Bullshit Ability as an Honest Signal of Intelligence
9 hours ago
- #social signaling
- #intelligence
- #bullshit
- Bullshit ability, defined as the ability to produce convincing and satisfying explanations without concern for truth, is positively correlated with intelligence, as measured by verbal and abstract reasoning tests.
- Individuals capable of producing high-quality bullshit are perceived by observers as more intelligent, suggesting bullshit serves as an honest signal of cognitive ability in social navigation.
- Bullshit ability is distinct from bullshit willingness; intelligent individuals may be less willing to bullshit, possibly due to better theory of mind and social calibration.
- The study supports theories that human intelligence evolved for social navigation, with bullshit acting as an energetically efficient strategy for impressing others and signaling fitness.
- Limitations include the correlational design, artificial bullshit generation tasks, and potential overestimation of the link between perceived intelligence and bullshit ability.