General Theory of Stupidity: Why Smart People Behave Irrationally

Introduction: The Main Paradox of Modernity

Why do smart and educated people sometimes believe in absurd ideas or make obviously wrong decisions? We encounter this phenomenon constantly: brilliant specialists sharing conspiracy theories; intellectuals following populists; erudite friends who cannot escape the webs of disinformation. This paradox, which cognitive scientists call "dysrationalia," has long remained a mystery.

The answer to this question is given by the new "General Theory of Stupidity" by Igor Petrenko, which offers a completely new perspective on this problem. According to this theory, stupidity is not a lack of intelligence. It is a glitch in the operating system of our mind, caused by the chaos of the modern world.

1. What is "Stupidity"? (Spoiler: It's not low IQ)

The first step to understanding this theory is to completely destroy the habitual link between intelligence (IQ) and stupidity. These are completely different things that work on different levels of our thinking.

1.1. Intelligence (IQ) vs Irrationality (G): What's the difference?

Let's compare these two concepts to see how different they are.

The conclusion is obvious: high IQ absolutely does not guarantee rational behavior. You can have the most powerful processor in the world, but if it runs an outdated operating system without protection, it will be useless and vulnerable.

1.2. New Definition: Stupidity as a System Failure

In Petrenko's theory, "Stupidity" (denoted as G) is not a lack of mind, but a "functional cognitive vulnerability". It is a failure in the "control architecture" of our thinking, which occurs under the pressure of external factors.

Imagine a powerful computer (high IQ) with a bad antivirus and no spam protection. It will be vulnerable despite its power. Similarly, our mind: without the right "defense systems", it becomes a victim of information chaos.

The key idea of the theory is formulated as follows:

Stupidity (G) is a systemic failure... occurring when the demands for information filtering (D) and social pressure (S) exceed the available resource of attention control (A).

To understand how this failure occurs, let's break down its key components.

2. The Main "Enemies" of Our Mind

The theory identifies several key variables that constantly fight for control over our mind.

2.1. Two Types of Errors: Simple Slips and "Motivated" Beliefs

Our brain makes errors of two fundamentally different types:

• Simple Errors (B_err): These are accidental glitches in information processing, like typos or calculation errors. High intelligence helps find and correct them.
• Motivated Beliefs (B_mot): This is ideological rigidity, bias, and belief in what we want to believe. Intelligence here not only doesn't help—it makes the problem worse. High IQ turns into a tool for finding increasingly sophisticated excuses for irrational ideas. Such beliefs are "orthogonal to intelligence", meaning they do not depend on it. Example: a person looks for any arguments to defend their favorite political theory, ignoring facts that contradict it.

2.2. External Threats: Information Noise and Crowd Pressure

Our mind is constantly under attack from the outside. The theory identifies two main factors:

• Digital Noise (D): This is information overload caused by an endless stream of news, notifications, and social media content. It is a real "information storm" that overloads our thinking "channels" and prevents us from focusing.
• Social Pressure (S): This is our innate conformity and desire to match the group's opinion. This factor leads to "collective stupidity", when a group makes a wrong decision that none of its members would have made alone, fearing to go against the majority.

2.3. Our Main Defender: Attention Control (A)

In the modern world, the main factor of rationality is not intelligence, but Attention Control (A). This is our ability to manage our main cognitive resource.

Using a vivid analogy, one can say: attention control is your personal "face control" for thoughts. It decides which information is worthy of your consideration, and which is just garbage that needs to be filtered out at the entrance.

It is attention that is the main resource that protects us from digital noise (D) and allows us to think clearly.

Now that we have introduced all the variables on this cognitive stage, let's see what dramas play out when external threats take over our defense.

3. Key Scenarios: "Smart Fanatic" and "Stupidity Singularity"

The theory not only describes variables but also models specific, recognizable scenarios of cognitive failures.

3.1. The "Smart Fanatic" Paradox

This is one of the most striking phenomena explained by the theory. Profile of such a person:

• Very high IQ (e.g., 150).
• Very strong motivated beliefs (B_mot) (e.g., fanatical belief in some ideology).

What happens in this case? The person uses their intelligence not to search for truth, but for "rationalization"—that is, to find increasingly complex and sophisticated excuses for their irrational beliefs. They become extremely effective in defending their point of view, even if it is completely divorced from reality.

In the study, such a profile ("Smart Fanatic") received an irrationality score of G = 0.65. This means they can be absolutely rational and effective at work, but completely dysfunctional in matters affecting their beliefs.

3.2. The Point of No Return: "Stupidity Singularity"

This is a state of complete "cognitive collapse", a point where the agent completely loses rationality and the ability to make adequate decisions. According to the model, this happens under very specific conditions:

• When digital noise becomes too strong (D > 0.7).
• And attention control is too weak (A < 0.5).

It's like your computer freezing dead if you open too many tabs and programs at once. At this moment, it stops executing even the simplest commands. A person in the state of "stupidity singularity" also "completely loses capacity" and becomes unable to think critically.

These scenarios may seem extreme, but the study shows that most of us are at risk. So what can be done about it?

4. What Does This Mean for Us?

The conclusions of the theory are both alarming and practically useful. They change our view of what skills are truly important in the 21st century.

4.1. Sad News: Stupidity is the New Normal

Statistical modeling conducted as part of the study showed shocking results.

• Fact 1: In the modern digital world, the state of cognitive failure (G > 1.0) is the statistical norm. The average irrationality score for the population was 1.28.
• Fact 2: In the "critical risk zone", according to the model, are between 73% and 95% of the population. These figures were obtained in two different ways: modeling on hypothetical agents gave an estimate of 73%, and applying the model to a huge database of real psychological profiles in modern world conditions showed a frightening 95%.

This means that in the 21st century, "being stupid" (in the sense of the theory—that is, vulnerable to cognitive failures) is the default state if nothing is done to protect one's mind.

4.2. What to Do? Moving from Knowledge Accumulation to "Attention Hygiene"

Theory G not only diagnoses but also offers a path to recovery. The main conclusion: simple accumulation of knowledge (increasing IQ) no longer works. The priority becomes the protection and training of the control systems of our brain. Here are three key steps:

1. Develop Attention Control (A): This is more important than simply memorizing facts. Train the ability to concentrate and consciously limit digital noise that scatters your attention. This is the main skill for survival in the information society.
2. Reduce Digital Noise (D): Consciously manage information flows. Turn off unnecessary notifications, arrange "quiet hours" without gadgets, use asynchronous communication (e.g., email instead of messengers) for important matters.
3. Train Critical Thinking (C): Learn to analyze information, recognize manipulation, and deconstruct popular but false narratives. This is your main tool against social pressure and propaganda.

5. Conclusion: How to Regain Control Over Your Mind

The "General Theory of Stupidity" offers a revolutionary view on the workings of our consciousness. It convincingly shows that stupidity is not an innate lack of intelligence, but an acquired loss of control over one's thinking under conditions of information chaos and social pressure.

But the most striking thing is that these same principles describe failures not only of human but also of artificial intelligence. The very mechanisms that lead us to irrational decisions cause large language models to "hallucinate". When a neural network is overloaded with information noise (high D) and its attention mechanism scatters (low A), it starts not looking for the truth, but rationalizing errors—just like a "smart fanatic".

Thus, Theory G is not just a diagnosis for our society. It becomes a bridge between human cognitive security and the fundamental problem of creating safe AI. It proves that our most valuable asset today is the ability to manage our attention. Through conscious thought management, we can preserve rationality even in the most chaotic world and, perhaps, teach this to our creations.