Michael, I don't think the study you cited is the only one of its kind. Some years ago, as I recall, there was a spate of articles pointing out that successful executives were not the "brightest," in terms of IQ scores. Do you remember the term "emotional intelligence" (not the best term in the world, IMO), which was coined to cover those mental qualities that are not measured by the standard IQ test? There was a book (or two) about "emotional intelligence." A large part of EI was said to be made up of what we call "intuition," which, in turn, can be broken down into intuitive understanding of how other people feel and think; the ability to grasp -- intuitively -- the connection between the parts of a given situation and the whole; ability to sense (again intuitively) where things are going, etc., etc.
Then, of course, there are traits of character (as distinct from intelligence) that contribute to success: optimism, the willingness to take risks, self-confidence, "take charge" attitude, etc., etc.
For that matter, in some jobs, being too "intelligent" can be a drawback. You question things; you kick against the pricks (metaphorically speaking only); you may even think what you are doing is ridiculous and pointless, in the grand scheme of things. And you just might be right. But it won't place you on the highway to success, conventionally understood.
No grammatical comments to make on your post, Michael. It's fine. :-)
Joan |
