Feb 10 2009
Stupid People Are Dangerous
Who wrote that title?
I did.
That’s wasn’t a very nice thing to write.
But is it true?
Oh, yeh. I guess that matters. But you wrote it; so you defend it.
I will admit right off that I did exaggerate. And use provocative language. Yet there is some science behind it. Hear me out.
First, a number of studies have found an association between working memory and intelligence. The more items you can hold and juggle in your mind at once, the higher you tend to score on IQ tests and the further you generally go with your education. Of course, that same relationship could be worded the opposite way. Less working memory is associated with a lower IQ.
New research suggests that in highly emotional circumstances, people with more working memory -
can be relied upon to make more consistent decisions and are able to more deeply consider consequences in these highly charged instances.
Moreover,
In these emotion laden scenarios, people with high working memory capacity were not only more consistent in their judgments but their answers indicated that they were considering the consequences of their choices in a way that the other participants were not.
That from Who Shalt Not Kill? Brain Power Leads To Level-headedness When Faced With Moral Dilemmas.
On the scratched side of the this doubloon-like finding we could say that less intelligent people might be more likely to act upon impulse in emotionally charged situations.
So if you ever have to choose between door #1 with an angry, smart person behind it, or door #2 with an angry, dumb person behind it . . . run!
Relevantly, when I conducted a literature review into the risk factors for crime a number of years ago, I found that low IQ, particularly verbal IQ, was a factor.
Of course, when it comes to the cold planning of evil deeds, smart people are probably more dangerous.
As for people who talk to themselves . . .
You talking to me?
Run!
