Average is above average

People like to think that they are smart. This can create a personal bias where people think that they are smarter than they really are. This means that most people think they are above average.


A lot of people like to point out this personal bias to insist that people aren't as smart as they think they are. That's actually an oversimplification. There are a couple other major influences on why so many people think that they are intelligent.

Intelligence is a matter of opinion. While there have been attempts to measure intelligence, there will never be a valid measure. The specifics of what qualifies as intelligence is highly variable depending on personal perspective. For example, I don't value memory as much as most people because I don't feel that it shows an ability for people to think for themselves. Memorizing is essentially repeating what others have told you. A lot of people are impressed by those who succeed on Jeopardy, but I personally consider Jeopardy to be among the most mindless shows on television.

The variability of how we view intelligence is a factor in the two concepts that I'm going to talk about. I'm going to start with how we develop our opinions regarding what makes someone an intellectual. This is similar to personal bias. Because people want to think that they are intelligent, the development of their opinions will reflect their mental strengths. I'm going to go back to my previous paragraph as an example. I can admit that memorization is not my forte. People who are more advanced in this regard are more likely to value a strong memory. Similarly, people who are weaker in independent thought are going to value independent thought less.

The other concept that I want to mention is mental development after our core opinions form. If we want to be viewed as intelligent, we should invest in what we consider to be intellectual pursuits. Since this can be variable, what you consider to be intellectual will likely be pursued more aggressively by you than others. For example, I might go into deep thought and try to expand my abilities while others might read an encyclopedia.

I try to respect the rights of others to have their own opinions. If you tell me that you are intelligent, I will usually (sorry teachers and politicians) trust you. If you insist that you are at an elite level, I am still likely to trust you. The way I see it, even the most average person is going to be at a high level when it comes to what they consider to be intelligence. Most people view themselves as above average. Most people are right in that regard.