In 2012, Psychologist Heather Butler studied the importance that critical thinking plays in our everyday lives. "Critical thinking is not just the new buzzword in education. Critical thinking involves real outcomes that can be measured, predicted, and—perhaps for the negative life events—avoided" (Butler, 2012, p. 725).

In 2013, studies by Grossmann, Varnum, Kitayama, and Nisbett concluded that wise reasoning, rather than intelligence, was a predictor of well-being. In 2017, Dr. Butler and her colleagues, referencing the Grossmann study and based on their own research, determined that the ability to think critically was a better predictor of effective life decisions than was intelligence (Butler, Pentoney, & Bong, 2017).

Initial Post Instructions

For the initial post, address the following:

• Do you agree that wisdom/critical thinking is a better predictor of well-being than intelligence? To answer, you will have to define what the following terms mean for you:
  • Critical thinking
  • Wisdom
  • Intelligence
  • Well-being
• Reflect on what you read in the text this week. Think of the people you know.
  • Are the good people smart?
  • Are the smart people good?
  • How do you define "good"? How do you define "smart"?
  • Can we use our intelligence to become "good"? If yes, how? If no, why not

Writing Requirements

• Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside source)
• APA format for in-text citations and list of references

References

Butler,H.A. (2012, Sep/Oct). Halpern critical thinking assessment predicts real-world outcomes of critical thinking. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 26(5), 721-729. 10.1002/acp.2851

Butler, H.A., Pentoney, C., & Bong, M. P. (2017). Predicting real-world outcomes: Critical thinking ability is a better predictor of life decisions than intelligence. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 25, 38-46. https://www.umass.edu/preferen/You%20Must%20Read%20This/ThinkingSkills.pdf

Grossmann, I., Na, J., Varnum, M.E.W., Kitayama, S., & Nisbett, R.E. (2013). A route to well-being: intelligence versus wise reasoning. Journal of Experiential Psychology: General, 142(3), 944–953. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3594053