Intelligence helps to make money, but only up to a certain point: scientists called the amount
A new study suggests that extremely wealthy people are actually less intelligent than people who earn less.
Previously, researchers have assumed that intelligence correlates with economic success, but never took into account the relative ability of highly paid people, writes IFL Science .
It was assumed that the same 10% of the world’s population is significantly smarter or more hardworking than people who are less wealthy. This was especially true for the ultra-rich. However, a new study appears to debunk that myth.
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In a new study, scientists suggest that the richest people may actually not be particularly different from the rest when it comes to intelligence. Note that some correlation between success and intelligence still exists, but at some point it ceases to be relevant.
The study found that in nearly 60,000 men there is a strong relationship between intelligence and wages, but only as long as the latter does not exceed 64 thousand dollars a year. After this point, the correlation becomes less and less noticeable, and at some point even almost insignificant.
Strikingly, researchers suggest that the top 1% of the world’s super-rich people include less intelligent people than those who follow them. That is, super-success cannot be explained only by intellect, there is something else.
For the study, the researchers used data on nearly 60,000 men in their 40s — their cognitive scores on psychological and physical tests, as well as information about work collected at a younger age. The scientists later compared the data collected over 11 years and compared it with the wages and “prestige” of the work of recipients aged 35 to 45.
The results showed an expected increase in salary and prestige as cognitive abilities increased, but at some point they stabilized. This happened at the moment when wages reached the upper limit. For example, at $64,000 a year, there was no longer any difference in ability between those who earned more or less than this level, intelligence somehow did not rise above 70 prestige (this includes doctors, lawyers, and so on). What’s more, the researchers found that the top 1% of the best perform worse on cognitive tests than those who were lower in income.
Scientists note that their results are actually limited for a number of reasons, including due to the limited sample size. However, the authors hope to conduct a more extensive study. One way or another, scientists note that in search of an intellectual role model, it is better to rely not only on money, since the end result can unexpectedly disappoint.
