Don’t underestimate the importance of being dumb in an oversmart world. There are evolutionary advantages of being stupid when everyone is trying to be overintelligent!
Nona Walia
In a world of over-intelligent, if anything -- be stupid. We are forever encouraged to become smarter — to gain IQ points, to work smarter. Be smarter. We have a world now, where everyone is super intelligent. Yet, it’s taking us nowhere.
So, there’s a catch: how about trying to be stupid.
Researcher David Dunning famous for studying stupidity, also known as the stupidity researcher believes stupidity is nothing but ‘intellectual humility’. When everyone around you is overintelligent, being stupid the new smart. Mats Alvesson, coined the word -- ‘functional stupidity’, he claims that discouraging employees from expressing doubts and challenging management decisions can lead to a company’s downfall, “functional stupidity is to ask critical questions.’ Politics needs a high level of stupidity.
The world after the pandemic might not need over intelligent people but needs some functional stupidity. We need the right amount of stupidity to break the stereotype.
In their book, The Stupidity Paradox, André Spicer and Mats Alvesson debate how organizations hire smart people, but then positively encourage them not to use their intelligence.
Our education and working system glorifies intelligence. Yet, companies are crashing and systems are failing. Should we then stop glorifying intelligence? I recently read somewhere ‘dumb is the new smart’! When we’re unintelligent, we see the world —with curiosity, openness to new ideas, and with different perspectives. Being less bright allows us to increase our creativity, and we learn faster by asking dumb questions.
In his research paper — The Importance of Stupidity in scientific research by Michael A. Schwartz, captures what I love the concept of ‘absolute stupidity’ or ‘scientifically productive stupidity’. Every scientist lives through trial and error. Some level of stupidity leads to a new invention.
A post entitled ‘Dumb is the New Smart’ on the Columbia Business School blog written by Brian Belardi discovers those who want to get ahead in this tough economy should stop trying to be the smartest guys in the room and focus on looking like the dumbest, “we need to ask most embarrassing questions no matter how dumb they maybe. Always be prepared to ask the most stupid questions.”
In a start-up culture, this advice is gold.
If we don’t embrace stupid as the new smart we will become irrelevant. Ben Horowitz, cofounder of VC firm Andreessen Horowitz believes, “Every time you have a breakthrough idea, it’s going to look like a stupid idea. If it looked like a good idea, it wouldn’t be innovative.”
Successful people don’t avoid stupid, they lean into it . . . in a smart, strategic and systematic way!
There are varying degrees of stupidity. It’s interesting to personally discover the ones that might be favourable to you. Be warned about the absoluteness of collective stupidity, for it can play havoc.
So, how comfortable are you with your own stupidity?
(Nona Walia is a successful journalist and writer. She’s the author of The Art of Mental Toughness: Survival Lessons from the Pandemic. A motivational expert, she is passionate about helping people live their lives in the best possible way. A wellness warrior and a wellness blogger, she has done certified online course on Science of Well-Being from the Yale University. She has worked with The Times of India for 24 years as a Senior Assistant Editor and is also the acclaimed writer of many articles for Thrive Global, Entrepreneur Magazine India, Her Circle. Her forthcoming book Own Your Energy will be out in November 2022)