Why do smart people believe stupid things?

Intelligence isn’t enough.

Just a heads up that I’m taking time off next week and will be back after Labor Day. Take care!  – Ken

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Why do smart people sometimes believe ridiculous things? It's a question that's puzzled me for years.

We've all met that person—the one with an impressive degree or a high-powered job who suddenly starts explaining how the moon landings were faked. How can people who are so smart in some ways be so gullible in others? It turns out, intelligence doesn't immunize you against irrationality—in fact, it can even make you more susceptible to believing weird stuff.

Isaac Newton figured out gravity and invented calculus during his free time. But he also spent years trying to predict the exact date of the apocalypse.

Steve Jobs was a visionary who changed the world by thinking differently, yet he wouldn’t let doctors operate on his highly curable cancer for nine months. Instead, he chose fruit diets, acupuncture … even a psychic. By the time he had surgery, it was too late.

So, what's going on? It turns out that our brains are wired in ways that make us all vulnerable, even when we think we're too smart for it. Raw intelligence doesn't protect you from boneheaded beliefs. In fact, being extra brainy might actually make you more susceptible to certain mental traps.

In my latest video, I dive into the hidden forces that lead people—even the brightest among us—to embrace irrational beliefs. These mental glitches affect us all, regardless of IQ.

Motivated Reasoning.  Smart people use their big brains to justify whatever they want to believe. Cherry-picking facts, twisting logic, rationalizing crazy ideas—a genius IQ can be weaponized to "prove" anything if you're motivated enough. 

Confirmation Bias.  We all tend to seek out and believe information that confirms what we already think. But, smart people can be extra vulnerable to this. They're skilled at finding evidence for their pre-existing beliefs and ignoring or discrediting anything that challenges them.

We're Wired For Stories.  Our brains are story-telling machines. We instinctively crave narratives to make sense of the world. And smart people can craft very convincing stories. The problem is, a compelling story isn't always a true one. The smarter you are, the more you need to check that seductive stories aren't leading you astray from hard data. 

Erosion of Trust. Finally, even the brightest minds can make bad choices when trust breaks down. As public faith in "expert" institutions crumbles, people turn to their own research and judgment.

Expertise can actually amplify these vulnerabilities in surprising ways. Smart people accustomed to being right become overconfident in their ability to reason about topics outside their specialty. They're extra skilled at cherry-picking data and arguments to rationalize their beliefs. 

The journey to being right can sometimes be tricky, and by understanding the pitfalls that trap even the brightest minds, we can better figure out the world. Even more, we just might avoid becoming that person spouting bizarre theories at the next dinner party.

The video’s fun and (I think) smart if you have the time! Please me know your thoughts if you do.

    –Ken