The Myth of an Asian IQ Advantage: The Truth is Somehow More Offensive

Join Malcolm and Simone Collins as they challenge popular misconceptions about race, IQ, and success. This thought-provoking discussion dives deep into the complex relationship between genetics, culture, and achievement, offering surprising insights that challenge both progressive and conservative narratives. Key topics include:

The truth about Asian-American academic success
Debunking the myth of significant racial IQ differences
The impact of immigration and cultural factors on group success
How class, rather than race, influences genetic advantages
The role of Confucianism in creativity and innovation
Why some immigrant groups outperform others
The fallacy of attributing success solely to individual effort

Whether you're interested in genetics, sociology, or the complex factors behind group achievement, this video offers a nuanced and data-driven perspective that will challenge your assumptions and broaden your understanding of human potential.

In this episode, we dive into a challenging discussion about the misconceptions surrounding IQ differences among ethnic groups. The script examines how factors like culture, socioeconomic class, and recent genetic bottlenecks impact intelligence and achievement. Utilizing studies and examples, such as American and Asian IQ comparisons by James Flynn, the episode dissects the flawed stereotypes and emphasizes that hard work, cultural expectations, and genetic influences play crucial roles. We also touch upon controversial topics like transracial adoptee IQs and the impact of Confucianism on creativity, culminating in a candid look at how class and genetics intersect with societal success.

00:00 Debunking Asian IQ Myths
00:45 Asian American Success: Hard Work Over IQ
01:14 Underrepresentation in Leadership
01:33 Controversial Discussions on IQ and Ethnicity
04:33 Malcolm Gladwell's Insights on Flynn Effect
10:06 Asian American Academic Effort
16:05 Discrimination and DEI in Corporate America
26:13 Genetic Variation and IQ Studies
35:11 Confucianism and Creativity
36:09 Cultural Dichotomies: Work and Play
37:10 The Offensiveness of IQ and Culture
38:10 Genetic Correlates and Social Class
38:55 Cuban and East Asian Immigrants
40:52 Taiwan's Unique Competence
43:59 The Persistence of Social Class
48:51 Cultural Sorting in the United States
51:03 Final Thoughts and Controversies
54:54 Outro and Personal Reflections

[SimoneandMalcolm]

This episode made me hate the classic fat lazy white female DEI agent f*cking over the Asian who worked 13 more hours than her a week growing up in this new system of institutionalized racism. Democrats never stopped being the party of institutional racism they just got smug about it.

[iviewthetube]

I think an asian broke into my house. When he left, all of my kid's homework was done.

[heeroyuy]

Why are asians high achieving? They diligently take the safe path.
Why are asians not influential? They diligently take the safe path.

[orman]

We never claimed we were smarter. It was just an American stereotype and stigma labeled to us. In fact, I can speak for the majority of Asian Americans that we don't even brag or state that we're smart.

We just study and try harder because we are instilled to be hard workers. We actually have really bad communication skills due to our culture and upbringing. It took me at the age of 31 years to break out of my bubble and start conversations. It brought out the best of myself, and my confidence in what I can achieve.

[StarFxPrime]

It’s not offensive to purport that Asians are not necessarily more intelligent but simply maximize probabilities of success by working harder, it just makes sense.
The “brute force” approach to attaining goals DOES work, it’s just more energy inefficient. People often confuse ‘smart’ with knowledgable.

[ipl]

Chinese have been winning the International Maths Olympiad for most of the last 30 years. And the US team for IMO also has mostly Asian people. How does that happen?

[Cnie-ec]

1. Studies on average IQ by ethnicity vary slightly, but generally, East Asians score around 100–110, while European-descended populations score around 90–100. I think this is an interesting difference.

2. The lack of Asian executives in American companies isn’t because Asians aren’t smart—it’s often due to systemic barriers like the “bamboo ceiling.” Just think about how most executives in Asian companies are also Asian.

3. While environmental factors can affect IQ, I believe genetics play a bigger role. Even siblings raised in the same environment often show significant differences in IQ.
Take South Korea, for example. It was once poorer than many African countries, yet in just 50 years, it became a developed nation. In the 1950s, Korea was in ruins, but by the 1980s, Koreans were developing autonomous cars.

4. Asia is incredibly diverse, with many countries at different stages of development. It’s too simplistic to group all Asians under one category like they do in the U.S.—that doesn’t reflect reality.

5. Honestly, American school curricula are pretty easy compared to what East Asian high schoolers learn. Look at the material and tests in countries like Korea, where exams like the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) assess reasoning skills under a strict curve. The standards are very high, and students are incredibly capable.
This shows that Koreans, on average, tend to be quite academically driven. There are many people worldwide who would struggle to keep up with what Korean students study, no matter how hard they try. China’s university entrance exams are also famously difficult, even though it’s still a developing country.

6. East Asians often view Europe or America with a sense of caution because, from their perspective, some behaviors seem unpredictable or unconventional. On the other hand, Europeans visiting East Asia often feel safe. This suggests that even small differences in group dynamics, like average intelligence, can have noticeable impacts on society.

7. While IQ has a genetic component, I think environmental factors—especially early childhood education—can’t be ignored. With the right cultural practices, a group’s collective IQ could improve over generations.

[jonathanyee]

These jocks insisted copying off me for this test because I was Asian. JOKES ON YOU. I was a delinquent. LOL They all bombed that test.

[sparty]

I worked for a Korean company and I saw how they raised their kids, the highly educated mother would be a "stay at home" mom who sole job was making sure the kids studied. Some of the Korean's were dispatched to the US and the kids couldn't believe everyone played sports, in Korea it was only the "stupid" kids who played sports. They just studied more.

[felixoupopote]

Oh my god... we're not discriminating against people because they have a genetic advantage, we're punishing people for working harder. Oh fucking HELL.

[AlecMuller]

These videos make me optimistic for the long term future of humanity. My takeaway is that that there is *a lot* of potential for improvement on *both* the genetic & cultural fronts.

[gisdaman]

Before watching the video, I just have to quickly insert my views, on the topic title of this video.

I'm Asian.
I eventually realised that I just had to work inefficiently longer and harder than others, to become better than them.
I'm not innately smarter than others.

If you look at many Asian countries, the kids just don't have much of a childhood, and are forced to cram in so much work after school, that often burn out with overwork, anxiety and depression.

[Buckfrisch]

I'm 54 and my wife and I are VERY worried about our future, gas and food prices rising daily. We have had our savings dwindle with the cost of living into the stratosphere, and we are finding it impossible to replace them. We can get by, but can't seem to get ahead. My condolences to anyone retiring in this crisis, 30 years nonstop just for a crooked system to take all you worked for.

[shanecormier]

My wife in Indian. One issue that's not understood by Americans is how much they help each other and hire only within their race. White Americans don't do that.

[NineInchTyrone]

They work hard because they are smart enough to work hard

[ajsena]

I would like to see a study of differences in impulse control and the ability to delay gratification between races. I'm Asian but I grew up in majority black neighborhoods and I can tell you I observed anecdotal differences.

[AprezaRenaldy]

The majority of Chinese politicians are engineering graduates.Vs United States law graduates .Marking the differences in Philosophy

[JoiskiMe]

As an Asian in the west, I can tell you, I was literally monitored by my parents. In junior high I spent 4-6 hours on homework and then the rest of the day practicing piano. It was exhausting....

[zabumbaman]

- Intelligence is completely unrelated with race!
- Well, that's good news. What is it related to then?
- Hard work.
- F*ck.

[martyspandex]

Malcolm, you're becoming increasingly rash in your beliefs and subsequent theories.

Please have Emile Kirkegaard on because this video is riddled with mistakes and false, homespun theories. 

You cite the Pygmalion effect as a cause for disparities when the effect is no longer recognised as valid, due to replication problems. Plus, you fail to recognise the main reason Indian immigrants are successful and cite some hare-brain idea about them being viewed as black. India works on a caste system, which is a form of eugenics, meaning those in the top caste, the Brahmin, select for IQ. And It is those from the Brahmin caste who then travel to the West to study, and outperform other groups in recruitment-cognitive tests, and end up being fast-tracked to managerial positions in tech companies. This is the reason why they are successful -- not because they are viewed as black by woke recruiters.

In other videos, you made the claim that schizophrenia and autism are opposite ends of the spectrum and that a schizophrenic is never diagnosed as autistic and vice versa. This is untrue. There are cases of schizophrenics who are also diagnosed with autism.

In yet another video, You made a lineage/historical argument for the right of Jews over Palestinians to live in Israel and the surrounding area by citing modern Jewish people have Canaanite DNA. While modern Jews in Israel do have Canaanite DNA, Palestinians also have Canaanite DNA at similar levels, so your argument is null and void.


You are damaging your credibility by making rash statements on subjects you're not well versed in. Please try being a little more humble and thoughtful in your approach. Oh, AND HAVE EMILE KIRKEGAARD ON SO HE CAN CORRECT YOU ON YOUR FALSE CLAIMS REGARDING IQ.