The Intelligence Trap: Revolutionise your Thinking and Make Wiser Decisions

by David Robson

Intelligent and educated people are less likely to learn from their mistakes, for instance, or take advice from others. And when they do err, they are better able to build elaborate arguments to justify their reasoning, meaning that they become more and more dogmatic in their views. Worse still, they appear to have a bigger ‘bias blind spot’, meaning they are less able to recognise the holes in their logic.

By and large, we respect people who think and act quickly, and to be ‘slow’ is simply a synonym for being stupid.

you can be intelligent and irrational

Whatever your profession, the toxic combination of motivated reasoning and the bias blind spot could still lead us to justify prejudiced opinions about those around us, pursue failing projects at work, or rationalise a hopeless love affair.

Whether you are a forensic scientist, doctor, student, teacher, financier or aeronautical engineer, it pays to humbly recognise your limits and the possibility of failure, take account of ambiguity and uncertainty, remain curious and open to new information, recognise the potential to grow from errors, and actively question everything.