What geniuses get wrong about being “smart” | Barbara Oakley

With great genius comes great rigidity. Professor Barabara Oakley on how to stay mentally agile — and get smarter as a result.

Join Barbara Oakley as she delves into the concept of "Einstellung," a psychological phenomenon where our brains become stuck in one way of thinking. Oakley explains how this tendency to stick with what we know from an early age narrows our cognitive abilities, as unused brain connections are pruned away, limiting our potential to perceive and embrace new ideas.
Using her own personal anecdotes, Oakley illustrates the dangers of these echo chambers and the importance of maintaining open dialogues with differing viewpoints. She warns of the societal risks of polarization and the dismissal of opposing opinions, drawing parallels between historical and contemporary issues with fake news and the importance of critical thinking.

Whether you're looking to enhance your problem-solving skills or simply curious about the workings of the human mind, Oakley's insights offer a path towards a more flexible and enriched mental landscape. Join us to discover how to break free from mental ruts and embrace a life filled with learning and growth.

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❍ About The Well ❍

Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds.

So what do they think?

How is the power of science advancing understanding? How are philosophers and theologians tackling these fascinating questions?

Let’s dive into The Well.

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[jnbfrancisco]

I was an avionics instrument and autopilot system technician, instructor and tech rep for the USNR, USAF. Many times I and others became locked into an idea for the cause of a malfunction that was wrong. It made finding the real cause much more difficult. One of the great thing about fixing broken aircraft is that it doesn't get fixed until the actual cause of the malfunction is determined and repaired. No vagueness about the actual cause.

[cthamax]

Getting a PhD in mathematics, I work every day with literal geniuses and can tell you that one of the most defining qualities is adaptability. I’d argue it’s in fact the most important characteristic of genius for one to be able to abandon incorrect ideas and embrace new ways of thinking. Creative thinking is the life-blood of intellectualism and tbh we spend a lot of time in research specifically examining how our thinking is incorrect. I suppose we just have different experiences, but I don’t know any “geniuses” who got to be as smart as they are without making a mountain of mistakes along the way. That’s just how learning works. But maybe I missed the point.

[louisguerin]

One of the most common way for smart people to end up in a rut is to find out how to always "win" in disagreement. That makes them choose that direction of turning an exchange into a conflict they can win instead of getting the mindset of getting things right. (read that somewhere & I know it to be true for a bunch of people that see winning argument to be more important than getting things write including in scientific field 😢) *spelling mistakes correction

[MemphiStig]

I've spent my life trying to maintain an open, flexible, adaptive, curious, and teachable state of mind, and at 58 I see that most of the people my age have not, and they are trapped in rigid ways of thinking and interpreting the world which just don't hold up as time passes and things change. And regardless of what they think, they are certain they are right, and they have a lifetime of unshakable, pre-packaged opinions, few of which are or ever were valid. And they're not even what I would consider bad people. Just stuck.

[schoolofkuu]

Big difference between intelligence and wisdom. True genius, imo, requires creativity

[userMB]

Super intelligent people are also super skilled in rationalization. Intelligent doesn't mean smart. The latter is about making the right choices.
Arguably one of the most intelligent people to have ever lived is von Neumann. Yet he was involved in more than one hundred car accidents because he was reading books when driving.(Too soon for podcasts, ironically we owe a lot to him for having podcasts).
Another super genius is Pythagoras. He started one of the most insane cults ever! Isaac Newton has some crazy ideas about God and existence. Grandmaster Bobby Fischer was an anti-semite despite being Jewish himself. There are many examples.

Be smart, stay humble, openminded and curious

[L.I.T.H.I.U.M]

Clicked the "like" button with my left hand

[malakiblunt]

ironicaly - one of the biggest causes of echo chambers is the youtube algorithim - showing you an ever narrower view of only what you 'like'

[shiracohenyoga]

Thank you Barbara, a very important message for our current global situation. Keep the discussion open to dialogue about deeper issues even if we come from different poles or ideas.

[phivrl]

I love the original channel, was incredibly happy when notified of the creation of The Well but this video... man. Amazing content, thank you.

[jonathanspear]

So true. We learn by sharing and discussing ideas especially with those with a different perspective. Descartes understood this despite being a genius.

IMO we can choose to be dogmatic or choose to remain open to better ideas.

I choose to keep an open mind and try to learn something new every day.

[reginami]

I am astonished by the fact that you had been working for 7 years as a Russian translator. This language is really hard for understanding. You are an exceptionally fabulous and smart woman. Thanks a lot for this video. I've practiced my English

[Münsterdom]

lmao I was hella surprised as she mentioned the German word "Einstellung", it means how you posit yourself to certain things

[federicopettinicchio]

Very well said. I will listen to it again since it was so packed with valuable insights.

[k.h.]

I think Dumbledore put the paradox very succinctly: “I make mistakes like the next man. In fact, being--forgive me--rather cleverer than most men, my mistakes tend to be correspondingly huger.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

[shibfrite]

There are two definitions of the word “genius”:

1. Someone with great mental capacities and/or creativity.
2. Someone who has a natural ease in a given area.

Both are used and create confusion, as some people use the first definition, some use the second, and some use both. They are quite different, as someone with ease in, for example, neurology, may also be totally clueless in other areas, such as self-questioning.

If you use the first definition, geniuses can’t be very stubborn people, as it is a proof of lack of intelligence and creativity. If you use the second definition, then SOME geniuses are indeed stubborn people. But I wouldn’t call them geniuses; I would prefer the term “immature” personally.

Even so, not every genius has to be stubborn, as even if they’re often right, they aren’t always right. Thus, they can still learn from their mistakes, even if it’s harder than for most people.

So, this video is a bit… arrogant? It always talks about geniuses as if every single one of them was concerned, without presenting the used definition of the term. Presenting this as being a universal truth when it’s based on personal experience isn’t very wise.

[dzzzzzt]

I love Barbara Oakley. She's amazing: smart, clearly thinking - rational and open-minded. She's a role model to me regarding these things.

As I unfortunately spend quite some time on reddit (trying to quit it, too), I see the pitfalls and weaknesses she's talking about in almost every thread. It's generally how people there think: they live in echo chambers and repeat and think what they hear their peers repeat and think, a huge part of which can be traced to the biased media they're exposed to. It's a giant interconnected mess of irrational, emotional behavior/thinking.

It's driving me crazy and I'm working on leaving most of the communities there.

[Liravin]

i'd say the problem is that we label people as "geniuses" or "intelligent" or "smart" or "wise" in the first place instead of learning what those things are and seeing how those identities make us less wise.

[Adam-uiyn]

Flexibility, just like persistence with conviction both have their weaknesses and strengths. Flexibility is good when you're stuck on a problem and require a novel idea that basically unlocks your answer like a key. It's necessary when your approach is incorrect. Where as persistence shines when the approach is correct but it's proper execution has never been done before. This would be akin to finding your answer by digging it out and carefully extracting it. Persistence makes you realize there actually is nothing wrong with your approach, you just need more practice before you can learn to balance on a unicycle.

When to apply flexibility/change or persistence is a matter of whether your approach is correct or not, and that's impossible to know until after you've found your answer. There are many instances of exceptional discoveries made through trudging, grinding, and countless hours of work. There are also many instances where discoveries were made through eureka moments or completely novel approach .

[Morjixxo]

I find this really true. I suggest people to gain some knowledge of common biases. (Thinking Fast and Slow is a good book read).

Personally I tend to believe to be smarter, and found was my ego that refused to be wrong. My solution was shifting my Identity from "I am smart, therefore I can't be wrong" to "Since I am smart, I can admit I am wrong".
At the end is always superiority complex, but at least it's done in a good way XD