Brain surgeons and rocket scientists no brighter than the rest of us

They certainly have an above average ability to stay in school. They probably have an above average ability to focus.<p>Rocket scientists are certainly better than average at math and science.<p>Brain surgeons (surgeons in general) probably have significantly better fine motor control.<p>I suppose the study is saying, there’s nothing innately special about rocket scientist s or brain surgeons. So kids out there, you can become whatever you want if you can commit to the education and practice required to master it.<p>I think we already suspected this though.

Results: The neurosurgeons showed significantly higher scores than the aerospace engineers in semantic problem solving (difference 0.33, 95% confidence interval 0.13 to 0.52). Aerospace engineers showed significantly higher scores in mental manipulation and attention (−0.29, −0.48 to −0.09). No difference was found between groups in domain scores for memory (−0.18, −0.40 to 0.03), spatial problem solving (−0.19, −0.39 to 0.01), problem solving speed (0.03, −0.20 to 0.25), and memory recall speed (0.12, −0.10 to 0.35). When each group’s scores for the six domains were compared with those in the general population, only two differences were significant: the neurosurgeons’ problem solving speed was quicker (mean z score 0.24, 95% confidence interval 0.07 to 0.41) and their memory recall speed was slower (−0.19, −0.34 to −0.04).<p>Guardian calls this &#x27;no brighter&#x27;.

The only brain surgeon I’ve met was certainly a different breed of both technical and emotional intelligence. The guy was a complete machine. Came by the room I was visiting at like 8pm after a day of surgeries and teaching. Was going to go home and review the files, then sleep, and then was at the hospital at 5am upset with the surgery team for being behind. He did surgeries, taught, and performed research. I have ZERO idea how someone can be that busy but that focused, literally holding lives in his hands.<p>I consider myself to be an intelligent person, but I do not possess the complete emotionally stability and dedication required to be a brain surgeon, or any surgeon for that matter. A rocket scientist is different, but being a surgeon does require a certain type of personality and emotional makeup.

&gt; It may therefore be best to ditch rocket science and brain surgery idioms for phases like “it’s a walk in the park”, added the researchers.<p>Researchers in the department of censorship and political correctness?

It comes down to doing the work to get the degree you want. You can be the smartest but if you don&#x27;t do the work and follow thru then you&#x27;ll get no where. Here&#x27;s Edison&#x27;s quote that says it all. &quot;Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration&quot;

This is just an article to make average intelligence people feel okay about themselves, instead of embracing and accepting the crushing underlying reality that intelligence is real, that some people have more of it and some have less of it, that&#x27;s it a genetic lottery, that it&#x27;s distribution isn&#x27;t fair, and that there isn&#x27;t really anything you can do to improve it in any meaningful way (you will never have a 120 IQ if you have a 100 IQ).<p>Yeah... sucks. That&#x27;s life. The Universe isn&#x27;t fair and Nature doesn&#x27;t play favorites.

In another episode of things people say themselves to feel safe

Perhaps not but I’m in awe of anyone that can take a scalpel to another’s brain and keep a steady hand

I disagree. Studies have found that college graduates have higher IQs on average, &quot;brain surgeons&quot; and &quot;rocket scientists&quot; have graduate degrees. When I look up &quot;average IQ doctor&quot; I see numbers of 120+. The average IQ is 100 by definition.

How would they explain that you can basically map choice of major to MCAT&#x2F;LSAT scores with Math&#x2F;Physics&#x2F;Philosophy at the top? I question if there some agenda here.