David Robson: Why Smart People Often Make the Worst Decisions

**YouTube link coming soon** Today we talk about the placebo effect, mind over matter, and the cognitive traps that correlate with IQ. David Robson is an author of science with a unique focus on human behavior. He has a degree in mathematics from Oxford -- we bond over our similar degrees in mathematics. He's worked for news scientists, BBC, and he writes for several popular science magazines. Today we discuss the intelligence trap and the expectation effect. Sponsors: - Brilliant: https://brilliant.org/TOE for 20% off - *New* TOE Website (early access to episodes): https://theoriesofeverything.org/ - Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal - Crypto: https://tinyurl.com/cryptoTOE - PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs - iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast... - Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b9... - Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeveryt... Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:05:55 IQ tests measure what exactly? 00:08:00 Various pitfalls of intelligence (IQ traps) 00:14:09 Rationality is not emotionally comforting 00:16:51 Is “truth” the most valuable pursuit? What is “truth”? 00:19:10 Truth can be terrifying 00:24:14 Curiosity is correlated with high IQ 00:28:53 Breakthroughs are born through curiosity 00:36:13 Contradiction is a healthy part of science 00:39:20 The different styles of science 00:45:36 The placebo effect: how “expectation” can overcome genetics 00:51:35 Applying the placebo and expectation effects 01:05:51 Frustration lies at the heart of learning 01:13:25 Cultivating the qualities of a genius in yourself 01:18:33 What is evidence-based wisdom? 01:23:42 A standardized test for wisdom 01:31:03 The relationship between IQ and RQ (rationality quotient) 01:33:23 Ways to supercharge your rationality 01:35:48 The scientific bias 01:41:56 Parapsychological research 01:47:51 What is “functional stupidity”? 01:52:39 Curt finds holes in every argument 01:57:13 Self deception is easy 02:00:38 When high skill damages performance 02:04:20 The best team is smart and disagreeable 02:10:44 The power of a Yogi 02:18:20 Your perceptions change future reality 02:20:19 Ego depletion and the replication crisis 02:22:23 The pilot sight test 02:27:16 Acquiring creativity, productivity, and Savant-ism

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