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Hi. Are any of you guys a genius? Have any of you long hairs joined the following High IQ societies or are eligible to?
High IQ International
-- top 5%, min IQ: 124 (I have joined this society)
Mensa
-- top 2%, min IQ: 132 (My IQ is still too low for this society)
Top One Percent Society (TOPS)
-- top 1%, min IQ: 137
Triple-Nine Society/One In A Thousand (OATH) (top one thousand)
-- top 0.1%, min IQ: 149
Mega/Pi Society (top one million)
-- top 0.0001%, min IQ: 174
There are more societies, but these are the most familiar.
Matthew aka Regardless
haha, maybe I should join this one, that's the score I got last time i did an IQ test. When I was a little kid, I got tested for IQ, and got 140-something... guess I got a little less intelligent over the years lol.
I didn't really know about any of these but mine was 135
Why... yes, ummm... I'm a financial genius. Give me your money. I can guarantee a 10% return. :)
FWIW, I've tested in the gifted category; but I don't believe such testing is "the whole picture".
In fact, society's reliance on such testing may be destructive. Something I read recently comes to mind:
http://cachaguastore.blogspot.com/2009/01/sucide-is-painless.html
So. I'm in the "tests well" category; but I've seen plenty of examples of people who test badly but have other skills. I'm reminded of the "no good" kid in metal shop who amazed the shop teacher by changing the bandsaw blade himeslf when it was considered to be a two-man job. Then, there's this guy I knew who decided not to go to college. He became a plumber.
I bet these guys didn't "test well" on their SATs. You probably wouldn't consider them geniuses. OTOH, they probably have held steady jobs over the years, whereas I've had several long periods of un or underemployment.
It all seems to even out.
I tested 142 as a child, but don't really think the numbers matter much. If anything, I'd say it caused more problems than anything else, creating huge expectations of a young boy in a school that offered very little in the way of "above average" educational opportunities. I was bored much of the time, and directed my mental energies toward topics of personal interest, (and often away from what was actually being taught). I agree with Steve Nova, and feel that these broadly-sweeping tests don't really reflect "the whole picture" regarding an individuals gifts/ talents/ abilities. In my opinion, nothing is more important to a person's success than belief, desire, and persistence. Took me a while to get that. Now, if I'm supposedly so smart, why did it take me so long to figure that one out? ;)
--Val
When I was 15 years old, I knew everything about everything, and I had all the answers. Somehow, this all started to ebb away over the years and now that I'm in my 50's, I feel like I know absolutely nothing.
Hey Matthew,
Never heard of any of 'em.
Last 2 IQ tests I took I scored 124 on one and 127 on the other. I think these test are geared toward urban middle class whites. I consider myself a mixture of book and street smarts and if I designed an IQ test, only people with my background would do good on it.
I firmly believe that if you put me and some "genius" engineer on a island together, I'm the one who's going to survive. OTOH, I have over 500 books most of them history and reference.
Also when someone talks about something I'm don't understand, I shut up and listen, then ask them about a hundred questions. They may consider something I asked stupid but after they answer it, I'm no longer stupid about it. ;-)
To sum it up, I know why you asked this question, you have a theory that us longhairs are smarter then the average bear, I agree 100%. Longhair is a signature of "thinking outside the box."
Paul
I tested at 165, but it's well known that you lose an IQ point for every year that you live in California, so I should be at around 133 now.
I'm not sure how valid such tests are or what the hell the results actually mean. My best friend and I both scored in the 130's on IQ tests. He's never read but one book in his life he claims -- Frankenstein. But he can fix anything and wire houses and is talented with electronics, computers, etc. But he flunked calculus and failed some other college courses and had to go back home. I on the other hand always made A's and enjoy reading encyclopedias. I used to win the summer reading contests at the local library. But now he owns a security system installation franchise and makes at least three times what I do. But I can read the Aeneid in Latin and know that Sweden is comprised of approximately 173,000 square miles. He can barely read English.
Who's the smartest? What is smart?
No, I have an IQ of somewhere in the region of 130, give or take a bit, but the only such society I have heard of is Mensa, and I thought they required 140, plus I knew they had their own test.
I suppose I could join the same group you belong to, but I don't see a lot of point to it.
I haven't but I could join a few of those, at least when I last had an IQ test, but that was ages ago. Like when I was 8 or so.
All those IQ tests show is who is good at taking IQ tests. I like Matt's story and to add to that in this tough economy I know
of several highly educated people who are out of work and struggling. I'm not brilliant but I'm smart enough to have chosen a career although not glamorous or high paying that has never left me unemployed ever.
Besides don't some of the most famous serial killers have really high IQ's?
Kevin
That's right Kevin. I have heard the term that having a high IQ does not guarantee success in life. You can be a genius and be really angry, lazy or depressed and even geniuses still make serious mistakes or stupid decisions. High IQ only provides more intelligible opportunities. On the other hand, those with relatively low IQs do have successful lives. It is only when the IQ gets extremely low that life would not be much fun since you would be stuck in an institution relying on other people.
Matthew aka Regardless
I have a theory that there's a break point somewhere in the 130s. Up to that point IQ tends to correlate with income, and above that point, income seems to decrease as IQ increases.
While I can't contest your theory, as I don't know what data you have nor where it came from, however, there are some extraordinary successful people with moderately, to extremely high IQs and then there are just plain dumb people who luck out and succeed too, so I really don't see much of a correlation between extremely high IQ and a lack of success or really IQ and success at all; it all depends on what career you're going into. Extremely talented and wealthy actors and actresses on the whole seem to have average to somewhat gifted IQs while scientists, doctors, and others who must actively use their brains in new and creative ways must have higher IQs. It's all a matter of relativity. For myself, I am on track to become a university professor which while the pay is only average, requires a somewhat high IQ, so it's all a matter, as far as the job market is concerned, of finding where you fit, and where your IQ is appropriately suited.
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Hi Matthew, I just tried a "Mensa workout". It is quite difficult. I got 21 out of 30. At the end, it said that I have a good chance of passing the official Mensa test. I have had my IQ tested at 140, in the past, so I guess that is consistant with what is stated above, 132 plus. I included the link to it. You may want to give it a try.
Maybe I should consider joining Mensa. I am not sure if I would fit in, though. Being mildly autistic, I am somewhat of an oddball, and don't do well in social settings.
Scott
By the way, I tried the same thing, and I have similar results, that there is at least a fairly good chance of me joining Mensa.
By the way, I am kind of selective on what I want to know. I am quite interested in science such as astronomy, physics, technology and chemistry, and I am also very good at using numbers. I am not too much of a fan at history or literature, therefore, I do not have as much knowledge on those subjects. I process information in my head in form of pictures and graphics, so I have some difficulty translating it to words, and this is how I have some difficulty talking to people. My difficulty talking to people also has to do with my autism.
Matthew aka Regardless
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WOW, your background is nearly identical to mine. I am very strong in the sciences. Like you, I am not real great at other subjects. I tend to have narrow fields of interest, mainly science. I have written numerous physics related Excel spreadsheets. Some of these are for reference, like resistance in a wire at a certain temperature. I wrote another one to determine orbital velocity and time periods for planets and stars. Just fill in the size of the stars and planets or planets and moons, click on it to get the calculations. I plan on doing a spreadsheet for relative humidity in the future.
I got an A- in meterology in junior college in 1972. Weather affects me greatly. I ride a bike to stay fit and often need to find a rain free location to transport my bike to in my car. I am obcessive about getting a dry ride done and a 300 mile round trip to escape the rain is sometimes necessary.
I guess we will have to stay in touch through MySpace. Go ahead an e-mail me if you want to know more about my science related spreadsheets.
Scott
As is famous autist Temple Grandin. And so am I. Only a percentage of autists are Visual Thinkers. I have Aspergers, which is a type of high functioning autism resulting in high IQ's nearing genius levels and above. My strengths always were in English literature, and writing; and in the Arts. I do okay in the sciences, but am terrible at Math due to Discalculia (like Dyslexia but I confuse numbers rather than letters).
Hi Matthew, Scott, Carol
> I process information in my head in form of pictures and
> graphics, so I have some difficulty translating it to
> words, and this is how I have some difficulty talking to people. > My difficulty talking to people also has to do with my autism.
http://www.grasp.org/learn.htm
http://www.grasp.org/learn.htm
http://www.grasp.org/learn.htm
http://www.grasp.org/learn.htm
http://www.grasp.org/learn.htm
Always nice to know fellow Aspies.
- Oren
But I remember taking an Internet test and I got 127. I am pretty intelligent but I only get slightly above average grades.
I'm good at math, social sciences [psychology, anthropology, sociology], history, music, and spanish. I dont plan to go to some fancy university, I want to go to CSN and become a clinical psychologist.
I know the feeling I know I had mine tested when a kid and have no idea what it was.
Clinical Psychologist? I wanted to do that but the recession of 1982 got in the way, not to mention Reagans cuts in student aid.
Go for it! I wish I had gone back to school and still may.
Kevin
It seems that there is a positive correlation between above average hair length and an above average IQ:) I scored a 137 on the "formal" IQ test used in high school. Since then, I've tested all over the place, from the 120s to the 150s. I agree that IQ tests can be biased, and I happen to be one of the people they're biased towards.
For some reason, I thought MENSA was higher. Hmmmmm! Depending on which test, I am somewhere in the range of the 140's. Never thought about joining any of those groups.
Hi I am a member of IHIQS too, got 142 average on the entrance test peaked at 160 for a few categories. Member id is astafford user id Alan_Stafford. What is yours?