Skip to main content

Main menu

  • HOME
  • ONLINE FIRST
  • CURRENT ISSUE
  • ALL ISSUES
  • AUTHORS & REVIEWERS
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • RESOURCES
    • About BJGP
    • Conference
    • Advertising
    • BJGP Life
    • eLetters
    • Librarian information
    • Alerts
    • Resilience
    • Video
    • Audio
    • COVID-19 Clinical Solutions
  • RCGP
    • BJGP for RCGP members
    • BJGP Open
    • RCGP eLearning
    • InnovAIT Journal
    • Jobs and careers
    • RCGP e-Portfolio

User menu

  • Subscriptions
  • Alerts
  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
British Journal of General Practice
  • RCGP
    • BJGP for RCGP members
    • BJGP Open
    • RCGP eLearning
    • InnovAIT Journal
    • Jobs and careers
    • RCGP e-Portfolio
  • Subscriptions
  • Alerts
  • Log in
  • Follow bjgp on Twitter
  • Visit bjgp on Facebook
  • Blog
  • Listen to BJGP podcast
Advertisement
British Journal of General Practice

Advanced Search

  • HOME
  • ONLINE FIRST
  • CURRENT ISSUE
  • ALL ISSUES
  • AUTHORS & REVIEWERS
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • RESOURCES
    • About BJGP
    • Conference
    • Advertising
    • BJGP Life
    • eLetters
    • Librarian information
    • Alerts
    • Resilience
    • Video
    • Audio
    • COVID-19 Clinical Solutions
Life & Times

Books: The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Do Stupid Things and How to Make Wiser Decisions

Brain Power

Hilary Lavender
British Journal of General Practice 2020; 70 (691): 81. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp20X707981
Hilary Lavender
London. Email:
Roles: Retired GP
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: hilary.lavender@gmail.com
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info
  • eLetters
  • PDF
Loading
David Robson Hodder & Stoughton, 2019, HB, 352pp, £20.00, 978-1473669833
Figure1

‘A great many people think they are thinking, when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.’ (William James, 19th-century psychologist)

The Intelligence Trap is written for anyone who wants to escape the above mistake — a user’s guide to both the science and art of wisdom. The author asks three questions: why do smart people act stupidly? What skills and dispositions are they missing that can explain these mistakes? And, how can we cultivate those qualities that protect us from these errors? Robson is an award-winning science journalist working with BBC Future, where he specialises in psychology, neuroscience, and medicine. His skill as a journalist makes him readable and entertaining while his scientific approach makes him credible.

Robson engages us with stories; he reviews the scientific literature (notes and references of over 50 pages) and also describes his interviews with researchers exploring intelligence and wisdom.

Part 1 defines the problem. We explore the flaws in our understanding of intelligence and the ways that even the brightest of minds can backfire — from Arthur Conan Doyle’s dogged beliefs in fairies to the FBI’s flawed investigation into the Madrid bombings of 2004 — and the reasons why knowledge and expertise can exaggerate these errors.

Part 2 presents solutions to these problems by introducing the new discipline of ‘evidence-based wisdom’ (EBW), which outlines those other thinking dispositions and cognitive abilities crucial for good reasoning. It offers some practical techniques to cultivate EBW. We discover why our intuitions often fail and the ways we can correct those errors to fine-tune our instincts. We explore strategies to avoid falling for misinformation and fake news so that we can be sure that our choices are based on solid evidence rather than wishful thinking.

Part 3 turns to the science of learning and memory. Despite their brain power, intelligent people sometimes struggle to learn well, reaching a plateau in their abilities that fails to reflect their potential. EBW can help to break that vicious cycle by offering three rules for deep learning — rules that explain why East Asian education systems are so successful.

Part 4 explores the reasons why talented groups can act stupidly — from the failings of the England football team to the crises of huge organisations like BP, Nokia, and NASA.

There is a section on intuitive-based diagnostic errors by doctors, and how simple rational measures can reduce the rate of error. However, diagnostic errors take up only a few pages — this is a book that explores individuals and organisations from all areas of society.

The Intelligence Trap may help us not only make better decisions about patients, but also in our personal lives. It could be useful in our teaching by inspiring students to improve their thinking and learning skills. However, beyond being useful, I just found this book fascinating.

‘Life is short, and the Art long; the occasion fleeting; experience fallacious; and judgement difficult’. (Hippocrates).

  • © British Journal of General Practice 2020
View Abstract
Back to top
Previous ArticleNext Article

In this issue

British Journal of General Practice: 70 (691)
British Journal of General Practice
Vol. 70, Issue 691
February 2020
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author
Download PDF
Download PowerPoint
Article Alerts
Or,
sign in or create an account with your email address
Email Article

Thank you for recommending British Journal of General Practice.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person to whom you are recommending the page knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Books: The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Do Stupid Things and How to Make Wiser Decisions
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from British Journal of General Practice
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from British Journal of General Practice.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Books: The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Do Stupid Things and How to Make Wiser Decisions
Hilary Lavender
British Journal of General Practice 2020; 70 (691): 81. DOI: 10.3399/bjgp20X707981

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero

Share
Books: The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Do Stupid Things and How to Make Wiser Decisions
Hilary Lavender
British Journal of General Practice 2020; 70 (691): 81. DOI: 10.3399/bjgp20X707981
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
  • Mendeley logo Mendeley

Jump to section

  • Top
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info
  • eLetters
  • PDF

More in this TOC Section

  • Yonder: Locum doctors, testicular pain, chaplaincy services, and mumsnet
  • Gut feeling is changing in the post-coronavirus world
  • And then there was one
Show more Life & Times

Related Articles

Cited By...

Advertisement

BJGP Life

BJGP Open

 

@BJGPjournal's Likes on Twitter

 
 

British Journal of General Practice

NAVIGATE

  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • All Issues
  • Online First
  • Authors & reviewers

RCGP

  • BJGP for RCGP members
  • BJGP Open
  • RCGP eLearning
  • InnovAiT Journal
  • Jobs and careers
  • RCGP e-Portfolio

MY ACCOUNT

  • RCGP members' login
  • Subscriber login
  • Activate subscription
  • Terms and conditions

NEWS AND UPDATES

  • About BJGP
  • Alerts
  • RSS feeds
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

AUTHORS & REVIEWERS

  • Submit an article
  • Writing for BJGP: research
  • Writing for BJGP: other sections
  • BJGP editorial process & policies
  • BJGP ethical guidelines
  • Peer review for BJGP

CUSTOMER SERVICES

  • Advertising
  • Contact subscription agent
  • Copyright
  • Librarian information

CONTRIBUTE

  • BJGP Life
  • eLetters
  • Feedback

CONTACT US

BJGP Journal Office
RCGP
30 Euston Square
London NW1 2FB
Tel: +44 (0)20 3188 7679
Email: journal@rcgp.org.uk

British Journal of General Practice is an editorially-independent publication of the Royal College of General Practitioners
© 2021 British Journal of General Practice

Print ISSN: 0960-1643
Online ISSN: 1478-5242