Have you ever wondered how dumb people are richer than you even when you’re way more qualified than them?

You have more degrees, more education, and even a better career—but how come they’re traveling the world and getting paid double what you're earning sitting behind a desk?

The Swedish military carried out a standardized test on a group of people, and no one expected the results to prove what they did.

The test subjects were studied and monitored constantly like specimens in a lab, and it turned out that being a certified genius didn’t mean that they’d end up rich.

According to the data, there was a cap on how much brain power boosted the test subjects' income.

Once they began earning around $64,000 a year, their intelligence didn’t really get them much further.

So, is that why the dumb ones are part of the top 1%, while you’re nowhere close to earning as much as them?

But don’t be disappointed and throw away your textbooks, because making content for TikTok isn’t going to get you any richer either.

Sure, being smart might land you a fancy job and a corner office, but it’s not the kind of financial bliss you’re imagining.

Just ask anybody having to work a 9 to 5, toiling away late at night with no energy to think of anything else.

Your wallet will cry silent tears—and don't even get me started on those high-end professional jobs like doctors, lawyers, and engineers.

Sure, they’ll end up earning quite a decent amount, but breaking into the one-percenters' club? That's just impossible.

As tempting as it might be to count on your intellect to pave your way to riches, it's gonna take a lot more than just being book smart. So how does it work?

Well, while you’re busy climbing the ladder in search of a cushy, well-paying job, most people dumber than you are already thinking of the lazy way out—owning their own business!

No boss to report to, and no cap on how much you can earn—the risk here is definitely worth the reward.

But that doesn't mean you can just quit your job and become a TikTok influencer overnight!

Trying to replicate the success of these kinds of people is almost impossible. You can follow their method down to the exact details but it’s never going to work out the same since you’re just copying their method.

This is where scientists study the ceiling effect, using statistical analysis to explain the situation.

Because if you’re just looking at statistics, for every one financial genius out there, you’ll have multiple dumb people dragging down the average IQ.

This simply means that dumb people are more likely to succeed since they are in greater numbers. Makes sense right?

But survivorship bias plays a huge role as well. This shapes people's perceptions of success since they only see the ones who succeeded and don't look at the majority who failed.

Imagine some average Joe jumping into owning a business, trying to achieve financial freedom and success.

However, the harsh realities of the market will hit him like a freight train, leaving him scrambling to salvage his finances.

But he’ll manage to bounce back from setbacks with a newfound determination only because he hadn’t invested his heart and soul in it.

On the other hand, if you apply the same example to a smarter person like you or me, armed with a decent-sized brain. They’ll be too terrified of failing to even begin to try.

So you might think that being smart is the key to becoming rich—but the odds are going to be stacked against you.