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Why Do Smart People Do Foolish Things?
We all probably know someone who is intelligent but does surprisingly stupid things. What does it mean to be smart or intelligent? Our everyday use of the term is meant to describe someone who is knowledgeable and makes wise decisions, but this definition is at odds with how intelligence is traditionally measured. The most widely known measure of intelligence is the intelligence quotient, more commonly known as the IQ test, which includes visuospatial puzzles, math problems, pattern recognition, vocabulary questions and visual searches.
The advantages of being intelligent are undeniable. Intelligent people are more likely to get better grades and go farther in school. They are more likely to be successful at work. And they are less likely to get into trouble (for example, commit crimes) as adolescents.
Given all the advantages of intelligence, though, you may be surprised to learn that it does not predict other life outcomes, such as well-being. You might imagine that doing well in school or at work might lead to greater life satisfaction, but several large-scale studies have failed to find evidence that IQ impacts life satisfaction or longevity (长寿). Most intelligence tests fail to assess the extent of rational thinking, such as real-world decision-making and our ability to interact well with others. This is, in other words, perhaps why “smart” people do “dumb” things.
The ability to think critically, on the other hand, has been associated with wellness and longevity. Though often confused with intelligence, critical thinking is not intelligence. Critical thinking is a collection of cognitive (认知的) skills that allow us to think rationally (理性地) in a goal-orientated fashion and a disposition to use those skills when appropriate. Critical thinkers have self-confidence in their own abilities to reason. They possess great flexibility in requiring evidence to support their beliefs. Critical thinking means overcoming all kinds of cognitive biases (偏见).
Critical thinking predicts a wide range of life events. Researchers have found that critical thinkers experience fewer negative life events such as academic (“I forgot about an exam”), health (“I received HIV through unprotected sex”), legal (“I was arrested for driving under the influence”), interpersonal (“I cheated on my partner for more than a year”), financial (“I have over $5,000 of credit-card debt”), and so on.
Intelligence and improving intelligence are hot topics that receive a lot of attention. It is time for critical thinking to receive a little more of that attention. Reasoning and rationality more closely resemble what we mean when we say a person is smart rather than spatial skills and math ability. Furthermore, improving intelligence is difficult. Intelligence is largely determined by genetics. Critical thinking, though, can improve with training, and the benefits have been shown to continue over time. Anyone can improve their critical thinking skills. Doing so, we can say with certainty, is a smart thing to do.
| Why Do Smart People Do Foolish Things? | |
| Introduction | The defining term of intelligence in daily lifelargely from how it is traditionally measured. |
| The advantages of intelligence | ●Intelligent people may have better academic and job . ●Intelligence may predict less trouble during adolescence. |
| for smart people doing foolish things | ●Intelligent people don't enjoy greater life satisfaction or longevity. ●What most intelligence tests are rational thinking skills like decision-making. |
| The importance of Critical thinking | ●Critical thinkers are more likely to be in life and live longer. ●Critical thinkers are rational, self-confident, and open-minded. ●Critical thinking is believed to be with fewer negative life events. |
| Conclusion | We should more on critical thinking than on intelligence, as intelligence is something, to a large extent, that one is with while critical thinking can be trained and improved. |
