15% Too Intelligent

Driving from Boston to North Carolina on I-95 recently, I passed through some very large cities. I was mesmerized by high-rise apartment complexes in New York City that seemingly had no end, and the constant drone of cars and trucks whizzing to their destinations for hundreds of miles. After two days of driving, I was fortunate enough to spend a day in the country. Among the few signs of life were two dogs playfully chasing each other in a back yard that sloped toward a lake. They seemed perfectly happy with their simple lifestyle, which got me wondering how the most intelligent species on the planet could have made life so complex -- and, in some cases, so miserable.

Then it occurred to me that perhaps we're too intelligent for our own good. I'm guessing 15% too intelligent. If you made the human brain 15% smaller on Earth 2.0, we might be 15% less likely to make a mess of things. We'd also probably be 15% less greedy, 15% less jealous, and 15% less tempted to cause trouble for ourselves or others. I'll let you weigh these benefits against the drawbacks of being 15% less human.

Wait a minute! It might all come down to the fact that we procreate 15% more than we should. If it's easier for you, simply make men and women 15% less attractive in the new world. Give the women mustaches and the men one eyebrow. At the very least, that ought to cut down on congestion along the I-95 corridor.