Why Smart People Are Stupid

A friend shared a recent New Yorker article discussing the propensity of intelligent people to make mental mistakes.  It seems that smart people (aka people who perform well on standardized tests) are more vulnerable to thinking errors, because they are more likely to take mental shortcuts and less likely to rely on deliberate evaluation.  Alternately phrased, pride comes before the fall.  Research shows that intelligent people are more likely to recognize the cognitive mistakes made by others but less likely to recognize their own mental mistakes.  As a result, they slightly are more prone to common mental mistakes.  Though the article doesn't offer a solution, I wonder if cultivating an attitude of humility is the answer.  You can read the article at the link below.

- Joel

Jonah Lehrer - "Why Smart People Are Stupid"