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Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

scientificamerican.com

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Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#71

Post by mlevental »

rb808 wrote: post #40

Related: 'George W. Bush is smarter than you'. Elite leaders often make themselves look dumber than they really are. https://keithhennessey.com/2013/04/24/smarter/

this is a crock. it was a crock when it was written and it's still a crock now. the idea that someone can for 8 years in the spotlight disguise themselves so much so that appear wholly opposite is ludicrous. it takes months for professional actors to produce 90 minutes of performance - the guy was on camera for literally weeks. he's not "smarter than you" this kind of revisionist nonsense is politically motivated - people were saying the same exact thing about Trump before he took office and we are now all very sure it's not the case.

Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#72

Post by rossdavidh »

invalidOrTaken wrote: post #27

>The study’s lead author, John Antonakis, a psychologist at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, suggests leaders should use their intelligence to generate creative metaphors that will persuade and inspire others—the way former U.S. President Barack Obama did. “I think the only way a smart person can signal their intelligence appropriately and still connect with the people,” Antonakis says, “is to speak in char…

It would be nice, before giving Barack Obama as an example of how to act, to present some evidence that he was an exception to this trend. For example, was his IQ significantly above 120? I'm not saying it was or wasn't, or that he was or wasn't perceived as an effective leader, but they give no reason why this data point should be an example to follow.

Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#74

Post by Jtsummers »

jasonkostempski wrote: post #52
invalidOrTaken wrote: post #27

>The study’s lead author, John Antonakis, a psychologist at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, suggests leaders should use their intelligence to generate creative metaphors that will persuade and inspire others—the way former U.S. President Barack Obama did. “I think the only way a smart person can signal their intelligence appropriately and still connect with the people,” Antonakis says, “is to speak in char…

Maybe the title should be "Why Really Dumb People Dislike Really Smart Leaders". "Talk to them like they're five" is what that suggestion sounds like to me.

There's a difference between metaphors and speaking down to someone. When I talk about topics in CS or mathematics with my girlfriend or some members of my family, I speak in metaphors. I don't speak to them like they're five. I speak to them like they're intelligent people who have a model of the world that is different than mine or the things I want to discuss, and I relate my work or interests to their models.

Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#75

Post by korethr »

oblib wrote: post #5

When I was a kid my family would often chide me for using "big words" and told I was trying to "impress everyone" doing that. The truth is, I was just trying to relate something I'd learned and thought was interesting and every time that happened I was kind of shocked and left wondering how they'd missed the gist of what I was talking about. My own mother did it. I finally stopped sharing things I thought they'd atta…

I've encountered similar from people, though I don't recall getting hostility from my immediate family as a child. Rather, I was praised for being smart. Though it's not like that didn't lead to problems of its own.

> "Why are you always trying to impress everyone by using big words."

The thing is, sometimes I am trying to impress for one reason or another, good or bad. Other times, I'm trying to communicate with precision because I think there are nuances to hand which are important to be aware of. In the later case, it can be especially frustrating. After the first set big words is not understood, my default reaction is to try to speak with even more precision. Thus come bigger words, thus less understanding, and so the feedback loop goes.

Which leads me to my next point. Communication and understanding are key. It is goddamned alienating when communication and understanding break down consistently. And they easily do when there's a gap in relative intelligence between people. I suspect this is at least partially the cause for the results in the article. I've found it easier to relate to people who seem to be of similar intelligence. People whom are significantly more or less so are harder to communicate with. If it's hard to understand what one's leader is doing or why, is one going to trust him much? Or is one more likely to feel suspicious or resentful?

Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#76

Post by QAPereo »

mlevental wrote: post #71
rb808 wrote: post #40

Related: 'George W. Bush is smarter than you'. Elite leaders often make themselves look dumber than they really are. https://keithhennessey.com/2013/04/24/smarter/

this is a crock. it was a crock when it was written and it's still a crock now. the idea that someone can for 8 years in the spotlight disguise themselves so much so that appear wholly opposite is ludicrous. it takes months for professional actors to produce 90 minutes of performance - the guy was on camera for literally weeks. he's not "smarter than you" this kind of revisionist nonsense is politically motivated - p…

Some people probably can, but then in addition to being intelligent he’d have to be an incredibly talented and disciplined actor.

Unlikely.

Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#77

Post by coldtea »

guelo wrote: post #65
roenxi wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If putting economists in charge somehow curtails monopolies, externalised costs, tragedies of the commons and boom and bust business cycles then someone really should sit down and get that news out there. Nothing I've heard suggests economists outperform a healthy democratic process. Monetary policy is one that is more up for debate - it seems reasonable that it can have a positive effect on gdp, but something has de…

In healthy democracies politicians seek advice from economists for their policy proposals.

Or, usually, just seek the "expert" support from economists for validating policies that promote their and their backers interests...

Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#78

Post by whatshisface »

WalterBright wrote: post #16

There could be something else at work here. My father told me that con men preferred to go after smart people, like doctors. The reason is that smart people thought they were too smart to get conned, and hence were more gullible. He was also an economist, and told me that there wasn't an economist born who could stand the idea that the economy would run better (i.e. free market) without their "help". And I've noticed…

>the economy would run better (i.e. free market) without their "help".

That's impossible, because if the right answer is to leave the market alone then economists can help gather the political will to stay the visible hand - and if the right answer is to change things then the right person to have decide what to do is someone that has thought deeply about it, by definition making them an economist.

Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#79

Post by coldtea »

hyperpape wrote: post #37
WalterBright wrote: post #16

There could be something else at work here. My father told me that con men preferred to go after smart people, like doctors. The reason is that smart people thought they were too smart to get conned, and hence were more gullible. He was also an economist, and told me that there wasn't an economist born who could stand the idea that the economy would run better (i.e. free market) without their "help". And I've noticed…

"He was also an economist, and told me that there wasn't an economist born who could stand the idea that the economy would run better (i.e. free market) without their "help"." What exactly are you saying? Economists tend to lean somewhat libertarian, though like any field, there are a range of political opinions.

They tend to lean libertarian in lip service, and somewhere closer to Stalin in their insistence on their vital role in policy suggestions.

Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#80

Post by kirRoyale »

rossdavidh wrote: post #72
invalidOrTaken wrote: post #27

>The study’s lead author, John Antonakis, a psychologist at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, suggests leaders should use their intelligence to generate creative metaphors that will persuade and inspire others—the way former U.S. President Barack Obama did. “I think the only way a smart person can signal their intelligence appropriately and still connect with the people,” Antonakis says, “is to speak in char…

It would be nice, before giving Barack Obama as an example of how to act, to present some evidence that he was an exception to this trend. For example, was his IQ significantly above 120? I'm not saying it was or wasn't, or that he was or wasn't perceived as an effective leader, but they give no reason why this data point should be an example to follow.

Isn't it obvious what their reason is?
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