Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer best captured the essence of genius in his famous quote: Talent hits a target no one else can hit; genius hits a target no one else can see. Newton, Einstein, John von Neumann and Tesla are considered geniuses because they combined high intelligence with creativity and insight to hit targets that no …
What Do Geniuses have in common: Is it merely a High IQ? Read More »
Years ago, I would have assumed that high IQ people were less prone to propaganda, because they are better equipped to sort through the political noise and draw correct inferences. However, in recent decades, I’ve had a chance to observe many people of high IQ who have locked into a point of view and then …
Are People with High IQ more or less prone to Influence by Propaganda? Read More »
Many people of high intelligence (IQ) also have excellent social skills (EQ). This is generally recognized as relatively common in people in the 125–135 IQ range. Such people are significantly more intelligent than average, but they are close enough to the average to be able to self-reference to understand how others feel. This enables empathy …
When it comes to achieving happiness, extremely high intelligence can be a liability, because it is often accompanied by introversion, resulting in limited social skills, feelings of isolation, and a tendency toward depression. Alan Turing (featured in the movie The Imitation Game), Ludwig Boltzmann (developer of statistical mechanics in quantum physics), and Yutaka Taniyama (known for …
Why are highly intelligent people susceptible to depression? Read More »
The graph below shows the distribution of IQ throughout the population. IQ tests are normed so that the average IQ is 100 and the standard deviation is 15 (or for some IQ tests, it’s slightly different) You can see from the graph that about 68% of the population (slightly over 2/3) have IQ between 85 …
Cognitive neuroscience explores the relationship between the structure of the human brain and cognitive processes. Some of the main questions that it addresses, and their implications can be grouped under these headings: Brain Structure and Function: How does the brain’s structure and organization relate to different cognitive functions, such as memory, attention, language, perception, and …
What are the questions addressed by Cognitive Neuroscience & their implications? Read More »
Albert, I would suggest you ignore the IQ score. IQ is the best measure of intelligence that we have, but it falls short in many areas and measures only some dimensions of intelligence. It doesn’t measure creativity, musical talent or long-term problem solving ability. Furthermore, we know that intelligence can be enhanced by stimulating your …
Exceptionality in any domain poses challenges and problems, because the world is designed to accommodate those of average height, of average size and average intellect. Tall people find themselves squashed into airline seats made for those of average size, while short people may have difficulty reaching the overhead storage compartment for their luggage. Clothing stores …
Teachers who work with children observe dramatic individual differences between gifted and average children in their ability to learn to ideas, to understand metaphor, and to engage in mental activity for a sustained period of time. Ellen Winner provides a description that resonates with descriptions from others who study prodigies. (see Winner, Ellen. 2000. “The …
What are the characteristics of talented and gifted children? Read More »
I don’t know of any research on this question, because most people tacitly assume that high intelligence is a positive trait. The research does show that high intelligence is positively correlated with a large number of desirable outcomes including better health management, greater socioeconomic status, more career choices and greater longevity. That is why many …
Do people generally view intelligence as a negative trait? Read More »
