Why Intelligent Women Stay Single Longer - Jordan Peterson

Summary

The script discusses the variability of traits and their utility in different environments, using IQ as an example. It highlights the abstract thinking abilities of humans, which allow for complex planning and the simulation of actions without executing them. The script also touches on Carl Popper's idea that the capacity for abstraction evolved to prevent harmful actions, allowing 'bad ideas' to be eliminated without personal risk. It suggests that intelligence, particularly the ability to abstract, may be linked to survival and reproductive success, and that cognitive abilities have been evolving in a sort of arms race between the sexes.

Takeaways

• 🧠 The utility of a trait depends on the environment, so assuming any position on the normal distribution is preferable is not always accurate.
• 📈 An exception might be IQ, where higher IQs correlate with better performance, especially in complex societies.
• 🚫 With higher IQ, especially in women, there can be a paradoxical decrease in the probability of finding a mate due to dominance hierarchies in mating.
• 🤔 There are potential limitations to the utility of intelligence in reproduction that are not yet fully understood.
• 🔄 Two value structures are identified: one that capitalizes on social groups (extroverted) and another that maintains order (conscientious).
• 🌐 Cognitive ability allows for abstract modeling, a significant leap for humans compared to other animals.
• 👀 The human brain's pre-motor cortex allows for envisioning potential actions, a precursor to abstract thinking.
• 🧠 The evolution of the brain has led to the development of the ability to think about how to think about how to move, enabling abstract planning.
• 📚 Carl Popper's idea suggests that the capacity for abstraction evolved so that bad ideas could be weeded out without endangering the individual.
• 🧬 The development of intelligence might be linked to survival and reproductive success, as smarter individuals tend to fare better in life.
• 🔄 An evolutionary cognitive arms race between males and females might have driven the significant cortical expansion in humans over the past seven million years.

Q & A

What does the utility of a trait depend on according to the script?

The utility of a trait depends on the structure of the environment that surrounds it, which leads to variability in traits.

Why should one be careful when making assumptions about the normal distribution of traits?

One should be careful because assuming any position on the normal distribution is preferable can be misleading without considering the specific environmental context.

What is the exception mentioned in the script regarding the preference for higher positioning on the normal distribution?

The exception is IQ, where higher IQs seem to correlate with better outcomes, but this is primarily true in complex societies.

What issue arises with IQ as it increases in women according to the script?

As women's IQ increases, the probability that they will remain without a mate also increases due to mating preferences across or up dominance hierarchies.

How does the script suggest that human cognitive ability has evolved to allow for abstract planning?

Human cognitive ability has evolved from the primary motor cortex to the pre-motor cortex and then to the prefrontal cortex, enabling increasingly abstract planning.

What is the significance of the prefrontal cortex in abstract thinking according to the script?

The prefrontal cortex is significant because it allows for high-level abstractions that have effects across multiple domains and far into the future.

Who is Carl Popper and what is his contribution to the understanding of abstract thinking mentioned in the script?

Carl Popper is a philosopher of science mentioned in the script for his idea that the capacity for abstraction allows 'stupid ideas' to die instead of the individual, which is a brilliant observation on the evolution of thought.

How does the script relate the development of the capacity to abstract to survival?

The script suggests that the ability to abstract allowed for the simulation of actions and the elimination of harmful ones, thus increasing survival rates.

What is the evolutionary cognitive arms race mentioned in the script between human males and females?

The evolutionary cognitive arms race refers to the ongoing process where as men become more complex, women become more complex in understanding them, and vice versa, driving cognitive development.

What is the timeframe given in the script for the significant cortical expansion in humans?

The script mentions that humans have undergone significant cortical expansion since parting ways with our common ancestor with chimpanzees, which is roughly seven million years ago.

How does the script connect the ability to abstract with dominance hierarchy and reproductive success?

The script suggests that smarter people, who are better at abstract thinking, are more likely to stay alive and position higher in the dominance hierarchy, which is a proxy for survival and reproductive success.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Understanding Variability in Traits

The paragraph discusses the variability of traits and the importance of the environment in determining the utility of a trait. It cautions against assuming any position on the normal distribution is preferable. The exception mentioned is IQ, which seems to correlate with better outcomes in complex societies. However, it also points out the potential downside of higher IQ in women, which might lead to fewer mating opportunities due to the tendency to mate 'up' the dominance hierarchy. The speaker then introduces the idea of value structures within social groups, such as extroverted and conscientious strategies, and how they relate to maintaining order. The human capacity for abstract thinking and planning is highlighted as a significant evolutionary leap, with the brain's pre-motor cortex and prefrontal cortex playing key roles in envisioning actions and abstract planning.

05:01

🌟 The Evolution of Abstract Thought

This paragraph delves into the concept that the development of abstract thinking allowed for the elimination of bad ideas without endangering the individual, a notion attributed to Carl Popper. It contrasts the reproductive trial-and-error of standard animals with the mental simulation capability of humans, which is less costly and more effective. The speaker suggests that intelligence, and by extension the ability to abstract, has survival value, as it helps individuals navigate the dominance hierarchy and achieve reproductive success. The paragraph also touches on the idea of an evolutionary cognitive arms race between males and females, driving cortical expansion and intelligence over the past seven million years.

Keywords

💡Utility

Utility in the context of the video refers to the usefulness or value of a trait within a specific environment. The video emphasizes that the utility of a trait is not fixed but varies depending on the structure of the environment. For instance, traits that are advantageous in one environment may not be in another, highlighting the variability in traits across different settings.

💡Variability

Variability is discussed in relation to traits, suggesting that traits can differ widely among individuals within a species. The video points out that one must be cautious not to assume that any particular trait positioning is universally preferable, as this can vary significantly based on environmental factors.

💡IQ

IQ, or Intelligence Quotient, is mentioned as an exception to the general rule of trait variability. The video suggests that higher IQs are generally associated with better outcomes, particularly in complex societies. However, it also introduces a paradox where increased IQ in women might correlate with a higher likelihood of remaining without a mate, illustrating the complexity of how IQ interacts with social dynamics.

💡Dominance Hierarchies

Dominance hierarchies are social structures where individuals rank higher or lower than others. The video uses this concept to explain mating patterns, suggesting that women may tend to mate with men of higher status or intelligence, which can lead to a reduced pool of potential mates for very intelligent women.

💡Cognitive Ability

Cognitive ability is the mental capacity to process information, and in the video, it is linked to the human capacity for abstract thinking and planning. It is highlighted as a key factor that has allowed humans to outpace other animals in evolutionary terms, enabling complex behaviors and strategies.

💡Abstract Representation

Abstract representation refers to the ability to think beyond concrete examples and to conceptualize ideas that are not immediately present. The video contrasts human abstract thinking with the more immediate, strategic thinking observed in animals, suggesting that humans' capacity for abstract thought is a significant evolutionary advantage.

💡Pre-motor Cortex

The pre-motor cortex is a part of the brain involved in planning movement. The video uses the example of imagining picking up a cup to illustrate how the pre-motor cortex is activated in abstract planning of actions, which is a crucial part of human abstract thinking.

💡Abstract Planning

Abstract planning is the process of contemplating and strategizing actions that are not immediately executed. The video discusses how this ability has evolved in humans, allowing for complex simulations and considerations of future actions, which is a key aspect of human intelligence.

💡Carl Popper

Carl Popper was a philosopher of science, and the video references his idea that the development of abstract thinking allowed for the testing of ideas without the physical risk to the individual. This concept is used to explain how abstract thinking might have evolved as a survival strategy, where 'bad' ideas could be eliminated without harm to the thinker.

💡Cognitive Arms Race

The cognitive arms race mentioned in the video suggests an ongoing evolutionary process where the cognitive abilities of humans, particularly between males and females, have been escalating. This is likened to a chase where each sex becomes more complex, driving the other to evolve greater understanding and intelligence.

💡Cortical Expansion

Cortical expansion refers to the increase in size and complexity of the cerebral cortex, which is the outer layer of the brain responsible for higher cognitive functions. The video ties cortical expansion to the evolution of human intelligence, suggesting it has been a driving force behind the development of advanced cognitive abilities over the past several million years.

Highlights

Utility of traits depends on the environment's structure.

Variability in traits is due to different environments.

Caution needed when assuming normal distribution's positioning.

IQ as an exception to the rule of trait variability.

Higher IQs correlate with better performance in complex societies.

Increased IQ in women may lead to higher likelihood of remaining without a mate.

Mating patterns involve crossing or moving up dominance hierarchies.

Cognitive ability allows for abstract planning.

Animals think strategically but lack abstract representation.

Human brain's evolution allowed for abstract thinking.

Abstract thinking allows for high-level planning and problem-solving.

Carl Popper's idea that abstract thinking allows 'stupid ideas' to die instead of us.

Abstract thinking as a survival mechanism.

Intelligent people tend to have better life outcomes.

Human evolution involves a cognitive arms race between males and females.

Cortical expansion has been ongoing for approximately seven million years.

Transcripts

so the utility of the trait depends on

the structure of the environment that

surrounds it and that's why there's

variability in traits and so you have to

be careful

when you're thinking about it from a

strict scientific perspective to make

the assumption that positioning at any

place on the normal distribution is

preferable preferable to positioning

anywhere else

now one exception to that maybe might be

IQ

because one of the things that you can

see in IQ with IQ is that people with

higher IQs seem to do better but that's

also only true in complex societies and

then there's another problem that seems

to emerge with IQ and I don't know

exactly what to make of this but we know

that as women's IQ increases the

probability that they're going to be to

remain without a mate also increases

because women tend to mate across or up

dominance hierarchies and so if you're a

woman with an IQ of 130 then you've

already eliminated about 95 percent of

the men and that's only using one

criteria that's just straight

intelligence and so there also might be

limitations to the to the utility of

intelligence with regards to

reproduction that we don't really

understand very well yet so

anyway so you get the point so there's

these underlying I kind of put down two

value structures there capitalized on

social groups that would be an

extroverted value structure saying

maintain order that would be a a

conscientious strategy and conscientious

people are going to want to maintain

order because they don't want things to

shift across time because if they shift

too much across time then the things

that have been stored up for the future

start to become increasingly irrelevant

there's lots of other reasons to

maintain order as well but that's one of

them

so

all right so that your cognitive ability

allows you to do modeling now this is

where human beings have have leaped

ahead of their competition so an animal

animals can think

but

it isn't exactly obvious how they think

they think strategically I think they

think the same way that children think

in some sense when they're playing with

Legos when they're not thinking about

the Legos you know when they're when

they're just moving them around we know

like if you watch a smart Predator group

like lions go after uh you know their

target or watch chimpanzees hunt down a

monkey you can see intelligence at work

because hunting behavior is very very

complicated obviously you know

especially if you're chasing something

intelligent but there isn't that level

of abstract representation so whereas so

let's look at this so here's here's a

here's a a picture of the of the human

brain

um with someone facing this way right so

here's the here's the primary motor

cortex okay so you're using that to

voluntarily move your body okay now then

I might say to you close your eyes and

imagine doing something so just close

your eyes and imagine picking up the cup

that's in front of you and just

visualize it okay so then you might say

well what part of your brain are you

using then and the answer is use part of

this part this part because it that's

where you have your body represented but

use this part here the pre-motor cortex

to Envision potential actions now what's

happened is that this part of the brain

evolved out of this part

and that makes sense because the first

part is just how you would move but the

second part is how you would think about

how you would move and then the next

part which is this part huge in human

beings is how you would think about how

you would think about how you would move

so because that enables you to start to

do extraordinary extraordinarily

abstract planning so I I could say well

Envision how you would pick up the cup

and obviously that's something that

you've separated out as a as a potential

simulation from the actual action but we

can talk about extraordinarily high

level abstractions that have effects

across multiple specific domains way

into the future and the more abstract

that your manipulations become the more

they seem to be moved away say from the

primary motor cortex out into the

prefrontal cortex hierarchies of

abstraction and the reason for that as

this was Carl popper this is really

really worth thinking about

why think

let's say you're an animal and you act

and it doesn't go very well and then you

die well you've learned that they're

acting that way didn't work but now

you're dead so that's not that helpful

then you might think well maybe you

should represent how you're going to act

so you know here's a box with the snake

in it and your coffee cup is inside the

box with the snake in it and I say to

you imagine picking up the coffee cup

and you imagine it and you think oh I'll

pick up that coffee cup and then the

snake will bite me and I'll die and so

then you don't you decide that

implementing the strategy of picking up

the coffee cup is probably not a very

good idea and so that stupid idea has to

die and not you

and so Popper's idea was that the reason

that we developed the capacity to

abstract was so that our stupid ideas

could die instead of us and that's

really it's almost impossible to

overstate how brilliant an observation

that is because what me what it means is

that like as a standard animal you would

have to produce variants of yourself

reproductively to go out into the world

and try their hand at survival and

that's pretty costly because you have to

produce all the biological

replications of you so you could only

probably manage that maybe 13 times if

you really really worked at it and then

then the cost of their failure is

extraordinarily High because they die

well you can just sit there and produce

like 20 different versions of you

stay extending out over the next week or

the next month and you can run them

through a simulation and kill off all

the ones that you don't regard as

suitable and then only implement the

successful ones now you know you could

debate about how accurate you might be

at doing that because it would depend on

your knowledge but we do know

that intelligent people tend to do

better across the course of their life

and so it does seem that there is some

utility with regards to survival or at

least with regards to positioning in the

dominance hierarchy which is somewhat of

a proxy for survival and for

Reproductive success there's some

association between that and the ability

to abstract so we could say that part of

the reason that people got smarter was

because smarter people were more likely

to stay alive now I think it's more

complicated than that too because I

believe that human males and females are

in an evolutionary cognitive arms race

roughly speaking and so as men get

trickier women get trickier to

understand them and then as women get

trickier to understand men get trickier

to understand them and so we've been

chasing each other around this

cortical expansion Loop pretty much

since we parted ways with our common

with the ancestor that we had in common

with chimpanzees and so that's roughly

about seven million years ago we've

undergone a tremendous cortical

expansion since then and there's there's

lots of reasons that that have been

propelling that