How are Hi-Q People Similar and Different from the Average in Reaching Opinions?

The Difference 

During their formative years, Hi-Q people often experience success in school, receiving the approval of teachers and regular affirmation of their cognitive strengths. They become more confident in their ability to figure things out for themselves. With this, comes a habit of forming their own opinions, independent of the in-groups to which they belong. Sometimes people with significantly above-average processing skills think differently from others and find themselves unable to fit in socially. This widens the gap between themselves and the other members of their ingroup, increasing their inclination to reach opinions that may differ from group consensus. This means that people in the Hi-Q category usually have less ingroup loyalty and are more likely to reach opinions objectively, by observing and drawing their own conclusions. For example, it took Hi-Q people such as Copernicus and Galileo to dissent from the common consensus that the earth is the center of the solar system, and resist the indoctrination that was accepted by the majority. The greatest departures from consensus have almost inevitably come from those in the Hi-Q group, including Socrates, Confucius, Einstein, and Tesla.

Most people of average intelligence can self-reference to understand how the other members of their group feel, and have a closer social interaction with the ingroups to which they belong. This greater group cohesion prompts them to absorb the opinions of their ingroup by osmosis. By accepting the consensus of their ingroup they are valued as loyal members and receive the camaraderie and empathy that come with group membership. Furthermore, many in this group, never having felt themselves as intellectually advantaged, often lack the confidence to challenge the opinions formed by those who might have greater insight. This makes them less likely to challenge group opinion.

The Similarities

When a person has no emotional stake in an issue, it is much easier to reach an opinion by objective means; that is, by observing, collecting information, and drawing an unbiased inference. This is the way that Darwin reached his theory of evolution, and it is the process that is expected to underpin all research. However, when self-interest is involved, we have a stake in the conclusion and are inclined to skew the information and may draw an unwarranted inference. As psychologist Peter Ditto of the University of California asserts:

Motivated reasoning [i.e., forming opinions skewed by emotion] is a pervasive tendency of human cognition. People are capable of being thoughtful and rational, but our wishes, hopes, fears and motivations often tip the scales to make us more likely to accept something as true if it supports what we want to believe.

This is true for people of all intelligence levels; however, the Hi-Q people have more sophisticated cognitive tools to rationalize their “emotionally-based” decisions. Matthew Hornsey, professor of psychology at the University of Queensland who studies the processes that influence people to accept or reject scientific messages, states, “It’s almost as though the sophisticated approach to science gives [Hi-Q] people more tools to curate their own sense of reality,” https://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/05/alternative-facts

Years ago, I was golfing with my Hi-Q colleague, Sam (not his real name) who was an avowed socialist. A snippet of our conversation went like this:

Sam: Brendan, I see that you submit your receipts for charitable donations to reduce your taxes, but you should be happy to pay even more taxes, because it supports a better quality of life for all.

Brendan: But Sam, you told me that every year you give each of your sons $10,000. Why do you limit it to $10,000?

Sam: Well, that’s the maximum monetary gift that you can provide an offspring without incurring tax. This way, I can maximize what I give them.

Sam was a Hi-Q individual who did not choose to see any inconsistency in his reasoning, even when I challenged him. 

The tendency of Hi-Q people to abandon pure objective thinking when forming opinions with a high self-interest or emotional component was the most surprising (and disappointing) observation I’ve made. However, this tendency resides in all of us because it has proved to be a survival advantage in our evolution. We are first and foremost visceral beings, with an overlay of cerebral ability. When it comes to opinions on issues with a visceral or self-interest component, it seems that we’re all vulnerable to skewed judgments. However, when outside the domains of intuition and emotionally-motivated belief, the Hi-Q people are most likely to have better-informed opinions. See also: https://intelligenceandiq.quora.com/What-strange-thing-has-surprised-you-the-most-about-intelligent-people