Speed Intelligence is Not Enough

I have always wondered why our society (especially employers) gives over importance to speed intelligence. By this, I mean the intelligence used in competitive exams when the aspirant has a few seconds or few minutes at the most to answer a question. In fact, even in many interviews, questions are rapidly fired at a candidate to see how speedily he or she can give answers deemed smart by the interviewers. Perhaps our obsession with speed and instant gratification is one reason for this.  It seems modern humans are wired to think that speed is always good and achieving anything quickly is always right. I don’t deny that speed intelligence should not be given respect. Many aspirants who clear competitive exams like SAT, GRE, CAT, etc. do great in life and contribute a lot to society. However, the intelligence required to answer quickly 100 questions in a race against time is not enough to determine an individual’s true potential.

Intelligence has many dimensions and, to date, psychology could not come up with a definite conceptualization of intelligence.  Intelligence is required in choosing one’s career, writing a book, composing music, creating a painting, having situational awareness, and so on. Furthermore, long-term strategizing and planning require intelligence, but this intelligence is not speedy intelligence. Rather, it is slow intelligence that takes time to assimilate facts, acquire knowledge and then decide or strategize. Speed intelligence is useful in reactive situations such as competitive exams (where questions are thrust upon you and you need to answer them very quickly), averting accidents and military initiatives. However, life has an infinitely vast landscape which no person can navigate through speed-intelligence alone. The truth is, it is slow intelligence that guides the progress of human civilization. The slower form of intelligence is creative and proactive; this intelligence is not tested in competitive exams.

It is grossly inadequate to gauge a person’s potential based on a two-hour competitive test. A topper in such a test may be low on emotional intelligence so will inevitably have relationship issues both in his personal and professional life. People with a high degree of analytical speed intelligence may lack imagination (a key trait needed in the 21^st century) and creative intelligence. Just observe how creative people such as designers and artists work. They do not hurry, and their patience is rewarded with beautiful outputs. Many such creative people have never passed a single competitive exam in their life, but they are very creative. It is sad that creative people, though admired, are considered creative but not intelligent. Somehow, society is unwilling to place imagination and creativity under the umbrella of intelligence.  

A student might be slow in understanding a concept in physics but may later in life invent something path-breaking. Many individuals in almost all fields showed slow intelligence in their childhood and youth but later became eminent scientists, inventors, writers, corporate executives and so forth. Albert Einstein is possibly the best example I can give—his teachers considered him a dull student and a hopeless case. In my observation, people who do not hurry to understand something develop a deeper understanding of the concept. They don’t compete with anyone and don’t try to impress others. Their mental energy might not work as fast as that of a SAT topper, but is focused on getting a clear understanding.

Speed-intelligence gives a very narrow understanding of a person’s caliber. Intelligence is influenced by knowledge, cultural and family background, personality traits, and other factors. In a severely limited time frame, it is impossible to comprehend how these have affected the individual, so it is best not to form a final judgment. In a complex society like ours, it is high time we come up with a more holistic way of estimating a person’s caliber and deciding whether he or she is fit for a role. Our obsession with high-speed analytical thinking is detrimental to society. There are many talents and traits hidden in every human being that society should tap into. What is the moral of the story? Never underestimate a slow-intelligence type person.

Here is an informative article Intelligence: definition, theories and testing

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