Why Do Smart People Make Bad Decisions? Intelligence, Cognitive Bias & the Psychology of Human Error
The Human ExperimentShow Notes
Why do smart people make bad decisions? This episode explores the psychology of human error and why intelligence alone cannot protect us from cognitive biases, overconfidence, confirmation bias, base-rate neglect, flawed mental models, or poor judgment. Ethan Reed examines intelligence versus rationality, cognitive reflection, metacognition, the Dunning-Kruger effect, dual-process theories, confidence versus accuracy, and the importance of disconfirming evidence. The episode also explores how experience, knowledge, emotion, and mental shortcuts influence human decision making. The central lesson is simple: thinking harder is not always the same as thinking better. Good reasoning requires knowing when to slow down, question assumptions, seek evidence that could prove you wrong, and remain willing to change your mind.
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