by toxaco on 3/1/25, 4:57 PM with 12 comments
It turns out that intelligence often works against good decision-making. Here’s why:
Overconfidence Bias – The smarter you are, the easier it is to rationalise bad decisions and believe you’re right, even when you’re not. Paralysis by Analysis – Highly analytical minds tend to overthink, leading to missed opportunities while waiting for the "perfect" choice. Cognitive Rigidity – Intelligence can make you too attached to your mental models, making it harder to accept when reality doesn’t fit. Emotional Blind Spots – Many bad decisions aren’t about logic but emotions—something intelligence alone doesn’t solve. I’ve seen this play out in tech, business, and even personal life. A friend of mine spent years developing a product no one wanted because he convinced himself he was seeing something the market didn’t. Another example? Some of the most successful traders aren’t the smartest—they’re just the best at adapting to new information.
What do you think? Have you ever outsmarted yourself into a bad decision? How do you guard against it?
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I’m Rafael, a senior web developer with 17+ years of experience working remotely for US and European companies. I build scalable web apps, optimize system architecture, and integrate AI-powered solutions. If you’re looking for a contractor, check out my work here:
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by gus_massa on 3/1/25, 5:12 PM
Anyway, you can try to check the official post in HN about jobs. They will be posted automatically on Monday. Take a look in case you find something useful and perhaps you can post in the freelance thread if it applies.
You can peek the last month edition in https://news.ycombinator.com/submitted?id=whoishiring but they are read only now.
by davydm on 3/1/25, 5:22 PM
there was a product like this that flopped completely back in the 50s: cake mix; turns out, the secret to making it work was simply removing the dried eggs and milk from the mix and making the user add them - now, Great Success
for all you know, he _is_ onto something, and just ahead of his time; however, there's also a rational discussion that people should have with themselves when the thing they're trying to do isn't working right now - pivot to something that is, and put that idea on the back burner
by chrisjj on 3/1/25, 6:53 PM
I like to think that intelligence protects us from classifying decisions as bad. Much more useful are e.g. ill-considered, unwise, regrettable and unfortunate.
by JohnFen on 3/3/25, 5:30 PM
We do?
Anyone who really thinks that's true has not been paying attention to the entirety of recorded human history.
by codingdave on 3/1/25, 5:14 PM