Steve Jobs had genius-level intelligence and built one of the largest and most influential companies in the world. This is impressive, but at the same time that Apple was achieving success, Jobs denied fathering his own daughter, was forced to take a DNA test, and ended up paying a tiny amount of child support for her entire youth despite having millions. I never met Steve Jobs, but universally, he’s portrayed as a jerk. He’s the super-intelligent guy that you’d rather not invite over for dinner. So what good is a high IQ if your family and friends can’t stand you? What is the point of success if you have no one to share it with?  Intelligence is often put on a pedestal, but the trappings are often glazed over. On this week’s podcast, we’ll unpack the “intelligence trap” and provide a new perspective on contextualizing brainpower.

Listen & Learn: 

• Why smart people are prone to motivated reasoning 
• How entrenchment and earned dogmatism plague some of the best minds
• How to self distance to avoid the traps
• Why a growth mindset can keep you learning and changing with the times  

Links & Resources:

• Intelligence Trap Book
• David Robson’s Site

About Our GuestDavid Robson is a science writer based in London, UK, specializing in brains, bodies and behavior. He was a features editor at New Scientist for five years and is currently a senior journalist at BBC Future. He regularly features on the BBC World Service and his writing has also appeared in the Guardian, the Atlantic, and the Washington Post. His new book is called The Intelligence Trap. 

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