Rocket scientists and brain surgeons are not necessarily smarter than the rest of us, study finds

[Mr. Sparkle]

Rocket scientists and brain surgeons aren’t necessarily any smarter than the general population, a new U.K. study has found, challenging long-held assumptions about these professions.

The phrases “it’s not rocket science” and “it’s not brain surgery” are often used to describe tasks that are easily performed, in comparison to the high-level intelligence required to do those jobs.

However, a study published Monday in the BMJ sought to finally put to rest the argument as to whether rocket scientists or brain engineers are smarter.

It asked participants in the study to complete the “Great British Intelligence Test” by artificial intelligence platform Cognitron, seeing how both sets of professionals fared across aspects of cognition, which spanned planning and reasoning, working memory, attention, and emotion-processing abilities.

The study used the results from 329 aerospace engineers and 72 neurosurgeons internationally, comparing them against the scores of more than 18,000 Britons who had previously completed the test.

The authors of the study said there was “no significant difference” in how aerospace engineers scored across any of the areas versus the general U.K. population. Meanwhile, neurosurgeons only showed faster problem solving and slower memory recall, compared to the wider population.

In fact, 90% of Britons scored above average on at least one aspect of intelligence, which the authors of the study said illustrated the “importance of studying multiple domains that make up a concept of intelligence rather than a single measure.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/14/rocket-scientists-brain-surgeons-not-necessarily-smarter-study.html

[doc03]

1. Prime example Dr. Ben Carson. nt

[Goodheart]

2. Rocket scientists smarter than the rest of us? I accept that. Brain surgeons? Hell no.

[uponit7771]

3. Educated and intelligent are two different things

[no_hypocrisy]

4. And problem solving. And creativity.

[spooky3]

5. How can 90% score above average on any single test? Nt

[Silent3]

9. "on at least one aspect of intelligence"

The test had multiple parts, measuring multiple types of intelligence. 90% of people had at least one sub-score higher than average, which is not surprising at all.

[spooky3]

13. Thank you; the article could have been more clearly written. Nt

[Effete Snob]

12. Well, just glancing at the first ten replies in this thread....

[tblue37]

6. Ben Carson proved that brain surgeons don't have to be smart. Surgeons are highly skilled

technicians.

[LakeArenal]

7. Skills don't necessarily mean smart.

Steady hands and competency are not the same as intelligence.

[LiberalFighter]

8. I agree.

A rocket scientist or brain surgeon are not necessarily intelligent in other aspects of life or areas of expertise.

[hunter]

10. It's an aspect of focus.

Brain surgery and rocket science require an ability to focus on a very narrow set of problems; a kind of intellectual focus that few of us ever achieve.

My grandfather was an aerospace engineer. Bits of his metal took men to the moon and back. Some of the metal he fashioned is now on the moon, floating in space, and in the Smithsonian. My grandfather was some kind of wizard with metals that were then considered exotic.

For all his smarts my grandfather's personal life was too frequently a rolling catastrophe. "Common sense" was not one of his talents. But that's probably how he ended up building moon rocket parts in the first place.

[PortTack]

11. This kind of nonsense fuels the fires of the cult. they think they are just as smart as the brain

Surgeon or the rocket scientist.

Dunning Kruger effect

[pecosbob]

14. Ever notice how when Republicans say it it becomes rocket surgeon or brain scientist?

Maybe I'm just imagining things.

[ck4829]

15. K&R

[Liberal In Texas]

16. I have an actual Rocket Science family member.

He knows his stuff about space exploration or launching a rocket. Worked at NASA Mission Control.

But the stuff outside of his job he's got about the same level of practical smarts as the rest of our family members. Sometimes good, sometimes you have to wonder "what was he thinking?"