It’s very difficult to assess someone’s intelligence during a brief meeting, but the longer you share conversation with that person, the more accurate will be your assessment. Here are some characteristics I have found in the very high IQ people I’ve met although these are, of course, generalizations that will have some counterexamples. High IQ people are:
• usually open to discussing dispassionately, ideas that differ from their own and are slow to reach certainty on an issue.
• usually seeking information that disconfirms what they believe, rather than attempting to confirm their current beliefs.
• usually more interested in talking about ideas and concepts than gossiping about other people.
• willing to challenge beliefs commonly accepted by the group (tribe) to which they belong.
• likely to mistrust dogma and social norms, preferring to set their own standards of behavior and follow their own reasoned protocols.
• seldom aggressive in attempting to persuade others to their point of view, but passionate about the goals they wish to achieve.
• usually draw insightful inferences from their observations, identifying the essential elements in a clutter of information.
• interested in a very wide range of topics spanning the natural and social sciences as well the arts and almost anything of an academic nature. Their reading is scholarly, and they have little interest in tabloids.
• acutely aware of the limits of their knowledge.
Those of “very high IQ” differ from those of “high IQ” mainly in the degree to which they exude the qualities outlined above.
Low IQ people tend to exude qualities opposite those described above. For example, they are quick to reach certainty with a minimum of information, and they have strong opinions that resist change, even in the face of new disconfirming evidence. Television situation comedies often caricature such self-defeating behaviors in comedic characters. Among the most popular renditions of the bombastic, low IQ know-it-all was captured in the character of postman, Cliff Clavin, in the long-running sitcom Cheers. Clavin, a regular at the iconic Boston bar, named Cheers, typically appeared in his postal outfit, complete with white socks, engaging with the other bar flies, and never missing an opportunity to showcase his knowledge on all matters. Pontificating on arcane “truths,” often of his own making, he managed to alienate all those who knew him, but remained totally unaware of the general disdain in which he was held. As the quintessential personification of the Dunning-Kruger effect, he grossly overrated his intelligence, while remaining completely oblivious to the transparency of his unrelenting efforts to impress. Such people can have other redeeming qualities that make them valued members of society, but if you attempt to change their opinions through rational dialog, you will need a high measure of patience.
I had to understand if I was alone in how I thought of things but boy did your blog hit a nerve I have narcolepsy so I never finished college I certainly identify with what Charles Darwin wrote.
Veronica, I’m glad that you were able to relate to Darwin’s quote. Sometimes someone’s comments hit home and remind us that whatever problem we have is shared by many others.Sleep disorders add substantial challenges to prolonged study, but I suspect from your comments that you’ve made progress.
I had to understand if I was alone in how I thought of things but boy did your blog hit a nerve I have narcolepsy so I never finished college I certainly identify with what Charles Darwin wrote.