Why aren't smart people happier?
17 days ago
- #intelligence
- #psychology
- #happiness
- Adam Mastroianni discusses the limitations of intelligence tests and their inability to predict happiness.
- Intelligence, as traditionally measured, focuses on well-defined problems but fails to address poorly defined life challenges.
- Historical figures like Charles Spearman contributed to the misconception that intelligence is a single, general ability.
- Well-defined problems (e.g., math, chess) differ from poorly defined ones (e.g., happiness, relationships), requiring different skills.
- High intelligence does not correlate strongly with happiness, as shown by multiple studies.
- AI excels at well-defined problems but struggles with poorly defined ones, highlighting human uniqueness in handling ambiguity.
- Wisdom and practical life skills, often undervalued, are crucial for solving poorly defined problems.
- The essay critiques the overemphasis on IQ and calls for a broader understanding of intelligence that includes life wisdom.