How Much Does IQ Matter? - Spencer Greenberg - #978
Modern Wisdom
08/09/25
•88m
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Spencer Greenberg is a mathematician, founder, CEO & creator of ClearerThinking.org
How much does IQ really matter? Most of us have met people on both ends of the spectrum and wondered where we stand and what that means for our future. But is IQ truly fixed, or can it be shaped in some very surprising ways?
Expect to learn how much IQ matters in all areas of your life, what the pubic misunderstands about IQ, if we should be treating intelligence more like a skill than an inherent trait, why the obsession with IQ might just be a form of intellectual status-signaling, why imposter syndrome is shockingly common and some counterintuitive benefits to imposter syndrome, if traits like narcissism or sociopathy can ever be adaptive or useful, the most common misinterpretations of the Dunning-Kruger effect, and much more...
Timestamps:
(0:00) The Intelligence Test
(3:25) What is IQ?
(7:19) The Main Claims Around IQ
(12:35) How Important is IQ?
(17:50) More Claims Around IQ
(19:52) Can a High IQ Be a Disadvantage?
(22:25) Are IQ and Happiness Correlated?
(35:20) What Does the Future of IQ Research Look Like?
(36:31) - Deep Dive into Imposter Syndrome
(55:07) Re-examining the Dunning-Kruger Effect
(01:02:22) Deciding Your Own Attractiveness Level
(01:06:14) Misunderstandings About Personality Disorders
(01:16:56) The Differences Between Sociopaths and Psychopaths
(01:17:56) Are Narcissism and Sociopathy Adaptive Traits?
(01:23:27) Are We Over-Pathologizing Unpleasant People?
(01:25:02) Find Out More About Spencer
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#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman
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Previous Episode
Why Does The Female Orgasm Exist? - Dr Robert King - #977
August 7, 2025
•92m
Dr Robert King is a psychologist, professor at University College Cork, and researcher on the evolutionary function of female orgasm.
What makes the female orgasm so mysterious? For generations, men across the globe have sought to decipher it, and many women share their curiosity as well. So why does the female orgasm even exist? What’s its evolutionary purpose? And have scientists like Dr. Robert King finally cracked the code?
Expect to learn what most people don’t understand about the female orgasm, why women have multiple orgasms and men don’t, the biggest predictors of the female orgasm, how much female desire of men is driven by other female’s desire of those men, what women want in men sexually, if penis size and length are as bog of factors as men tend to think, if there are similarities in reproductive anatomy across males and females, and much more...
Timestamps:
(0:00) How Do You Get into Studying the Female Orgasm?
(2:23) What Does Sex Research Look Like?
(4:42) Misconceptions About the Female Orgasm
(11:16) How is the Female Orgasm Adaptive?
(24:38) What are the Biggest Predictors of Female Orgasms?
(28:26) Intrasexual Competition
(46:27) Catherine Salmon and the Dark Romance Genre
(52:42) Romanticisation of the Lesser Man
(54:45) Does Size Matter?
(58:59) Why is Ease of Orgasm So Varied?
(01:11:22) Do Orgasms Differ Depending on Sexual Relationships?
(01:16:19) Characterising Modern Sex Culture
(01:27:23) Find Out More About Dr Robert
Sponsors:
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Extra Stuff:
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Episodes You Might Enjoy:
#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson
#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman
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Next Episode
AI Safety, The China Problem, LLMs & Job Displacement - Dwarkesh Patel - #979
August 11, 2025
•165m
Dwarkesh Patel is a writer, researcher & podcaster.
The rise of AI marks the next great technological revolution, one that could reshape every aspect of our lives in just a few years. But how close are we to its golden age? And what warnings does the global AI race hold about the double-edged nature of progress?
Expect to learn what Dwarkesh has realised about human learning and human intelligence from architecting AI learning, if AGI is right around the corner and how far away it might be, if most Job Displacement Predictions right or wrong, why recent studies show that tools such as ChatGPT make our brains less active and our writing less original, what Dwarkesh’s favourite answer to AI’s creativity question, what he biggest things about America/West that China doesn’t understand, the best bull case for AI growth ahead and much more...
Timestamps:
(0:00) Has AI Accelerated Our Understanding of Human Intelligence?
(6:59) Where Do We Draw the Line with Plagiarism in AI?
(12:13) Does AI Have a Limit?
(17:29) Is AGI Imminent?
(21:26) Are LLMs the Blueprint for AGI?
(30:15) Retraining AI Based on User Feedback
(34:57) What Will the World Be Like with trueAGI?
(39:32) Are Big World Issues Linked to the Rise in AI?
(46:06) Is AI Homogenising Our Thoughts?
(51:10) How Should We Be Using AI?
(56:17) Should We Be Prioritising AI Risk and Safety?
(01:01:14) Why are We So Trusting of AI?
(01:11:09) The Importance of AI Researchers
(01:12:09) Where Does China's AI Progression Currently Stand?
(01:26:26) What Does China Think About the West?
(01:37:34) The Pace of AI is Overwhelming
(01:42:42) What is Ignored by the Media But Will Be Studied by Historians?
(01:50:41) Growing for Success
(02:06:40) Dwarkesh’s Learning Process
(02:09:28) Follow Your Instincts
(02:22:29) Digital-First Elections
(02:28:02) Becoming Respected by Those You Respect
(02:45:29) Find Out More About Dwarkesh
Sponsors:
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See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals
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Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular Flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom
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Extra Stuff:
Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books
Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom
Episodes You Might Enjoy:
#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson
#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman
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