Intelligence What characterises people with high IQ's ?

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We have seen in this thread that IQ is strongly hereditary, that children with highly educated parents also tended to have higher IQ's, and especially that male hormones significantly increased IQ (because IQ only testes typically male reasoning skills, like logic and spatial skills). We saw that the higher the IQ, the bigger the gap in numbers between men and women.

Because IQ is so intricately linked to male hormones, it is normal to see a correlation between very high IQ and masculine social behaviour.

The higher the IQ, the higher the sense of individuality and the independence of mind. Exceptionally gifted people care (much) less about what other people think of them, and are less sensitive to praise, and even less to flattery.

Because they care less about the opinion and esteem of others, they tend to be less socially oriented, but also feel less easily lonely. Maybe it is because they have a very heightened sense of the "self".

They feel pressed to tell openly what they think to others, especially when they hear something that conflicts with their reasoning or knowledge. They value more truth, facts and logic than friendship or emotional relations.

Gifted people therefore only care about social conventions they agree with, and (harshly) criticise the others. They live in an inner world where anything that is not rational is wrong and should be changed. It is unconceivable to them to bask in mediocrity. They are born perfectionists (for what they care about).

Their disregard for conventions, combined with vivid, creative and independent mind, often make them coin new words (often just for fun, to see the reaction of those who care about conventions), or use rare words (not by pedantry at all, but just because they like them better). In other words, they recreate the conventions for themselves.

Typical high-IQ people are constantly thinking about something, worried about a problem, thinking about solutions... So they end up having little time and energy left, and little motivation, for ordinary chit-chat. Because they are constantly "navigating in their thoughts", they tend to be more forgetful of trivial things ("damn, I forgot to remove the clothes from the washing machine last night !").

Their strong independence of mind and deep intellectualisation of things results in exceptionally gifted people having stronger individual interests than average ("passions" for some topics or activities). Once they get into something, they want to know everything about it (which can make them look like geeks or freaks to ordinary folk).

High IQ correlates strongly with exceptional concentration abilities. The problem is that it makes such people quite stubborn until they know or understand what they wanted. Such children are known for always asking "why" questions, and never give up until they get a satisfactory answer.

One thing that normally irritates people with high IQ is asking them to explain something (complex), then stop listening in the middle of their explanations. Exceptionally gifted people just can't understand why one would ask a question and not care about the answer, when they visibly do not understand that topic.

At school, exceptionally gifted children are easily bored by lessons, because they understand before everyone else and get irritated when the teacher has to repeat for slower people. If it is a subject they are particularily interested in, they usually have learned everything by themselves before, which can create conflicts with the teacher, as gifted children do not mind correcting the teacher's slightest mistake in front of the whole class (that's their way of showing that they shouldn't be sitting in that class in a humiliating position of inferiority - well, you know how wild and vain kids can be !).


On the whole, exceptionally gifted people tend to be hyperactive, eat a lot and sleep a lot (because the brain uses so much energy), or on the contrary eat and sleep very little (these are exceptions, like Napoleon, probably due to a different metabolism).

At work, they have difficulty understanding why other people can't do as much as they do in the same amount of time, or don't do things as well as they should. They are usually unsatisfied by others, demanding, strict, and feel like they have to do things by themselves if they want them to be done properly...

High-IQ people are very individualistic, but they usually strive for the common good (as well as their own interests). Their passion for things, their sense of logic, and their desire for perpetual improvement, make of them good politicians and philosophers. On the other hand, they usually dislike routine jobs, with predefinied tasks and little space for creativity and a sense of intellectual challenge.

Given their individualism, they rarely bear the authority of other people, and are therefore more often self-made people, free-thinkers and entrepreneurs, rather than conventional academics or professionals employed by a company.

Having a high IQ has little influence on most of the arts, as IQ only testes rational, logic and spatial skills. It may help for sculpture (spatial skills), or classsical music (rational and spatial).
 
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Very interesting analysis. :)

I can't really make any comments from a personal point of view... except one very minor point... I don't see that "truth, facts and logic" run counter to "friendship and emotional relations" (although I grasp the point, and realise that you are not saying they are mutually exclusive or anything); on the contrary I would say that truth (in the sense of facts) is very closely allied with honesty, which is imo essential to strong friendships and positive emotional relations. :)
 
I see that this is a very old thread but in the off chance you will answer, I felt like I must sign up and reply. I had the weird feeling when I read this thread. Something similar to what you have when someone knows more about yourself than you do. It was like you were describing me. I wont go into detail, but I definitely have most of those character traits. Very strange. Do you know if this is proven, or a theory, or noticed patterns? Thank you, for helping me understand a little bit more :)
 
I see that this is a very old thread but in the off chance you will answer, I felt like I must sign up and reply. I had the weird feeling when I read this thread. Something similar to what you have when someone knows more about yourself than you do. It was like you were describing me. I wont go into detail, but I definitely have most of those character traits. Very strange. Do you know if this is proven, or a theory, or noticed patterns? Thank you, for helping me understand a little bit more :)

When it comes to psychology (and often also medicine) nothing is ever 100% "proven". There are theories based on observed patterns, and this one is pretty well established. These traits have been observed in many different cultures over decades, and have been shown to correlate with high IQ most of the time.
 
I see that this is a very old thread but in the off chance you will answer, I felt like I must sign up and reply. I had the weird feeling when I read this thread. Something similar to what you have when someone knows more about yourself than you do. It was like you were describing me. I wont go into detail, but I definitely have most of those character traits. Very strange. Do you know if this is proven, or a theory, or noticed patterns? Thank you, for helping me understand a little bit more

Very odd that I came across this thread through searching the internet to find this response... I feel exactly as you do concerning the OP however I don't think I would have registered and posted if I had not seen this comment. It is truly good to know there are other people that share all of those characteristics... I always knew they were there however they are rare to come across and people on the internet tend to be much more expressive than when in day to day life.

One addition (or rather expansion) I would like to make to the OP has to do with one thing I notice every day at my college... People who come across as very intelligent, studious and diligent, most of the time are not as deep thinking and comprehensive as you would like them to be. They can be extremely knowledgeable in their field of study, fields that can be as complex as it gets... but when you deviate from their specialty their mind seems to derail a bit, their attention wanes as they listen and then they seem to get their mind to hop back on the rails by talking about something they know about. I guess you could say all they know is what they are doing and stick with it but once introduced with a totally different topic they just can't stick with it. All of what I said (even though it is a bit incoherent) is precursor to this... I believe that a person with a high IQ is truly a jack of ALL trades. They should have at least a small understanding, beyond the obvious, of everything coupled with the capacity to master any one of those things at will. Forgive me if I don't make sense in all of that but this is the first time I have ever tried to fully explain it...

Another thing that kind of bothers me is, why is it that high IQ people are often exempt from having exceptional social behavior? There are many obvious advantages to being socially active and highly tactful. Through human interaction we learn... everyone is different and everyone has something different to offer. And it goes much beyond just going out and interacting but also putting yourself into all sorts of different situations to see how things are done, why people do what they do and see whats out there for you to try. And I would think that if you are aware of all this it would seem to me that this awareness is facet of intelligence all on its own. That, IMO, is part of the criterion for having a "high IQ" and it seems to be the most lacking characteristic of these highly intelligent people.

I am most certainly ranting now, but thanks again Karley for your motivational post :) This is why I love the internet so much, I had a desire to know about what defines a truly intelligent person, type it into a search engine and you find a gem like this thread!
 
One addition (or rather expansion) I would like to make to the OP has to do with one thing I notice every day at my college... People who come across as very intelligent, studious and diligent, most of the time are not as deep thinking and comprehensive as you would like them to be. They can be extremely knowledgeable in their field of study, fields that can be as complex as it gets... but when you deviate from their specialty their mind seems to derail a bit, their attention wanes as they listen and then they seem to get their mind to hop back on the rails by talking about something they know about.

I have noticed the same thing. High IQ societies have noticed that people with well-paid but highly specialised jobs, like lawyers, doctors, computer scientists, etc. usually have above-average IQ, but rarely beyond what is considered exceptionally gifted (over 135). Their IQ is more likely to be between 110 and 130.

I guess you could say all they know is what they are doing and stick with it but once introduced with a totally different topic they just can't stick with it. All of what I said (even though it is a bit incoherent) is precursor to this... I believe that a person with a high IQ is truly a jack of ALL trades. They should have at least a small understanding, beyond the obvious, of everything coupled with the capacity to master any one of those things at will. Forgive me if I don't make sense in all of that but this is the first time I have ever tried to fully explain it...

I think it is an excellent reason not to trust a "scientist's opinion" about a field that is not strictly their speciality. It always makes me laugh when people quote a physicist about a philosophical matter and say "see, this guy is intelligent and he believes in god !". :blush:

The philosophical spirit (i.e. thirst for knowledge and understanding in every field) is probably the most characteristic of exceptionally gifted people.


Another thing that kind of bothers me is, why is it that high IQ people are often exempt from having exceptional social behavior? There are many obvious advantages to being socially active and highly tactful. Through human interaction we learn... everyone is different and everyone has something different to offer. And it goes much beyond just going out and interacting but also putting yourself into all sorts of different situations to see how things are done, why people do what they do and see whats out there for you to try. And I would think that if you are aware of all this it would seem to me that this awareness is facet of intelligence all on its own. That, IMO, is part of the criterion for having a "high IQ" and it seems to be the most lacking characteristic of these highly intelligent people.

Personally I see two main reasons :

1) boredom : exceptionally gifted people being in general well versed many subjects, and often find more mundane conversation boring. Even when talking about more specialised topics, the exceptionally gifted might already know more than almost anybody else he meets, if he has taken some time to learn about that particular topic at one point in his life. In general, as knowledge accumulates with time, (specialised) conversation will become more and more difficult with ordinary people. When meeting other people becomes less exciting, or downright boring, why spend time and energy with them ? Of course there is always a need for having fun in a non intellectual way (but that is usually possible only with friends, not strangers).

2) anxiety : it is one characteristic of people with higher IQ to be more (intellectually) sensitive. It is this heightened perception of the world that leads to strong, passionate interest in so many fields. You could say that high IQ people are like supertasters, that find great sensory satisfaction even in the plainest foods - except that in the case of gifted people it is for rational matters, not taste. This usually translates as being also more anxious or nervous (especially for younger people), which affects face-to-face socialising in a negative way. The Internet is a blessing for such people.
 
I was recently taking an IQ test and tested at 155 with deviation of 15. testing was unable to accurately measure the IQ due to the fact that i answered the questions under the time limit and made a 100% however just like all standardized test this is imposable so i was said to have made a 99.9%. the way they measure high IQ is rather inaccurate i think.

the reason i was tested was to diagnose my dysgraphia and allow the state to provide me with a laptop however I WAS TOO SMART so they said. i was insulted as this is completely asinine. do you send an untrained sniper to a covert mission or a trained one? why waste money on people who may not succeed when you can assist the above average people of the world. after all im not looking to make money but just contribute to society.
 
IQ test are only reliable until about 130. There are special high IQ test, but the past 150 it's hard to really know who is smarter than whom. There are also many specialised IQ tests (spatial, visual memory, logical, arithmetical, verbal), and people rarely score evenly in all. The problem with most logic test is that they have only simple problems, not ones involving pages of data to mentally sort out before computing. Chimps are faster than humans at some basic problem solving, but cannot deal with high-level complexity problems like humans.
 
Reading this also gave me quite a strange feeling.

Thanks for posting this. :unsure:

I have been told (actually yesterday as I was in a coffee shop) that people with a higher IQ have a specific taste in classical music, BUT also Metal (heavy metal, or rock). He mentioned he read a study, but I don't know how reliable this random German is...
(by the way my search for this study led me to this thread)
 
gctox

Primarily, I kindly ask to be excused for my English.

I felt characterized, on each paragraph of this thread. I always wondered why people thought and saw things different? Being hard for them to understand your point or not being able to visualize the whole picture.

I regret finding this now in my 30's, knowing earlier would have changed my life...

I went to 12 different schools, not getting the right opportunity to develop or explore my full intellect through these years. I made it to my MBA (being an autodidact), even with loopholes from constant transitions.

It's sometimes hard to explain how you go through life mostly feeling alienated for not sharing peoples interests or simply by having to step down to meet their level. It also gets complicated knowing where to draw the line, while being tactful.

I work in a job that not always challenges me but lets me wonder in thoughts; it also provides time to search my interests.

I always assumed the problem came from being ambidextrous but this frustration increased with time and brought me to research more. I have found some interesting threads like this one, some articles and information. It feels exceptionally good to know you are not alone.
 
Reading this also gave me quite a strange feeling.

Thanks for posting this. :unsure:

I have been told (actually yesterday as I was in a coffee shop) that people with a higher IQ have a specific taste in classical music, BUT also Metal (heavy metal, or rock). He mentioned he read a study, but I don't know how reliable this random German is...
(by the way my search for this study led me to this thread)

I could echo the thoughts of other posters in this thread but the real reason I registered was to say that I have frequently over the years told people that I felt there is a strong correlation between rock/metal and classical music. It is so strange to see someone else say it! I, myself, prefer Chopin most of all. Most any classical music has the same "feel" as rock and metal to me however. I would be quite interested in reading this study you speak of.

Cheers,

Mike
 
I was recently taking an IQ test and tested at 155 with deviation of 15. testing was unable to accurately measure the IQ due to the fact that i answered the questions under the time limit and made a 100% however just like all standardized test this is imposable so i was said to have made a 99.9%. the way they measure high IQ is rather inaccurate i think.

the reason i was tested was to diagnose my dysgraphia and allow the state to provide me with a laptop however I WAS TOO SMART so they said. i was insulted as this is completely asinine. do you send an untrained sniper to a covert mission or a trained one? why waste money on people who may not succeed when you can assist the above average people of the world. after all im not looking to make money but just contribute to society.

A monstrous lie, you one-posting pisstaker.

:LOL:
 
Interesting that out of 8 people replying to this thread 6 have posted only once or twice on the forum. It looks like they registered only to boast, but anonymously. :D
 
Well I personally do not think that people with high IQ trend to be more socially un-skilled that people with more or less average IQ. However, it is ture that academic IQ is not so tighly correlated with career success inside an organization, for example.

However, I think that precisely because it is somehow counter-intuitive that a high IQ fail to attain financial and career success compared with other people, it calls to attention and begets and explanation.

For starters, when we correlate "success" in "real" life with many other variables, we end up with the result that IQ (as meassured with instruments like SAT or Stanford-Binet) only explains 20% of the variance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford-Binet_Intelligence_Scales
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAT

(However, this test predict much better when constrained simply to "academic performance").

50% of the rest of the variance, is simply explained by the social class in which a person was born, and other variables of plain luck.

The rest, have been a real which various teories have tried to fill. I for one, likes very much the concept of "Emotional Intelligence" (EI).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_intelligence

The concept of Emotional Intelligence, somehow independent of IQ, is for me very sound. The concept is still very controvertial. In the wikipedia, you will find the criticism to this concept occupy more space that the explanation of the concept itself, but I believe it is not so much because of its underlying theory, that is very scientific and solid, but because the Werstern World for more than two centuries have been living in denial of emotions... it is a wold that idealizes "pure reason", without never really attaining it.

Regards.
 
Ok. I've done the IQ tests. I've done the psychology tests. I've recognised myself in OP. Now what? What do you do for a living?
 
I feel like a chimp when I read this.
I did several IQ tests and every time scored 139-149 IQ and I do recognise myself in your
characteristics of people with high IQ.
But is there any reason in this conversation?
Are you trying to change something or realize something?
 
I for one are trying to change something.
When I read the OP and even more so when i read about "Too Many Aptitudes Problem", I lol'd at numerous occasions 'cause it felt like I read my own biography.
The problem I have is that I'm currently unemployed and have no idea what to do next. And as a college dropout and being too old for school my choices are limited.
I'm kind of searching for ways to go, but unfortunatly as I'm learning more about myself I'm still not finding any real answers.
So what "ways" have you taken, are there any benefits joining a high IQ society, are there any interesting (and somewhat lucrative) jobs that you can get with less than 2 years intensive education, is trading +EV for a high IQ (over 135) person, etc etc?
 
Let me tell you what I think.
High IQ will not make your life or search for work any easier.
Usually it's the other way around.
When you approach potential employer and tell him or let him know that your IQ is higher than his you are done.
So unless you are really good in some field your IQ is only a number.
 
I would never tell my employer what my IQ is.
But that's not what I'm getting at.
I'm more looking for ways to take advantage of a high IQ to get me where I want to be.
Or if we go deeper, to feel more satisfied with my life.
 

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