In social situations, how many times have you heard, “He’s so smart,” offered first when describing a child—as if intelligence is the most important thing to name?
I invite us to pause and consider how that lands for kids who aren’t measured as “smart” by school metrics, or for children with Down syndrome. When we rank children by perceived intelligence, we shrink their humanity.
“Smart” is one trait, not a measure of worth. Let’s lead with many strengths—curiosity, kindness, humor, persistence, creativity, joy. Smarter isn’t better; being fully human is.
Intelligence Is Not a Moral Hierarchy
Our culture often treats IQ like a report card for humanity: smart people are “good,” everyone else is “less than.” But psychologists remind us that intelligence tests measure some cognitive skills, not empathy, creativity, or character (Schlinger, 2003).
As behavioral scientist Henry Schlinger points out, intelligence is as much a social label as a fixed trait. Conflating cognitive ability with human value is a category mistake. A high test score doesn’t make someone kinder, more ethical, or more deserving of love and opportunity.
The Myth Harms Our Children—Especially the “Gifted”
When we tell technically gifted children they are “more valuable,” we risk two outcomes:
- Internalized hierarchy: Kids start to believe that some lives matter more than others.
- Fragile identity: When intelligence is treated as self-worth, even small failures feel like existential collapse.
Equally damaging, children without those labels absorb the inverse: I am less. This mirrors the arbitrary hierarchies we reject elsewhere. It’s no different than telling a child they are better because they have blue eyes—or because they are “beautiful” by social standards.
The Political Power of “Smart = Better”
This myth doesn’t just live in schools and living rooms—it shapes our political landscape.
The belief in meritocracy—that success reflects intelligence and effort alone—lets society ignore structural inequality. Critics like Michael Sandel (The Tyranny of Merit) and Daniel Markovits (The Meritocracy Trap) show that this ideology masks privilege: those who succeed are celebrated as “deserving,” while those who struggle are blamed for their own circumstances.
When “smart” becomes synonymous with “worthy,” we erode solidarity. It becomes easier to cut social supports, stigmatize poverty, and rationalize unequal opportunity.
Genius Is Rarely a Solo Act
Our culture loves the myth of the lone genius—think Elon Musk or Steve Jobs. But real innovation is interdependent. Helen Lewis, in The Genius Myth, shows that celebrated breakthroughs are almost always collaborative, context-dependent, and privilege-enabled.
- Ignore the teams and conditions that make achievement possible.
- Overlook luck, timing, and access as critical factors.
- Feed the illusion that some people are simply born better.
Luck, Timing, and Credentials Matter More Than We Admit
Even the most talented people rely on luck and social capital to succeed. Sociological research shows that randomness, historical timing, and credentialism often determine outcomes more than raw talent (Pluchino et al., 2018).
When we insist success is purely a reflection of intelligence, we perpetuate a false meritocracy that entrenches privilege and fuels despair for those outside its narrow path.
The Social Cost of Believing the Lie
- Children are sorted into hierarchies that fracture self-worth and empathy.
- Interdependence erodes as we treat life as an individual ladder rather than a shared web.
- Collective problem-solving suffers because emotional, creative, and practical intelligences are devalued.
- Elitism thrives under the halo effect—assuming the “smart” are morally superior.
Our future depends not on a handful of prodigies but on our ability to care for one another. Climate change, public health, and democracy all require interdependence—not IQ worship.
Living the Lesson We Claim to Teach
We tell children: It’s what’s on the inside that counts. But do we live that way?
- Do we honor kindness and collaboration as much as grades and scores?
- Do we recognize that interdependence is the engine of human progress?
- Do we celebrate the full spectrum of human ability, not just the testable sliver?
If we truly want a just and thriving society, we must model the values we preach: character over credentials, care over hierarchy, and connection over comparison.
Final Thought: Smarter ≠ Better
If you’ve ever been told you weren’t smart enough—or that you were exceptional—here’s the truth: human worth isn’t measured in IQ points or accolades.
Smarts can help solve problems, but they are not a moral crown. Our survival and flourishing depend on empathy, humility, collaboration, and the recognition that every life has value.
The sooner we let go of the Northern Virginia lie, the sooner we can build a society that treats all people as fully human—and a future grounded in care, not hierarchy.
