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“Highly readable…[The Intelligence Trap] strikes the right balance between illustrative vignettes and accessible translations of complex research, delivering a smart look at intellect and its shortcomings.”
- Publishers Weekly

“An engrossing standout in the thinking genre that will appeal to anyone who has ever been wrongheaded.”
- Kirkus Reviews

“The Intelligence Trap combines mesmerizing storytelling with groundbreaking new research about why having a high IQ can backfire. Essential reading for anyone who wants to think more clearly.”
- Rolf Dobelli, author of The Art of Thinking Clearly

“I loved The Intelligence Trap. As fun to read as it is fascinating, it celebrates the power of humility and curiosity. Everyone, especially intelligent people, should read this brilliant and important book.”
- Anna Rosling R?nnlund, coauthor of Factfulness

“The Intelligence Trap is a ceaselessly fascinating book written by one of our most consistently superb science writers. Its counter-intuitive argument, that intelligence is no inoculation against wrongness, explains so much about the fractious and baffling times in which we live.”
- Will Storr, author of Selfie

“A fascinating and enjoyable investigation of what intelligence is and isn’t, by one of the most exciting new voices in science writing. This thought-provoking and brilliantly researched guide to achieving true wisdom shows us how to be smarter―and how to protect ourselves from the cleverest fools.”
- Gaia Vance, author of Adventures in the Anthropocene

Chapter Page
Introduction 1
Part 1 The downsides of intelligence: How a high IQ, education, and expertise can fuel stupidity
1. The rise and fall of the Termites: What intelligence is-and what it is not 11
2. Entangled arguments: The dangers of "dysrationalia" 38
3. The curse of knowledge: The beauty and fragility of the expert mind 65
Part 2 Escaping the intelligence trap: A toolkit for reasoning and decision making
4. Moral algebra: Toward the science of evidence-based wisdom 89
5. Your emotional compass: The power of self-reflection 115
6. A bullshit detection kit: How to recognize lies and misinformation 138
Part 3 The art of successful learning: How evidence-based wisdom can improve your memory
7. Tortoises and hares: Why smart people fail to learn 167
8. The benefits of eating bitter: East Asian education and the three principles of deep learning 190
Part 4 The folly and wisdom of the crowd: How teams and organizations can avoid the intelligence trap
9. The makings of a "dream team": How to build a supergroup 215
10. Stupidity spreading like wildfire: Why disasters occur-and how to stop them 238
Epilogue 261
Appendix: Taxonomies of Stupidity and Wisdom 265
Notes 271
Acknowledgments 311
Illustration Credits 313
Index 315

An eye-opening examination of the stupid things smart people do―and how to cultivate skills to protect ourselves from error.

Smart people are not only just as prone to making mistakes as everyone else, they may be even more susceptible to them. This is the "intelligence trap," the subject of David Robson’s fascinating and provocative book.

The Intelligence Trap explores cutting-edge ideas in our understanding of intelligence and expertise, including "strategic ignorance," "meta-forgetfulness," and "functional stupidity." Robson reveals the surprising ways that even the brightest minds and most talented organizations can go wrong―from some of Thomas Edison’s worst ideas to failures at NASA, Nokia, and the FBI. And he offers practical advice to avoid mistakes based on the timeless lessons of Benjamin Franklin, Richard Feynman, and Daniel Kahneman.