# How does your IQ affect your future?



## Airtight (9 May 2009)

After reading this link I was amazed at the seemingly massive significance of IQ on my employment prospects and everybody else's for that matter.

Is there anybody here that would strongly agree or disagree with the conclusions drawn on the link? (see table 1)


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## truthseeker (10 May 2009)

*Re: How does your IQ effect your future?*

I would think its fairly obvious that unless you have a pretty high IQ you wont be into certain jobs like Professor of Physics or Nobel Prize winning Astronomer. 
But I would also think that there are certain other aspects of a person that may outweigh IQ in certain circumstances, like for example autistic savants - its all very well to be brilliant in one defined area but if you cant interact with people on any level you wont get very far.

IQ is just one part of the package. I think the table presented in the link you give is probably 'reasonably' accurate (from a statistical viewpoint), but Id be interested to know how they measured Shakespeares IQ considering he lived 4 centuries before they developed IQ tests.


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## j26 (10 May 2009)

*Re: How does your IQ effect your future?*

It got me pegged - IQ 127 - working in law


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## rmelly (10 May 2009)

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I have no limitations - nice to know.


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## Mommah (10 May 2009)

*Re: How does your IQ effect your future?*

I don't like reading or commenting on pieces like this until I know who the author is and where s/he is coming from.

It seems this guy is a director of an organisation called the megafoundation ( google it, but don't click on the .org link, as the site has infected people with malware apparently) This is a think tank for people with high IQs.

By profession he is not a psychologist or an expert in the intelligence testing arena.

I find much of what he says distasteful.
The profile of african american people for example.
There is no reference or link to the relevant study and how the subjects were selected.

As far as I know there is alot of bias in IQ testing.
A simple example is if you are illiterate, you will score very low, even though you are extremely intelligent.

It is self evident that half the population have on or below average IQs.

But IQ is just one factor in how well one functions in society.
For example Andy Warhol, would be listed as a genius, when in fact his tested IQ was 60!

I have a sister with an IQ below 50
This article suggests: 1) An IQ of 50 or below. This is the threshold below which most adults cannot cope outside of an institution. 

This is credited to 1981, but sounds like something from the 1950s.

My mother and 2 aunts (from the other side) became Mensa members.
I've just googled it and you need to be in the top 2% of the population to be admitted.

None of these 3 women were high performers by this articles standards and all worked in jobs he assigned to IQs of 100. None went to university.

This is because life is much more complex than your IQ...especially for women 

I think they joined Mensa because of some sort of bizarre inferiority complex and the need to "prove" they were bright/special/better.
There is something a little pathetic, about people who want to be part of these exclusive clubs.

Something I would be interested in knowing about my own IQ (I've never been tested) is if it has declined since I've had kids, I certainly feel it has.


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## Joody1 (10 May 2009)

*Re: How does your IQ effect your future?*

The youngest person in the UK with highest IQ is only 2 years of age.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8027895.stm


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## Mommah (10 May 2009)

*Re: How does your IQ effect your future?*

Love the fact that she has African ancestry.


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## Airtight (10 May 2009)

*Re: How does your IQ effect your future?*



j26 said:


> It got me pegged - IQ 127 - working in law



IQ 121: Chartered Quantity Surveyor: Studied to MSc Level


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## rmelly (10 May 2009)

*Re: How does your IQ effect your future?*



Airtight said:


> IQ 221: Chartered Quantity Surveyor: Studied to MSc Level


 
was this from an official IQ test e.g. Mensa, or one from the interweb?


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## Simeon (10 May 2009)

*Re: How does your IQ effect your future?*



Airtight said:


> IQ 221: Chartered Quantity Surveyor: Studied to MSc Level


 Hmmmmm! Congratulations anyway Airtight. But _221_! It sounds like a measurement on the Kelvin scale. Are you experiencing headaches? Get on to the Guinness Book Of Records ASAP ........ 
*People Still Alive*



Physicist / Engineer Kim Ung-yong has a verified IQ of 210
Bouncer Christopher Michael Langan has a verified IQ of 195
Engineer Philip Emeagwali is alleged to have an IQ of 190
World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov is alleged to have an IQ of 190
Author [broken link removed] has a verified IQ of 186
Actor James Woods is alleged to have an IQ of 180
Politician John H. Sununu is alleged to have an IQ of 180
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is alleged to have an IQ of 180
Mathematician Andrew Wiles is alleged to have an IQ of 170
World Chess Champion Judith Polgar is alleged to have an IQ of 170
Chess Grandmaster Robert Byrne is alleged to have an IQ of 170
World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer is alleged to have an IQ of 167
Mathematician / Physicist Stephen W. Hawking is alleged to have an IQ of over 160
Microsoft Founder Paul Allen is alleged to have an IQ of over 160
Actress Sharon Stone is alleged to have an IQ of 154


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## Airtight (10 May 2009)

*Re: How does your IQ effect your future?*



rmelly said:


> was this from an official IQ test e.g. Mensa, or one from the interweb?



It was the "Scholastic Aptitude Test" I think... which was carried out when I was 15 years old.

Oddly, when I was in primary school I had to attend remedial classes. My parents where told, I had learning difficulties which where attributed to Dyslexia and my below average level of intelligence. (not to the fact the main class size was 36).

After sitting the entry exams for secondary school (another IQ test), I was put in the bottom class. Just a few years later I was in the top 5% of my year. Lots of the seemly bright people didn't score as would have been expected.

It seems to me IQ really is only a part of the bigger picture, for example IQ doesn't take in account how people apply them selfs to study or their surroundings. 

If a person prepares or practices for IQ tests then surely they can improve there IQ test results (logical).

My personal opinion is that we all have high levels of potential, just some have to work harder than others to realize it, thus bringing motivation in to the equation.


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## Airtight (10 May 2009)

*Re: How does your IQ effect your future?*



Simeon said:


> Hmmmmm! Congratulations anyway Airtight. But _221_! It sounds like a measurement on the Kelvin scale. Are you experiencing headaches? Get on to the Guinness Book Of Records ASAP ........
> *People Still Alive*
> 
> 
> ...



That was an type error....  its corrected now.... interestingly that sort of stuff happens me all time. Maybe the teachers where right about the Dyslexia.


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## MandaC (10 May 2009)

I did the mensa test some years ago and came out at 139.  Does your IQ diminish over time though - I think mine certainly has.


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## Mommah (10 May 2009)

MandaC said:


> I did the mensa test some years ago and came out at 139. Does your IQ diminish over time though - I think mine certainly has.


Have you been pregnant and had babies?
Because I feel the same.
I used to be sharper than my hubby and now its the other way around.
I think its brain damage caused by prolonged sleep deprivation.


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## MandaC (10 May 2009)

No kids, but I just feel more forgetful some times.

Think I need to do Suduko type number puzzle thingies to keep my brain sharp.


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## Simeon (10 May 2009)

Never been preggers  and am losing it bigtime!


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## truthseeker (10 May 2009)

MandaC said:


> I did the mensa test some years ago and came out at 139.  Does your IQ diminish over time though - I think mine certainly has.



I dont think your IQ diminishes over time, but I do think the 'practice' of learning diminishes when you leave a learning environment like school or university. I havent had to study for a test in years, so Im out of practice. Wonder if these 'brain training' games have any real positive impact?

I did the mensa tests, I qualify but didnt bother following up and joining (cant remember the threshold for qualification - my memory is definitely worsening with age!!!)


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## Purple (10 May 2009)

*Re: How does your IQ effect your future?*



Simeon said:


> Hmmmmm! Congratulations anyway Airtight. But _221_! It sounds like a measurement on the Kelvin scale. Are you experiencing headaches? Get on to the Guinness Book Of Records ASAP ........
> *People Still Alive*
> 
> 
> ...



Cindy Crawford is reputed to have an IQ of over 160 (High school valedictorian (4.0 GPA), enrolled at Northwestern University to study chemical engineering on full academic scholarship).
Natalie Portman is in the same league (Finished high school with a 4.0 GPA. Attended Harvard University where she completed a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. Also engaged in graduate studies at Hebrew University. Speaks Hebrew, French and Japanese fluently)
So brains help in any job/trade/profession.

(and yes; I googled for the info above)


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## Simeon (10 May 2009)

*Re: How does your IQ effect your future?*



Purple said:


> (and yes; I googled for the info above)


And there was me thinking you were a savant


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## ajapale (10 May 2009)

Is there anywhere to check your IQ online?


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## Caveat (10 May 2009)

Any sites I've come across seem to have dubious credentials.

I did the Mensa test years ago - IQ 148. I could have joined but thought the whole idea was silly - I was just curious.

Career wise, I'm doing "OK".  A guy I went to school with was fairly academically challenged - borderline special needs I would have said: he now runs a successful business.

Charm, trust, resourcefulness and of course hard work, can often serve you better than IQ.  I want to hang onto mine of course, but I think it's overrated.


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## ajapale (10 May 2009)

Caveat said:


> Any sites I've come across seem to have dubious credentials.
> 
> I did the Mensa test years ago..



I remember reading somewhere that Mensa itself has some dubious credentials!

In the 1970's there was a series of books called "Boost your IQ". I remember enjoying the tests and watching my IQ increase weekly!

I remember reading somewhere that standard IQ tests are culturally loaded. For instance if you are from the west living rooms are rectilinear but if you come from the amazon rainforest living rooms are curvilinear. In other words the notion of straight lines and 90degree bends is embedded in our culture but not on others.


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## truthseeker (10 May 2009)

ajapale said:


> I remember reading somewhere that standard IQ tests are culturally loaded. For instance if you are from the west living rooms are rectilinear but if you come from the amazon rainforest living rooms are curvilinear. In other words the notion of straight lines and 90degree bends is embedded in our culture but not on others.



Yes - this is true. There is no one standard test that would work for everyone worldwide, but the Mensa ones would tend to be fine for most westerners.

The whole thing is a bit of an exercise in superiority IMO, you cant take just IQ to the exclusion to all other human traits and declare it to be the key factor in success in career. Charisma, good social skills, good time keeping, good organisational skills, good manners etc....all these things matter as well. As well as a good dollop of plain old good luck.


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## Pique318 (10 May 2009)

*Re: How does your IQ effect your future?*



Mommah said:


> Love the fact that she has African ancestry.


Why ? I thought we all had ?


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## gearoid (11 May 2009)

I think the whole "everyone came from Africa" theory has been given a bit of a shock over the last few years.

The "Flores man" discovery has thrown a lot of previous research out the window. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/science/28hobbit.html?scp=1&sq=floriensis&st=cse

What do people do in Mensa for fun by the way? It always seemed to me to be a very bizarre organisation to join.

For the record I never did an IQ test, but I got a B in Hons Irish so I hope that counts. I must have had a high Emotional Quotient to be able to extract something educational from Peig.


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## Caveat (11 May 2009)

gearoid said:


> I must have had a high Emotional Quotient to be able to extract something educational from Peig.


 
 Indeed!


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## Simeon (11 May 2009)

Peig abu! Ireland's first sister


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## Don_08 (12 May 2009)

how does he get that Shakespeare has an IQ above 174 when it was only developed in 1912??


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