When I, many years ago, met my current partner, he had a PC with a ‘turbo button’. In retrospect, it seems bizarre (although I seem to remember that some games became easier when the button was not pressed), but even then we discussed if we would ever like to work with the button released. Why would you not want to have maximum computing capacity on his computer? It is roughly the same question that I intend to pose here, but linked to the human brain. In the debate on intelligence, it is almost always assumed that intelligence is something worth striving for. We can discuss what intelligence is, if there are multiple intelligences, or just one, and if there is any point in trying to measure intelligence, but the basic positive view of intelligence, we take for granted. What is it that is so good about being smart?

In this article I will assume that intelligence is about what is measured in an intelligence test. This means that the focus is...