Why Men Overestimate (And Women Underestimate) Their IQs: David Reilly (Transcript)

Read the full transcript of David Reilly’s talk titled “Why Men Overestimate (And Women Underestimate) Their IQs” at TEDxBrisbane 2024 conference.

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TRANSCRIPT:

The Importance of Intellectual Self-Concept

Intelligence. It’s a word that is imbued with a lot of power and respect, and it carries a certain prestige. After all, we look up to those we regard as more intelligent, those we see as smart or bright or clever. And we like to think of ourselves that way too.

That self-concept is important because it drives so many of the choices we make in our lives. Whether we apply for that new job, whether we think we have enough talent to negotiate a pay rise or decide to enroll in a degree and upskill. And that self-concept also drives the decisions of students at high school, whether to undertake more challenging coursework like advanced science and mathematics, join academic clubs or gifted and talented programs. And when students at high school, college and university go into a high-stakes examination, intellectual self-concept can either give them the confidence to perform at their best or undermine their performance through test anxiety.

So it matters. Now here’s something that might surprise you. Research shows that our intellectual self-concept can be even more important than our actual ability. That’s why it’s vitally important to understand factors that predict individual differences in intellectual self-concept.

The Male Hubris, Female Humility Problem

And in particular, to identify subgroups or cohorts within society that are more vulnerable to a low intellectual self-concept. There’s a curious phenomenon in educational psychology which others have referred to as the male hubris, female humility problem. Men on average rate their intelligence and abilities to be significantly higher than do women. By as much as 8.5 IQ points higher.

That’s significant. Now let’s address the elephant in the room here, because we know without a shadow of a doubt that men and women are equal in intelligence, population level as measured by IQ. Now for most people, their first response to that is, “Duh, how could that even be in doubt?” And when explicitly asked, most people will endorse the statement that men and women are equal intellectually.

But there’s a difference between our explicit beliefs and our implicit ones. Because when we recruit samples of parents and we ask them to estimate the IQ of their children, sadly the estimates for sons are significantly higher than those given for daughters. There’s an implicit gender bias that pervades our culture and it extends to the way that we educate and we raise our children. So now it might not seem so surprising that when we recruit representative samples of men and women and we ask them to estimate their intelligence, men provide higher estimates than do women.

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Now this effect has been replicated cross-culturally and appears to be universal. But statistically we know this can’t be the case. They are actually equal. So is this effect mere modesty and hubris on behalf of the participants in these studies?

Exploring the Gender Gap in Self-Estimated Intelligence

Or is it a deeply held belief? Well, my colleagues from Griffith University and I set out to explore why. We recruited a diverse sample of students. We briefed them on how IQ scores are measured, including the proportion of people who are intellectually gifted.

And we then had them complete self-estimates of their intelligence. Where our study and others differed, is we actually had them complete an IQ test. The internationally recognized Cattell’s Culture Fair IQ test. And this allowed us to see by how much each person, as well as subgroups, over or underestimated their intelligence.

We also administered a test of general self-esteem and a measure of psychological gender identification. The degree to which they possess stereotypically masculine and feminine personality traits. As measured by the widely endorsed BEM personality inventory. Now here’s the interesting part.

Because while we did see the traditionally gendered pattern of males over and females underestimating, these views appeared to be deeply held. Far more so than can be explained by mere hubris or humility alone. There was a strong relationship between general self-esteem and those IQ estimates. Suggesting that self-assessment of one’s IQ is related to one’s self-concept.

Implications for Education and Society

And this has profound implications for education, for the workplace, and for everyday conversations with the people in our lives. You see many people erroneously believe that intelligence is something innate. That it’s fixed at birth. But it actually requires careful nurturing and development through intellectual stimulation, education, and an enriching social environment.

We know from some classical educational studies that intellectual self-concept is influenced by parental and teacher expectations. But sadly these all too often can become self-fulfilling prophecies. For if you and those around you think that you can’t, you won’t. And it stifles the intellectual development of children.

Now as an educator at a university, I get the privilege of teaching a lot of students. In the field of psychology, about 75% of our students are female. So I encounter a lot of gender-associated self-doubt about intellectual abilities. In my research, along with many years of lecturing as attuned my senses, I’m now very good at identifying those gifted students who have succeeded in their studies on their own, regardless of who teaches them.

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What interests me far more are those with intellectual potential, but whose potential is hindered by self-doubt. The good news is that intellectual self-doubt does not need to be permanent. It does not need to relegate people to underperform forever, or even in the moment. There is a solution, and it involves all of us.

Addressing Implicit Gender Bias

You see, when you’re aware of an implicit gender bias, you can take action to work against it. As an educator, I’ve seen firsthand how just a little extra encouragement and support can lead a student to grow academically and professionally into talented, dedicated, high-performing health professionals and researchers.

Through words of affirmation, support and kindness, I allow them to see themselves through my eyes, to understand my concept of their intellectual potential and abilities. In doing so, I lend them my belief in their intellectual potential and abilities, until the time comes when they can finally see, objectively, through successes big and small, their own capabilities.

It’s always a privilege to see it happen, that moment when students transition from self-doubt to self-belief. There’s only so many students, any one person can teach. So we all need to get involved. Now that you’re aware of the male hubris, female humility problem, start thinking about how you can fight back and work against it.

Now if you’re someone whose first thought is, “Well I don’t have any gender bias,” remember that implicit gender bias is insidious, it’s sneaky, and it lurks in the recesses of your mind based on decades, lifetimes, generations of cultural norms. We’re all susceptible to it. That doesn’t mean that you’re not a good person, but it does present you with the opportunity to be a better person by actively working against it. If you’re a parent, have the same intellectual aspirations and expectations for your daughters as you do for your sons.

Taking Action Against Gender Bias

Encourage and nurture their intellectual development through providing the same enrichment opportunities and experiences for your girls as you do for your boys. And if you’re a grandparent, an aunt, an uncle, a babysitter, a godparent, or even an older sibling, choose your words intentionally and strategically when talking to the young people in your lives, especially young girls. Do everything you can to fill them with confidence in whatever shape or form their interests, talents, and abilities will take them. And if you are a member of that noble profession of teaching, and you’re looking for scientific or intellectual potential in your students, remember that implicit gender bias and low self-esteem will have done their very best to diminish the potential of certain students.

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And that’s why it’s your job to hone your detective skills and find them. Use words to boost their confidence. Lend them your belief in their intellectual potential and abilities until they develop self-confidence in their own capabilities. Never forget that the power of parental and teacher expectations for the children in your care shapes how those students see themselves.

And because implicit bias and low self-esteem and the negative impact they have on intellectual development does not stop when young people graduate, be sure that you’re doing your part in the workplace. Yes, it can feel uncomfortable to consider yourself as having implicit gender bias, but the vast majority of the population does. You don’t need to feel guilty about it. Guilt is useless.

The honor comes in being aware of it and actively pushing back. And men, this work is for us to do too. Encourage and recognize the intellectual and professional achievements of the women in your workplace on a daily basis. Elevate their voices in meetings and recognize their good ideas.

Encourage them to advance their skills through further training, apply for promotions and to negotiate for pay rises to be at least commensurate with their male co-workers. But if they’re already rich with confidence, your actions will only bolster it further. But for those with intellectual self-doubt based not on any deficit on their part, but through societal gender bias, you can help them to objectively realize their intellectual strengths and potential to succeed. And after all, isn’t that what every person deserves?