Are people born smart? | Richard Haier and Lex Fridman

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GUEST BIO:
Richard Haier is a psychologist specializing in the science of human intelligence.

PODCAST INFO:

SOCIAL:

[superyRun]

It's so clear and obvious for us that some people are born physically taller, some might be born smaller. But at the same time we struggle to accept that some folks are born smarter, and some folks might be born less smart.

[michaelwojcicki]

Born intelligent is a gift, utilizing it fully is something learned.

[alexmtinajer]

I always felt extremely unintelligent during my school days. When I got to College a fire of motivation seeped through my brain and radically changed my input of information thus creating a completely new individual. Motivation, environment, consistency, and reading changed my whole perspective and output. Morality and intelligence on the other hand are 2 completely different things

[IbramGaunt]

No one seems to mind saying that some people are born with superior physical genetics but for some reason have an issue admitting that some people may be born with superior mental genetics. Everyone stands up for the mentally weak but not the physically.

[AjaxDGonzo]

This is a great example of a clip that has me now going to watch the full episode. Much love to ALL Lex Friedman fans.

[Agrestic]

This topic reminds me of experiences that myself and many, many others experience during early and middle childhood years. Very many people give accounts of having a very easy time absorbing information at an early age; reading at a college level or above before their teens, exceptional understanding of mathematics, artistically inclined, very logical, etc. Of course, in these anecdotal accounts, all of this is either lost or fails to advanced past a certain plateau during the latter stages of pubescence. Whether this is "genetic" or "conditioned" intelligence, clearly things can change rather easily depending on your environment.

For the record, I'm not implying that I, nor any of the others that may have had this experience, are geniuses or what have you.

[sullystpatrick]

Reading a lot at an early age cultivates practical and creative thinking and you consciously and subconsciously end up absorbing a variety of info and perspective outside of yourself. If there’s one brain hack to becoming more intellectual than you otherwise would have been, it’s reading, regardless of being born with superior intelligence or not

[Mskill]

As someone who grew up with a lot of smart people around him from doctors to phds and friends who work for boeing, NASA, tech giants, founders, Feds etc. Genetics play a huge role but even the dumbest people can become experts in subjects if they are use to working hard and staying committed. Parenting and working hard in younger age is very important, those habbits and hobbies carry forward rest of your lives. I had adhd, I did good and bad at school/uni depending on motivation at the time but still struggle with my working habbits, I doubt would have ever completed my uni if my parents weren't so supportive and pushy. I see people who have habbit of working hard and stay committed do well off. I think some Intelligence is innate but rest is built up by environment, obviously some cases are outliers.

[aztronomy]

Absolutely. There were some folks in my calculus class who could grasp a subject in a single session. They wouldn’t even need to study much. I’d study all night trying to pass the class. They’d get an A and I’d get an c if I was lucky. However I was always the class presenter and communicator, as they didn’t like that aspect of presenting a project. Sure enough I ended up as the sales engineer, and they ended up as the senior developers haha.

[Padthai_Shrimp]

I remember the smart kids could go to lecture and adsorb all the information. Me on the other hand, had to study an extra 8 hours. Smart people's brains are just more efficient. I had to waste so much more time trying to catch up.

[ienjoyapples]

His response doesn't get rid of the problem. It's true that intelligent people aren't necessarily kind, honest or likeable. But intelligence doesn't negate these qualities either. You could, in principle, have a person who is incredibly intelligent, kind, honest and likeable. In that case, is that person better than others?

[marvinkansiime]

Intelligence is just another quantifiable trait in humans like height, strength, etc. I liked when Richard said that more intelligence is better but more intelligence doesn't make you a better human being.
It just so happens that the era in which we live values (needs) intelligence more. Thousands of years ago, physical strength was probably a more useful trait.

[rdEarlRussell]

“All people are born equal” is not and never was about differences in look, skill, innate ability or so on. It’s an ethical statement to the effect that everone is equal in moral worth regardless of physical or mental characteristics.

[G]

intelligence can also be gained with hard work so dont give up yall

[babbslab]

Ignorance is bliss. Sometimes I wish I thought less

[christianbolt]

The brightest people if put in the right societal structure, they greatly benefit everyone. All the greatest innovations have brought huge benefits to all of us.

[geauxracerx]

Intelligence does not always protect one from bad ideas
Intelligent people are still people and are prone to do and say stupid things at times also

[Dutchman]

4:43 the vast number of people using any distraction conceivable to run from their problems would suggest yes, there are many circumstances in which people would choose outright not to grow and develop further

[thecurious]

Why did they start talking about 'good' and 'bad'. I thought this was going to be about whether some people are born with intellectual advantages. The thumbnail shows Magnus Carlsen. So i thought this discussion would be about Mozart, Einstein, genius chess players etc

[pfschuyler]

Some are certainly born much smarter than others. But a brilliant dog is much easier to train than a dull one. And an Evil genius is merely more efficient at being Bad than a less precise mind. The problem lies in the assumption that greater intelligence, by itself, equates to 'better' outcomes for oneself or others. Intelligence alone certainly fails that test. It's one factor, among many variables in a sea of shifting consequences. And what good is any trait, if not to serve better outcomes?