Some Signs of High IQ
When you first meet a person, you may make a rough assessment of their level of intelligence. However, this judgment should be provisional, and the longer you observe 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.
• willing to change their opinion in the face of disconfirming evidence.
• 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 behaviour 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.
• are 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.
Implications of a high IQ in Adulthood
Those who have a high IQ usually learn easily, can problem-solve at very high levels, and indulge fluidly in sophisticated abstract thought. This means that with sufficient work they can learn virtually any academic subject in the natural and social sciences. For such a person, virtually all career choices, except those that require special athletic or musical aptitudes will be available. Furthermore, the learning will be easier than for most people and can be acquired through books or computers with a minimum of external help. If coupled with tenacity and a passion to achieve, it represents an unbeatable combination of personal assets for achieving personal goals. However, there are significant downsides to IQ (See: I know a 140 IQ is good, but what does it really do? – Intelligence and IQ )
How to Interact with highly intelligent people
People of high IQ are similar to everyone else in their need for social contact and emotional intimacy, although they may require less social interaction than the average person. High IQ people tend to spend more time in cerebral rather than visceral mode relative to the norm. Consequently, you can interact with them at both emotional and intellectual levels, but they tend to value most, those with whom they can share intellectual discussion. They tend to have less interest in the typical social chit chat such as that found in a lot of social media and gravitate to discussions of a conceptual nature. As Socrates is reputed to have observed over 2500 years ago, “Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people.” Extremely bright people often feel isolated because their perspective on life differs from the norm and they usually welcome someone with whom they can share ideas. If you have some area in which you can enhance their knowledge, they will usually greet you with open arms.
