How should we measure cleverness?

CrowdScience

BBC

Science, Technology

4.8 • 985 Ratings

🗓️ 26 January 2024

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Presenter Marnie Chesterton and the team pit their wits against a multitude of mind-bending puzzles from an old TV gameshow - all in the name of answering a question from Antonia in Cyprus: how do we work out how clever someone is? Is IQ the best measure of cleverness? Why do we put such weight on academic performance? And where does emotional intelligence fit into it all?

In the search for answers Marnie and the team are locked in rooms to battle mental, physical, mystery and skill-based challenges, all against the clock.

Unpicking their efforts in the studio are a global team of cleverness researchers: Dr Stuart Ritchie from Kings College London, Prof Sophie von Stumm from York University and Dr Alex Burgoyne from Georgia Institute of Technology in the US.

They are challenged to face the toughest questions in their field: Why do men and women tend to perform differently in these tests? Is our smartness in our genes? And what about the Flynn Effect – where IQs appear to have risen, decade after decade, around the world.

Producer/presenter: Marnie Chesterton Editor: Richard Collings Production co-ordinator: Jonathan Harris

(Photo Man doing puzzle. Credit: Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of
0:07.0	Happiness Podcast.
0:08.0	For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want
0:14.4	to share that science with you.
0:16.1	And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley.
0:19.4	I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that
0:25.4	calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. This is crowd science from the BBC World Service and today the team are coming to you from an Aztec world.
0:43.4	And we've been in the space world.
0:45.2	In fact, there are a bunch of different worlds here.
0:46.8	Let me explain.
0:47.5	We're in a giant puzzle room called the Crystal Maze.
0:51.8	And with me are some of the presenters and producers who make this show and we're testing our smartness.
0:57.0	Now we could do this in a room with a bunch of multiple choice questions or we could have a little more fun which is why we're
1:04.0	essentially in this immersive IQ experience a series of challenges physical mental all
1:10.5	sorts of puzzles that members of our team will have to face in order to win the ultimate prize.
1:16.0	And it's all because we're trying to prove our cleverness.
1:20.0	And maybe this is a good way to measure that.
1:22.0	Over in Cyprus, our listener Antonia also wants to know how to quantify our smartness.
1:27.0	Hello, I am Antonia from Cyprus, and my question is, how should we measure cleverness? Now you're a university lecturer and I think
1:36.8	you're surrounded by clever people a lot, right? Yes. And that may have influenced you asking this question.
1:45.0	Yes, it has, especially during exam period that were marking assignments exams.
1:51.0	But I think it was triggered because of being immersed at the university and
	...

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