I got my Mensa test results over the weekend, and was shocked to discover that I qualified for membership. I can only assume that my tests got mixed up with the lady next to me who completed every section early while I was struggling to fill in the last bubbles as time was being called. I was equally shocked to see that they provided my actual scores, which was totally unexpected based on what they told me before. If you're equipped with your raw test scores and a high school level education in mathematics, the Mensa website provides all the information you need to determine your IQ. I did this and determined that my IQ is 152.55, which I'll gladly round up to 153.
Upon calculating this, I immediately wondered what the hell that number meant. I enlisted some help from Google and discovered that there isn't a whole lot of agreement out there on what that number means. Some people say that you're a "genius" if your IQ is over 140, while some say the cut-off is 145, and others say it is 160. I'm apt to go with the 160 since I'm positive that I'm not a genius. I also decided that the term "genius" is probably kind of worthless. There is such a huge difference in intelligence between someone with an IQ of 160 vs. 170, but they are both considered to be in the genius range.
Google turned up some pages with estimated IQ's of some famously smart people, which is complete bullshit if you ask me. If someone had asked Mozart what the opposite of a tree was, he probably would have been smart enough to stand up and walk out of the room. I'm not even convinced that the tests I took accurately assessed my IQ. To try to apply those tests to someone who is dead seems like a complete waste of time.
While perusing the list of famously smart people and their supposed IQ's, I realized that what these people really had in common wasn't a high IQ. What they actually had in common was that they accomplished incredible feats in their fields and made a profound impact on the world. Statistically speaking, about 1 in every 11,000 people has an IQ over 160, which means that there are over 600,000 "geniuses" living in the world today. However, there were only 20 or 30 people on these lists of famously smart people whose IQ's were estimated. Being a genius definitely isn't what made those people special.
Despite my allegedly high IQ, I don't think any of my intellectual pursuits have made much of an impact on anyone. I'd be shocked if anyone has even looked at my hierarchical model for predicting delay variability in digital circuits due to process variation. I haven't even been able to invent a low cost eco-friendly toilet paper that doesn't leave any debris behind after a single swipe. At least I'm trying.
The things I've done that have made the biggest impact on the world aren't intellectual pursuits at all. The impactful pursuits have all been pursuits of love, kindness, and compassion. Those are things that anyone can do, regardless of a meaningless IQ score. If everyone set aside one hour every week to help someone in need, we would see a big change in the world. What can you do for someone else this week?
Upon calculating this, I immediately wondered what the hell that number meant. I enlisted some help from Google and discovered that there isn't a whole lot of agreement out there on what that number means. Some people say that you're a "genius" if your IQ is over 140, while some say the cut-off is 145, and others say it is 160. I'm apt to go with the 160 since I'm positive that I'm not a genius. I also decided that the term "genius" is probably kind of worthless. There is such a huge difference in intelligence between someone with an IQ of 160 vs. 170, but they are both considered to be in the genius range.
Google turned up some pages with estimated IQ's of some famously smart people, which is complete bullshit if you ask me. If someone had asked Mozart what the opposite of a tree was, he probably would have been smart enough to stand up and walk out of the room. I'm not even convinced that the tests I took accurately assessed my IQ. To try to apply those tests to someone who is dead seems like a complete waste of time.
While perusing the list of famously smart people and their supposed IQ's, I realized that what these people really had in common wasn't a high IQ. What they actually had in common was that they accomplished incredible feats in their fields and made a profound impact on the world. Statistically speaking, about 1 in every 11,000 people has an IQ over 160, which means that there are over 600,000 "geniuses" living in the world today. However, there were only 20 or 30 people on these lists of famously smart people whose IQ's were estimated. Being a genius definitely isn't what made those people special.
Despite my allegedly high IQ, I don't think any of my intellectual pursuits have made much of an impact on anyone. I'd be shocked if anyone has even looked at my hierarchical model for predicting delay variability in digital circuits due to process variation. I haven't even been able to invent a low cost eco-friendly toilet paper that doesn't leave any debris behind after a single swipe. At least I'm trying.
The things I've done that have made the biggest impact on the world aren't intellectual pursuits at all. The impactful pursuits have all been pursuits of love, kindness, and compassion. Those are things that anyone can do, regardless of a meaningless IQ score. If everyone set aside one hour every week to help someone in need, we would see a big change in the world. What can you do for someone else this week?
You really expect us to believe that you have a high school level education in mathematics? Come on, Jen...
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