Rocket scientists and brain surgeons aren't smarter than everyone else: study
By: Daniel Otis - CTV News (Canada Television News)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Rocket scientists and brain surgeons aren't smarter than everyone else: study
A new study attempts to determine if the phrases ‘It’s not rocket science’ and ‘It’s not brain surgery’ are justified by higher intelligence. (Shutterstock)
A team of researchers has attempted to determine if the phrases “It’s not rocket science” and “it’s not brain surgery” are justified.
By comparing the intelligence of 329 aerospace engineers, 72 neurosurgeons and 18,257 members of the public, their new study suggests those in these esteemed professions are no smarter than the rest of us.
“'It’s not rocket science’ and ‘It’s not brain surgery’ are common phrases that describe concepts or tasks that are easily understood or performed,” the neurosurgeon-led study stated. “Although some public debate has occurred as to which pursuit is more difficult, it seems that the two phrases have not been subjected to rigorous scientific scrutiny.”
The peer-reviewed study was published Monday in the Christmas edition of The BMJ , formerly known as The British Medical Journal . The BMJ ’s annual Christmas issue features quirky and lighthearted academic papers.
In this one, researchers used online tests to measure several aspects of cognition, including memory, attention and problem-solving speed. Although equally matched in most regards, they found aerospace engineers showed better mental manipulation while neurosurgeons exhibited better semantic problem solving. Compared to the general population, neurosurgeons could solve problems faster, but had slower memory recall, while aerospace engineers displayed no significant difference.
“It is possible that both neurosurgeons and aerospace engineers are unnecessarily put on a pedestal and ‘It’s a walk in the park’ or another phrase unrelated to a career might be more appropriate,” the study concluded. “It is also possible that other professions might deserve to be on that pedestal, and future work should aim to determine the most deserving group.”
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It's comforting to know that we're all just as smart as brain surgeons and aerospace engineers. So why aren't we rich?
It's more important to be a good student than to be highly intelligent when your chosen profession requires a lot of schooling. There's also something to be said about singular focus, the sooner you choose your path and the more time and energy you put into it the further you'll go within the limitations of your own intellect.
Don't need a study to know that.
Some of the dumbest people i've ever met were the most educated.
LOL
I have several barrels of monkeys punching away on my keyboard and they're all Banana Principals from la République sans Principes.
But surely you know that it would take an infinite number of monkeys typing on keyboards to type out the complete works of Shakespeare, or even Hamlet.
And you surely know my monkeys are ahead of the game ...
Sorry, Hallux, but YouTube is blocked here.