Average Americans Think They're Smarter Than the Average American

[IIamaKing]

nationbashing
Obvious
Go mods close this.
Let's be consistent in our policy.

HAHAHAHA Its bashing the US, thats ok, its in the fine print.

[haxartus]

IQ tends to favor people with strict logical and mathematical intelligence. This is not what intelligence is, it's only a part of it. There is social intelligence, musical intelligence, linguistic intelligence, logical/mathematical intelligence (measured by IQ), spatial intelligence (ability to work with complex imaginary 3D objects) and much, much more.
I don't consider people who have a just one type of intelligence developed as "smart". With enough time and effort, anyone can be taught how to solve, for example, partial differential equations. Doesn't meant that they are smart, just persistent.
A truly smart person will have several of these types developed well, and a genius will have nearly all. Such person, with all types of intelligence developed, will be able to make connections between seemingly unrelated fields and events (like a falling apple and the movement of stars) and think of solutions to problems that nobody has ever thought of before. Sounds familiar ?

There is a thing called neuroplasticity, which basically means that you can develop intelligences that you weren't born with. You literally create new neural pathways by learning something new, changing the physical structure of your brain. You can also lose them if you don't use them very often.

[Kuntantee]

People who are average or less tend to over estimate their own intelligence as the don't realise the depth of their ignorance.

people who are above average tend to underestimate it, as they recognize the areas they lack knowledge in.

So if you think you are smart chances are....

How about both?

[Exeris]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that that can apply to most people on this planet, not just Americans.

Not long ago we had a survey in Norway about driving, the average driver thought their driving skills were above average.

Makes sense, I'll say you have bigger problems if you go through life thinking you suck. (at least if you don't do anything about it)