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Raw intelligence is overrated

By Jim Chen et al.

Awesome insights from Jonah Lehrer on the New York Times' "football for smarties" feature:

Three and a half seconds: That?s approximately how long a quarterback has to decide where to throw the ball. How does he survey the options while a swarm of humongous, angry men seek to pancake him? It seems obvious: a quarterback needs to think, to look at each of his receivers and make a calculation. This is one reason N.F.L. teams put so much stock in the Wonderlic intelligence test, the theory being that quarterbacks who are better at algebra will make better decisions. Unfortunately, the theory is wrong. If quarterbacks were forced to contemplate their decisions, they?d get sacked every time, a classic case of paralysis-by-analysis. What recent brain research suggests is that quarterbacks rely on their unconscious; an experienced quarterback picks up defensive details he?s not even aware of. Although he doesn?t consciously perceive the blitzing linebacker, the quarterback?s unconscious monitors his movement. When the QB glances at his receivers, his brain converts these details into fast emotional signals, so that a receiver in tight coverage gets associated with fear, while an open man triggers a burst of positive feeling. It?s these inarticulate emotions, and not an elaborate set of calculations, that tell the best quarterbacks when to let the ball fly. In the pocket, it turns out, it pays not to think.

As with football, so with law. Don't think; blink.

Full post as published by MoneyLaw on September 15, 2008 (boomark / email).