I’m not ashamed to admit the 'Got into Mensa ’ thread has stirred up mixed emotions in me. I’m pleased for @Crystal-Cotton , and yet not so pleased that some here think that passing such a test or not is seen as dictating whether you’re really smart or not.
It just seems that saying you’ve got into Mensa gets you a lot more praise than saying you’ve done well on other tests.In fact the latter probably has you labelled as an arrogant and boring fraud. There is no logical reason why that should be the case,but it is the case nonetheless…
To be fair it’s a societal issue rather than one just happening here. There may be many fine reasons why an intelligent person prefers not to be a member of Mensa, and also perfectly fine reasons for wanting to be a member.
It does rather pee me off that getting into Mensa, a fine achievement in itself,results in comments like this
Whereas doing much better on a non Mensa test gets you very few,if any at all, such comments.
I’ve no real feelings over any of it but I’m curious about such clubs simply because I think the impression, to me anyways, is it’s an elitist thing. I’ve known plenty of smart people but I’m just a little hesitant about a group who uses a base line as membership. That is just me.
There’s undoubtedly an element of that, but it’s not applicable to all who belong to such societies. . For me it’s a ‘At least I’m not useless at everything’ response to join such societies. The vast majority of such societies, whether on FB or stand alone, have very little traffic. They make a relatively quiet week on here seem more than a little manic.
That’s not really surprising as sharing a very high IQ is not a good thing to build a thriving site around.
My route to the world of high range IQ societies was via an autistic interest in quizzes and tests of all kinds, and then stumbling across the IQ exams FB group, and after that other such FB groups.
Speaking from personal experience - there are some grains of truth to that. An adaptive functioning <IQ gap, though not universal, is far from unusual for those who are autistic. The more highly intelligent the autistic person is the more noticeable such a gap can be.
Problem with IQ is it doesn’t predict real life achievements well. Richard Feynman didn’t have required IQ points to be part of Mensa. Frank Morris one of inmates who escaped from Alcatraz had IQ of 133.
While that may be true to some extent, it’s not a reason for anyone to say such tests are useless. Generally they do a good job of predicting a wide range of outcomes, but on an individual level there will always be exceptions like Feynman.
There are several DNA based tests that are available that aim to predict how intelligent you are. As things currently stand they don’t do as good a job as a traditional IQ test.
The reason I have not commented on things you post is often it’s out of my area of expertise
I struggle to understand the terminology in some articles, and the IQ thing I am not sure about
With @Crystal-Cotton this is a big deal to a young person who’s had some serious challenges, and I think it right that the forum supports something other than the usual spam
It doesn’t take anything away from you at all You’re a nice person, and I am glad you have interests in these things, as it’s good you keep your mind busy with these challenges for tests etc.
It upsets me when I do online IQ. Last time I got 80, and I used to be 120 10 years ago
I’m pleased for @Crystal-Cotton . I knew her prior to her coming here, and she’d already shown to me what a fine mind she has. My comments are not a reflection on her. They are a reflection on the inconsistent and faulty way in which people here and elsewhere, online and offline, are deemed intelligent or not intelligent.
It’s the contrast between the praise for an admittedly great achievement by her, and the much more negative response to the posting of my own results that upsets me.
I think this is probably sensible. Governments have a history of abusing information they have access to. If they want my DNA they had better present me with a warrant.
I think a big part of the disparity at hand is how Mensa has more of a “mainstream” history than arguably any other organization with similar aims and that lends to its perceived increased credibility.
I find your cognitive feats quite impressive, @firemonkey, and I enjoy reading about them even if I don’t always comment on them.
I think you hit it. When I Google “the society for geniuses” I get the following statement:
Mensa is the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world .
Isaac Asimov was supposedly a member.
That said, public discussions about strong intellect tend to lead to some hurt feelings.
I’m sorry if my comments on her thread led to hurt feelings. I felt that she should be allowed to celebrate, and have a more experienced Mensan respond to some difficult, inevitable questions.
I felt upset for a myriad of reasons that had nothing to do with what you said. It’s a bit of a psychological minefield for me ,and some days I don’t do a good job of emotionally avoiding them. Much of it stems from the effects of bullying,and not having had the kind of help and support that is available to 2e/gifted but disabled people now… It can and does make me bitter and frustrated at times. Plus of course , being all too flawed as humans are, a degree of vanity is involved.
The points about Mensa that you, and others, have made are good points . For the average person Mensa is the society for brainy people, with other societies scarcely getting a mention. Also it’s comparatively easier for people to think they too may be able to join Mensa(which is a great achievement in itself) than one where a triple 9 IQ is required
Then there is the fact that a Mensa score result, whether you do well enough to get in or not, is seen as far more legit than a score from a high range IQ test aimed at those with a 120 IQ or above. That’s not helped by the plethora of dodgy IQ testing sites. It’s a myth that all such tests are bad, but it’s a myth that is very persistent and hard to shake off.