How was a brilliant physics professor tricked into carrying 2kg of
cocaine across the Argentinian border? Why do doctors misdiagnose 10 to
15% of their patients? Why do Nobel Prize winners spread fake news?
We assume that smarter people are less prone to
error. But greater education and expertise can often amplify our
mistakes while rendering us blind to our biases. This is the
'intelligence trap'.
Drawing on the latest behavioural science and
historical examples from Socrates to Benjamin Franklin, David Robson
demonstrates how to apply our intelligence more wisely; identify bias
and enhance our 'rationality quotient'; read and regulate our emotions;
fine-tune our intuition; navigate ambiguity and uncertainty; and think
more flexibly about seemingly intractable problems.
The twenty-first century presents us with complex
problems that demand a wiser way of thinking. Whether you are a NASA
scientist or a school student, The Intelligence Trap offers a new
cognitive toolkit to realise your full potential.