when they couldn’t find an answer to a question about ancient Kushite culture, they started to think of themselves as history buffs.
This phenomenon occurs due to something called 'transactive memory systems.' In group settings, humans often divide cognitive tasks to make things easier. As long as one person knows about seasonal hurricane patterns, no one else needs to. That one person, in modern times, is the Internet. Because it’s always available, we no longer distinguish between what we truly know and what we think we know. This causes us to vastly overestimate our expertise, often with amusing results.
9. Even Experts Tend to Pretend They Know More Than They Actually Do
On the flip side, not everyone is exaggerating their expertise. There are genuinely knowledgeable people who could easily provide you with an in-depth explanation of Kushite history. However, even these experts may not be as sharp as they believe. Research shows that even brilliant minds sometimes pretend to understand concepts that are completely beyond their grasp.
You’ve probably seen those skits where Jimmy Kimmel interviews hipsters about bands that don’t actually exist, and they confidently act like they know exactly what he’s talking about. Well, researchers at Cornell have been running similar experiments for years—only instead of music, they’re using made-up scientific terms, and instead of hipsters, they’re asking real scientists. The result? As many as 90 percent of self-proclaimed experts will confidently talk about imaginary concepts like 'plates of parallax,' 'ultra-lipid,' and 'cholarine.'
In fact, the more knowledgeable someone seems in real science, the more likely they are to claim expertise in made-up fields. This happens because of overconfidence. When we think we are experts—whether we truly are or not—we tend to confuse random information, like incorrect theories and self-absorbed thinking, with actual, legitimate knowledge.
8. Men Tend to Greatly Overestimate Their Mathematical Skills
It’s widely known that science and engineering fields have more men than women. It’s also well-established that girls tend to outperform boys on math tests. However, this gap may not be the result of sexism in the workplace. Studies have found that men often significantly overestimate their own mathematical abilities.
In 2015, researchers conducted a study with two groups: 122 undergraduates and 184 regular participants. Both groups took a math test and then predicted how well they did. While women accurately estimated their scores, men grossly overestimated their performance.
Additionally, the 184-person group was asked which graduate courses they were willing to take. The men who had overestimated their abilities were much more likely to opt for math-related courses, indicating that their failure to assess their own skills might be one reason why more men pursue careers in science and technology.
7. Your Brainpower Isn’t As Valuable As You Think
The human brain is an extraordinary organ. Without conscious effort, you can monitor your body, skim through an article, and pretend to be productive, all at once. With such an impressive capacity, how much do you think your brain’s power is really worth? The answer might surprise you—it’s not much.
In a somewhat playful study, a researcher from the University of Leicester attempted to calculate the value of human brain power. By assuming that an adult human uses about 100 watts of energy, they concluded that the brain itself runs on just 20 watts. They then compared this to the average electricity rates in the UK, and the results were underwhelming, to say the least.
The conclusion? A single penny would buy you 3 hours, 7 minutes, and 30 seconds of continuous thought. Even if you’re sporting a modest IQ of 65, that’s still a surprisingly low amount. While the study was meant to be a bit of a joke, it highlights the fact that, despite its brilliance, the human brain isn’t the all-powerful supercomputer we sometimes wish it could be.
6. Living in a City Makes You Dumber
Some cities have become synonymous with intellectualism. New York, Paris, and London are known for their sophistication and sharp wit—places where brilliant minds ponder life’s big questions from luxurious penthouse suites. However, living in a city might not be as mentally stimulating as we tend to think. In fact, moving to a bustling city can cause your cognitive abilities to plummet.
Researchers have found that urban environments can have a dramatic impact on your intelligence. A study by the University of Michigan revealed that just a few minutes on a crowded city street could diminish our self-control and damage our memory. To test this, the researchers had two groups walk either through an arboretum or a busy city street. Afterward, they were asked to complete some simple tests, and those who had walked in the city performed terribly.
Both attention and working memory were significantly impaired, and the participants' moods were noticeably worse. In essence, their brains failed to function properly, leaving them temporarily dumbed down. Alarmingly, the study showed that simply looking at a picture of a crowded city street could trigger some of these effects.
5. Your Social Views Impact Your Intelligence
Republican extremist. Libtard. Modern American English is rife with insults designed to label political opponents as fools. Yet, it turns out that not all of these insults are completely unfounded. Research suggests that individuals with certain social attitudes may actually have significantly lower intelligence.
In one of the most controversial studies of the last decade, researchers from Brock University in Canada found a link between conservative beliefs and low IQ. They analyzed data from two UK studies that followed children born in 1958 and 1970. These children were tested for intelligence at age 10 or 11, and their social conservatism was measured later, at age 30 or 33. The researchers discovered that those who had lower IQs as children were much more likely to hold right-wing social views.
It’s important to note that the study didn’t include fiscal conservatives or libertarians, only those with more reactionary social views. The theory is that people with lower IQs might perceive the world as threatening and seek comfort in simple, reassuring structures. The authors pointed out that a similar argument could probably be made about extreme liberals (those who argue 'everyone’s special!'), though this has yet to be explored.
4. We Seriously Undervalue Our Ability to Learn
After a series of entries about how we often underestimate our own intelligence, here’s a comforting one. According to the *Journal of Consumer Research*, we tend to drastically undervalue our learning abilities.
In 2010, researchers asked participants to tackle new, slightly challenging tasks—such as folding a shirt in an unfamiliar way or using a keyboard with a different layout. Initially, the subjects were confident in their abilities. But after just a few minutes of trying, nearly all of them became extremely pessimistic about their ability to succeed in both the short and long term.
This happens because humans struggle to recognize the learning curve. We expect to excel at new tasks right away. When we don’t, we quickly give up and assume we’ll never get it right. This is why so many people quit learning Spanish or abandon their efforts to play the flute—one challenge and they assume they’re just not good at it.
Fortunately, the study had a positive conclusion. After practicing their new tasks for four sessions, participants began to regain their confidence and stop underestimating themselves. The takeaway: Don’t quit. You’re likely a much better learner than you think.
3. The Smartest Of Us Are Often The Stupidest Of All
Imagine that none of this applies to you. Picture yourself as a math prodigy with an IQ of 205, someone who never tells lies, lives in the countryside, and avoids search engines. Now, let’s go even further. You’ve got an entire shelf full of Nobel Prizes and a massive sash proclaiming you as the "Smartest Human on Earth." Yet, even with all that, science suggests you might actually be the *least* intelligent among us.
In our everyday lives, most of us rely on mental shortcuts to avoid overwhelming our brains. Usually, this helps us focus on what truly matters, like working on our *Star Wars* fan fiction. However, every so often, these shortcuts lead us to make absurd decisions that can seriously *mess up* our lives.
To demonstrate, let’s tackle a simple math question: A bat and ball together cost $1.10. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?
Most of you probably took a mental shortcut and mistakenly said that the ball costs 10 cents. In fact, the correct answer is five cents, with the bat costing $1.05. This is the kind of question that almost everyone gets wrong. We know this because the brilliant psychologist Daniel Kahneman has been asking people this question for years, along with other inquiries aimed at exposing our lazy mental shortcuts. He discovered that the smartest people among us are more likely to make these silly errors than anyone else.
This issue goes beyond simple math problems. Other psychologists have found that those who are widely regarded as sharp thinkers are often less inclined to use their brains when considering major global issues like climate change or nuclear power risks. Instead, they tend to dismiss all the evidence in favor of jumping to the easiest conclusions—and then proudly proclaim how qualified they are. In some ways, it’s oddly reassuring to know that even the brightest are capable of making these missteps. In other ways, it’s downright terrifying.
2. Politics Makes All Of Us Stupider
As presidential campaigns heat up and the media cranks up its partisan rhetoric, it’s easy to believe that modern politics is making the world a worse place. But according to research, the culture wars are not only damaging America—they’re making all of us dumber.
In 2013, a Yale study aimed to explore how political biases influence our intelligence. Participants took a math test to assess their numerical skills, after which they were divided into two groups. One group was given a fake study on the effectiveness of a hand cream, with fabricated data pointing to an obvious conclusion. The other group received the same data, but it was framed as a study on the effectiveness of gun control. Half of the gun control group saw data supporting the idea that gun control works, while the other half saw data suggesting it didn’t. Surprisingly, the participants ended up answering based on their political leanings.
Regardless of their political affiliation, both Democrats and Republicans manipulated the numbers to confirm what they had already been told by their respective news sources, like MSNBC or Fox News. In doing so, they twisted the math to fit their political prejudices. Instead of approaching politics with objectivity, we’re all just a step away from making our reasoning fall apart under the influence of a fake study.
1. IQ Scores Don’t Just Measure Intelligence
IQ scores are considered the gold standard of intelligence. People often believe that someone with an IQ of 175 must be a genius on the level of Stephen Hawking, while someone with an IQ of 65 must be decidedly less intelligent. However, the reality is that IQ scores don’t just measure intelligence—they also reflect how motivated you are to take the test.
Typically, those who achieve high scores on IQ tests are individuals who have the desire to excel. Scoring exceptionally high requires both intellect and perseverance, while a low score is often simply a reflection of a lack of motivation.
This implies that while someone with an IQ of 175 is clearly bright, someone with a 65 IQ could very well be a genius who's just incredibly lazy. In 2011, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania implemented incentives for participants to perform well on an IQ test. The results were striking: participants' scores surged across the board. IQ tests, it seems, are less about raw intelligence and more about how much effort you put into them.
