3 ways to appear smarter than you are

"Cognitive ability remains the single best predictor of educational attainment, even after controlling for parental socioeconomic status. Large-scale longitudinal studies and meta-analyses have consistently shown that IQ predicts grades, years of education completed, and academic progression across cultures. It is also the most robust predictor of job performance, with validity coefficients that outperform individual personality traits, experience, and even employment interviews in most contexts."

"In fact, the higher the complexity of the job, the stronger the predictive power of intelligence. This is no fringe science. It is among the most replicated findings. Publicly, we prefer to celebrate more socially acceptable traits: emotional intelligence, grit, resilience, authenticity. These qualities are not irrelevant, but their predictive validity is often overstated."

"Privately, however, our behavior tells a different story. We assortatively mate on intelligence, meaning people tend to partner with others of similar cognitive ability. We invest heavily in education systems that select for or signal intelligence, from standardized testing to elite university admissions. We use proxies such as degrees, institutions, and job titles as shorthand for cognitive ability, even when we claim to reject the notion of IQ."

Cognitive ability is a highly consequential human trait that is socially difficult to discuss. Cognitive ability predicts educational attainment, including grades, years of education completed, and academic progression, even when parental socioeconomic status is controlled. Large-scale longitudinal studies and meta-analyses show consistent cross-cultural relationships. Cognitive ability also predicts job performance more robustly than individual personality traits, experience, and employment interviews in most contexts. Predictive power increases as job complexity increases. Socially preferred traits such as emotional intelligence, grit, and resilience are not irrelevant, but their predictive validity is often overstated. People tend to pair assortatively on intelligence, and education and hiring systems use tests, admissions, and credentials as proxies for cognitive ability.

Read at Fast Company