I’m beginning to believe that reading about scientific studies in publications that try to press that whole, “Can you believe it?” angle is bad for the brain.

Here’s one that I just ran across: Brains no requirement for wealth:

A nationwide study found that people of below average intelligence were, overall, just about as wealthy as those in similar circumstances but with higher scores on an IQ test.

Why is this so shocking? The only rich people that we all tend to see on a regular basis are those wealthy, famous-and-can’t-handle-it folks on television.

Even if we consider the cabal of old-monied, out-of-sight rich people, their continued incredible wealth is a product of inertia as much as anything else.

More to the point, however, is this: we need to change the way we define intelligence. The ability to rapidly complete puzzles, or to create anagrams of long words without aid of pen or paper might be handy if you’re already rich (what with all that free time you’ve got), but they sure won’t get you to the promised land. (Or the gated community, for that matter.) The kind of intelligence tests that I’ve seen don’t seem to relate to any practical life skills.
I would contend that, beyond the possession of some basic common sense, we really don’t have our heads around that whole, “intelligence” thing. If we can learn anything from this study, however, it is this: stupid people can get rich, have gotten rich, and are currently rich. Wealth, therefore, is not a reliable indicator of intelligence, but the wealthiest people are often those with the most power.

Have a good day.