Twin study suggests rationality and intelligence share the same genetic roots - the study suggests that being irrational, or making illogical choices, might simply be another way of measuring lower intelligence.

[u/mvea]

https://www.psypost.org/twin-study-suggests-rationality-and-intelligence-share-the-same-genetic-roots/

[u/Capybara-at-Large]

I already know this hypothesis has severe limitations of application because of the amount of highly intelligent people who also have a severe mental illness.

Surely individuals like John Nash and Isaac Newton—who historically made highly irrational choices due to a mental illness that causes delusions and severe lapses in logical reasoning—cannot also be considered low IQ.

There are countless people with schizophrenia, bipolar, and depression who make irrational choices on account of their illness yet are often key contributors to advances in science and culture.

I also believe rationality only highly correlates with intelligence for this reason.

There are too many instances where someone’s ability to be rational is completely gone while their IQ remains intact.

[u/isaac_the_robot → u/Capybara-at-Large]

Are they making irrational decisions, or could they be making rational decisions based on incorrect starting information? A person who is experiencing paranoid delusions could potentially still make rational decisions to protect themself from a threat that doesn't actually exist.

[u/LuckyFogic → u/isaac_the_robot]

I'd like to think I'm slightly above average when it comes to intelligence, at least when I was more academically involved. When psychosis kicks in, self awareness becomes an enemy. I know I'm acting irrationally, I readily admit my symptoms match the majority of diagnostic criteria. My upbringing, socioeconomic status, family relations, all of it tracks. I understand it conceptually, but "snapping out of it" means ignoring everything my body is telling me. I know my life is not at immediate risk, that I'm seeing patterns in the static, but I'm left either trusting my senses or thoughts. Either way I'm wrong, I just can't figure out which to trust more.

When you're hyper aware and introspective it's easy to find evidence to support any internal claim.