[ExI] The downsides of high IQ

[BillK]

On 15 April 2015 at 09:38, Anders Sandberg  wrote:
> But the core claim, intelligence is not enough to guarantee a good life,
> seems right. It does predict better health, longevity, education, salary,
> long-term orientation, cooperation and so on, and it does *protect* against
> accidents, being a homicide victim and unhappiness. But that is obviously
> not enough on its own: motivation and personality obviously has a huge
> impact.
>
> Still, practical wisdom requires intelligence: if you cannot think well,
> your thinking will be an upper bound on your wisdom and forces you to remain
> wise about small, concrete things rather than big and important things.
>

As with most social science stats, the links can be complex.

Some of the benefits of higher intelligence seem linked to better education.
Re:better health, well-educated people have the knowledge to avoid
smoking and to have a reasonable diet. This gives better health and
adds years to their life.

Re happiness, higher intelligence seems to make people worry more.
Perhaps they see possible problems where others don't. They also seem
to have the unsatisfied feeling that they should be doing something
more with their life.

Re wisdom, the article is hopeful that wisdom can be taught - by
visualising problems as though they applied to someone else (and
setting aside your own personal biases). It is a well-known meme that
very intelligent people often lack common-sense (or down-to earth
wisdom). When they are heavily into devising some complex plan it is
useful to have someone around who can provide a reality check. (Often
known as 'wife').

BillK