Belief

A common myth most of us intuitively accept is that there is a negative correlation between intelligence and belief, as intelligence goes up belief in superstition and magic goes down. This is not the case, especially as you move up the IQ spectrum. In professions in which everyone is above average intelligence , doctors, lawyers, engineers, there is no relationship with intelligence and success because at that level other variables come in to play that determine career outcomes, ambition, time allocation, social and networking skills, luck and so on. Similarly, when people encounter claims that they know little about intelligence is not a major factor in belief, with one exception, once people commit to a belief, the smarter they are the better they are at rationalising those beliefs. Thus, smart people believe wired things because they are skilled at defending beliefs they arrived at for stupid reasons.