How the Nerd Stereotype is Hurting Our Kids

What do you do if your very smart child decides that being smart is not cool and that it is better to hide in the crowd? According to to David Anderegg, psychology professor and author of Nerds: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them, smart kids are turning away from subjects they are interested in because they want to look "cool."

What are the Consequences of the Nerd Stereotype?

This , he claims, has serious consequences, as this rise in anti-intellectual sentiment is hurting the self confidence of bright and capable students and limiting their choices about their future. In many cases these students do not outgrow their fear of the nerd stereotype until they are in college; by then they are years behind in preparation for advanced work in science and math.

Contrast this to the students in Korea, China and Japan, where the nerd stereotype is embraced as a positive goal. Here, students work hard to achieve academic success. Their students are outperforming North American students simply because hard work and academic achievement are both national and personal goals.

What is causing this anti-intellectual sentiment?

The culprits are popular media, digital technology and movies that portray the smart child as a nerd, that portray smart people as having high intelligence in science, but lacking in sex appeal.

Hollywood has created a host of children's movies that cater to the child as hero, breaking away from parental guidance. The child who listens to the parents is considered a "nerd." According to Anderegg,in his neighborhood," the popular boys are the ones who refuse to wear their winter jacket at the bus stop even in the dead of winter, while the nerdy kids are the ones who dress appropriately when it's cold."

The nerd stereotype is part of popular culture. As parents, we need to monitor what our children are watching on TV or at the movies. We also need to find ways to help our children embrace intelligence, scholastic achievement and family solidarity as hallmarks of personal success, as they do in Asian cultures.