How do people with IQs of 140 - 200 think?

I have been keeping up with this thread lately. There have been many responses that challenge the current view that mankind has on intelligence as a whole. Some of us are misguided by the notation of what intelligence is, while we ignore what it isn’t. What is the single or massive collection of operations that we call intelligence? Does anyone know for sure? How can you compare people such as Freeman Dyson, Enrico Bombieri, William James Sidis, Albert Einstein, and Leonardo da Vinci as geniuses of greater value to society through an intellectual Olympias? I don’t believe you can really, or why would it matter? Each of those individuals are or were very intelligent and changed the close minded spheres of their society’s views in their life time. How closely does an eccentric genius tie in with madness such as John Nash? But whose to say that these people were mad, and not ourselves for believing and following in self evident truths of others instead of our own? I believe each and everyone of us contains something special within. It is up for the individual person to bring this out of themselves and share with humanity as a whole against the odds of the ignorance in these modern times. I believe in you.

There is a clear distinction between "smart" and "intelligent"

Smart is what you get from books.

Intelligence is what you do with the smarts u have.

People with high iq's are able to more effectivly use their smarts.

Hmm hard to describe really.

emmotionally redundant for the most part,hard to maintain relationships,
A son of a gun when it comes to an argument with friends / family

still manage to have a sense of humour,not too bothered about material things in life

protective towards family,don,t suffer fools gladly but willing to accept people for who they are if they are honest

artistic,intuitive,

Actually against the regular education system. i don,t believe life skills can be taught from books

I don't trust those internet IQ tests. I had a personality report done when I was 14 from a psychiatrist, and my score was 158, but I took an emode test that said my IQ was 140-- your IQ should stay the same since birth, pending unforeseeable circumstances.


As for how I think: obsessive and erratic.


Seriously, though... my thought processes are erratic enough to confuse several psychiatrists and psychologists. They actually had to have a meeting with me about my results of the preception portion (cup is half full / half empty) of the test because my results were "indiscernible"... I don't remember what we talked about-- I just thought it was funny that even these doctors couldn't understand me.


It tends to be difficult for me to explain my thoughts to others, simply because my way of thinking is totally different from others. It makes me seem slow because I actually have to think out my thoughts through how others might think them.


It should also be taken into account that as an infant, I was given significant amounts of halucinogenic drugs and alcohol from adults around me, I'm mildly autistic, and have a wide range of psychological disorders.


When I was three I was taken to my first psychiatrist because my parents were concerned about my talk of morbid subjects. It was discovered that I had developed a serious case of clinical depression and was suicidal-- this was due to my recent discovery and realization of "death". I obsessed over this so frequently that I was no longer sleeping and had to go to a sleep therapist for the next five years. As a teenager, I considered violent self-harm to my brain to try and rid myself of that fine line between intelligence and madness-- I just wanted to be happy and oblivious.


In any case, I am now psychologically better equipped to deal with these sort of thoughts. I now practice relaxation techniques and practice "thought blocks" (blocking out stress-causing thoughts and fears) and am religious in taking my medication for anxiety, paranoia, and other mental problems.



**EDIT**
I spoke with my mother about this topic and she told me to note that she was told that she and I would have the same vocabulary level by the time I was two (my mom's a little dim.... )


[edit on 5/27/2006 by Draconica]

two things I have learned about intelligence along the way

1. True wisdom is only acheived when we realize we know nothing at all.

2. The difference between insanity and genius is measured only by success.


I am in the moderately gifted area 146 as far as IQ goes(couldve been higher but im color blind and thusly I struggled through the color coordinating questions) and All I know is that my mind never ever stops racing. I constantly find myself thinking of no less then 5-10 things at any given moment. Fortunately through meditation I have gained some control over the process, as to not lose my mind.
I cannot speak for anyone else, but, I try to think about things from every possible perspective and then come to conclusions based on the results. I certainly do not think myself above others, but sometimes I do get frustrated with people that refuse to think.


Patience is a virtue and ignorance is bliss- so if your an idiot that doesnt mind waiting around, I guess your in heaven.
I was once asked would I rather be simple(of mind) and happy, or complex and troubled. Not that I have a choice being that I'm a tad bit complex and deeply troubled(not internally) Sometimes I would love to switch and be simple.

Good thread LOD some very interesting posts in here aswell

I'm officially tested at 144, and was a member of Mensa for a while.

Since I don't know how anyone else thinks, I have no way of making any comparison. I have strong intuitive senses from time to time, and I find that things that are crystal clear to me can be difficult to explain to others -- I sometimes "skip steps" apparently, in spelling out a logic flow.

If you were to go to a social gathering of 98th percentile IQs, you would find that there are glib and articulate people and people who can barely frame a sentence. It would probably be a disappointing experience. It certainly was for me.

The effect I think is that we are good at:

drumroll: denying ignorance

I'm serious, though I never have taken an IQ test my inteligence has played hell with my social life, I just dont give a # about the things that everyone else is obsessed with, I have ideals which is becoming the fastest growing minority ever, I have been singled out because of my ideals, race, religion and academic success, We see through propaganda, at lunch I sit with pretty much only people of high IQ's (in excessof about 120-130) My friend pascal has an IQ of 165 but gets an F in a lot of classes, my explanation is that he considers the work pointless as do I, another is michael and is getting a 4.0, so I wonder about his IQ, he's probably the most moral person I've met, but is kinda easily fooled so... anyway we all have these social problems because we just dont care about the same things, there are other people at the table but one is just a low IQ person freeloading and the other can really only be described as crazy... really... he just has a few wires crossed in his head, We have all of these great discussions which are really meaningful (all are to some degree conspiracy believers) , and then I overhear other people talking about what new album is out or what new gadjet is in (Yes the microchip has come up in those)
Yes we do think differently, we dont care about this crap that the media throws out at us to distract us. We know what is actually going on in the rest of the world, We all pretty much hate the US government... but thats another story, we have great debates over religious, political, and racial issues. We actually have something better to do than sling around the race card every five seconds.

And yes we all do have some very serious social problems because of it, We are though not particularly nerdy rejected by others, and it is the same reasons that we can think. Even the crazy guy contributes... I'm rambling so:

In conclusion:
Yes we do think different
We can think for ourselves
We are the kind of people who can stay afloat on a site like ATS (at our age that is good since most adults can't)

As a man of few words, and a recorded I.Q. of 143 -


All my life I've felt detached from my peers. I cannot speak for anyone else with an above average I.Q., but I can say for myself that I tend to make different, more detailed, and much more abstract connections than do most of my peers. E.G.: without fail, every time anyone around me has made reference to a swastika, my immediate thought is not the fascist totalitarian regime of Adolf Hitler; rather, I think of Indian Hindu culture. I think of ancient Egypt, and ancient Native American culture. This leads me, as a Christian, to idol worship.

Swastika -> Idol Worship.

Also of note are the surrounding emotional problems inherent with an overactive mind. With the forementioned emotional detachment comes even a sense of inferiority; and from this inferiority comes an inkling of depression that, when left unchecked, can marr any man or woman's psychological health.

So then, all that really goes through the mind of someone who is of an above average intelligence: random-abstract connections, and a myriad of social and emotional problems.

Again, I'm speaking from my own perspective. I have no clue as to how others feel.

I hope I've been a help to you.

[edit on 13-6-2006 by sagacitygonedaft]

[edit on 13-6-2006 by sagacitygonedaft]

That is what my grade 11 study of intelligence and what it means, found out. Later, I learned that a persons IQ was a terrible predicter of one having a successful life. It was even poor at showing how one would fare in post secondary school. Since I don't recall if I posted mine before, and I have seen a bunch of IQs very close to mine, I'll post mine. In grade 6, I was told it was 148. I have since learned just how unimportant that really is in life in general, or even to me personally. I share many others views that I can only speak for myself, and I appreciate it when others feel the same about that. Only you know whats best for you, and vice versa.
In recent tests, my score has ranged from 138 to 141, so in the last 30 years, it appears I have gotten stupider, which is just fine by me.
No one will care what you know until they know that you care.

I have a tested IQ of 144,which for the most part means absolutely nothing.
I suffer from depression,I am not a particularly social person although I do enjoy other peoples company, it is hard to find people to have a stimulating conversation with when the majority of people I have been in contact with have a very limited view and seem to be pre-occupied by how other people act.

My mind is constantly active which at times causes sleeplessness.I have a yearning to learn...I can't seem to get enough.I become bored with things easily and once I have gained what I wanted to know then I will go on to something else
I have been in the military,I am a diesel mechanic by trade yet I am more than a competent cabinet maker,I have a good working knowledge of electrics..(not electronics..although thats on the agenda)..I love astronomy,physics...etc
I utilise my "gift" both mentally and physically.

I am not religous although I believe we have a soul..for want of a better word,and we are all connected and the spirit is eternal...eternally learning.

I have no political bias,as any system of governance is flawed.If anything I believe all of humanity have a right to live their lives as they choose as long as it is not harmful to others and in any system of government, education and health are rights not privileges.

I also have an ability to see numbers and words,by which I mean most equations
I do in my head as I can see the relationsips as well as I can see all the words on a page so I don't really read them individually just collectively...if that makes sense.

I haven't taken an I.Q. test, so does any of you know of a very accurate test on the interent? I don't have the time to go out to actually take one.

I wouldn't trust any IQ test on the internet. I'm a psychology student who has taken a certified IQ test from a psychologist. The differences are vast but the ones online can give a small glimpse into the actual test. The ones online are not extensive enough to produce a valid, consistent test.

I don't have too much to add as far as personal experience goes. After reading through a number of these posts I've found that I'm not as crazy as I thought I was. All the weird little oddities of my overanalytical never resting mind were echoed by numerous people here. In some ways I feel that my intelligence has distanced me from others. I find that I gain less and less from social interactions and enjoy my private studies and personal time much more. It's just reassuring to hear that I'm not the only one. Being a psych student I'm constantly trying to get into people's minds and I love how varied we all are. But sometimes you just need to know that while you may not be interacting with these people, there are others like you out there. Not that I don't know anyone else intelligent or that I'm an ubergenius, it's just difficult to find similar minds.

I would agree with the fact that IQ tests do not predict job success or other areas. Performance at work is based on so many cultural, societal, and political areas that intelligence alone isn't going to cut it. I despise school and have performed poorly as a result of it. I'm sick of teachers reading straight from the book and giving mulitple choice tests that the publishers made. I'm sick of teachers not asking for anything creative from me and punishing me when I do because I went above guidelines.

I feel like memorizing information for a test makes me as much of a scholar as throwing up makes me a cook. It's pointless and unchallenging. I talk to other students outside the class that make A's and they can tell me every definition in the book. But ask them to apply it and you've got a completely different situation. We're teaching our children to be robots that excel at being told what to do and what to know.

Besides going insane I feel that lack of motivation can be a problem for intelligent people. If I don't feel something is worth accomplishing or I don't agree with the reason, I won't do it. No one is going to make choices for me or tell me what I should be doing. I make my own choices and I live with those consequences. Some intelligent children are seen as trouble makers because they don't get along with authority figures. I don't think it's an issue of compliance so much as it's an issue of principle.

It's like when you're sports coach makes you do pushups or something you don't like. Because they are in a position of authority most would just accept the task without reason. But if this coach has no experience coaching, can't play the sport, or just wants to make me do a pushup I'm not going to listen to him. I want a reason, I want to know why everything happens. I need experience or something of value to support the authority position. If not, why should I listen to you. I can choose to quit the team or do as I please. But I know if I want to play that I have to comply. So I feel that it becomes this balance of making my own choices and living in a structured society. I care little for money or material possessions but I know that I have to make it somehow in order to support myself, and hopefully someday, a family.

So that was supposed to be a few lines but I guess I went off on a rant. Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

On Giftedness


Throughout history some of the brightest people in our society have been misunderstood and are misrepresented through fallacious concepts on giftedness. To better understand what being gifted means, we need to take a closer look at gifted children and the education system in which they are placed . Some of these profoundly gifted children are underachievers, and the way society is constructed may lead gifted girls to underachieve as well. There exist poorly understood children that are known as twice exceptional that either have a learning disability or are physically disabled and gifted. All of these children are precious and we must do our best to feed their young minds to become outstanding productive adults that they can potentially become. Gifted children are those considered by the educational system to have higher forms of deeper intellectual ability to reason and solve problems more so than average pupils . During the early 19th century giftedness was often measured by the use of IQ tests, but recent studies in theories of intelligence have put doubt on such testing. The fact remains that many of these children are years beyond their peers, and feel alienated or limited by the resources that are taught in the classroom. Gifted individuals tend to learn more quickly, broadly, and deeply than their social chronological age group. Gifted individuals tend to demonstrate high creativity, curiosity, and reasoning skills or high sensitivity. They may frequently ask questions or question authority and may even perceive authority figures as peers of their own, or even inferior to themselves. Gifted children usually prefer having the company of adults, or older children due to the disparities of subject interest or emotional intensity. Classification of IQ scores are listed below. The start of giftedness is believed to start around:115 , moderately gifted 130 , highly gifted 145 , exceptionally gifted 160 , profoundly gifted 175 . Those in the IQ scores of 115 - 145 are known to generally get along well socially with their peer groups, but the disparities start to appear around the highly to profoundly giftedness scale. A person with the IQ of 160 is as different as a person with an IQ of 100 and 80. A problem associated with giftedness is underachievement. Gifted students will continually do well on achievement test, or logical reasoning test, but may fail to turn in homework or participate in class. They may feel disengaged from the educational process all together from under-challenging class work or material, pressure to fit in and conform or rebellion. Societal pressures to conform is a big problem for gifted females. Society has placed emphasis on females becoming mothers that will raise the young, with certain standards females should meet. Teachers usually encourage giftedness in males more so than females. If a female argues against a point, she may be seen as aggressive and unproductive. While males may be more encourage to speak out. Plus underachievement occurs in giftedness patly due to the fear of social isolation. They feel like they should not standout anymore than they have to, to fit in. They may secretly think Wow, this homework is very insipid, I see no point in doing this unproductive work; instead I think I will study astrophysics . Profoundly gifted children can also be learning disabled or physically disabled in some shape or form. Children that are gifted but have learning disabilities are called twice exceptional. They also may suffer from hypersensitivity to an overload of stimuli. For example the popping sound from popping of popcorn, the slamming of a door, the banging from a hammer hitting a nail, or just the loud booming sound of drums may drive an intellect crazy with stimulus. For example Josh who is five can do seventh grade mathematics, but he falls short of reading on grade level. His giftedness may cover up his weakness, and his weakness may cover up his giftedness. There are many children like Josh in this world, but their talents go unnoticed due to their weaknesses. Albert Einstein was considered twice exceptional, because he could not talk until he was four years old and seven before he could read. Thomas Edison a prolific inventor had a trouble in school that was most likely due to dyslexia. It is up for the educators to find these gifted children and set up an IEP that will help them succeed and meet their potentials. Though throughout history some of the brightest people in our society have been misunderstood and misrepresented through fallacious concepts of giftedness. It is up to us to take a closer look at gifted children and the education system in which they are placed . Some of these profoundly gifted children are underachievers, and the way society is constructed may lead them to underachieve as well. We can help prevent this, and help twice exceptional children become outstanding productive adults that they can potentially become with their wonderful God given gifts. Together we can use these resources, and gifts of these children to push us forwards to find new medical cures, or scientific breakthroughs. Or experience a heavenly musical masterpiece by one of these beautiful children.

-LOD

I would not get hung up on being quantified by IQ.
The point is that highly intelligent people exhibit the ability to think in uncommon ways (hence the far side of the bell curve) as compared to the mass of humans. They also have a broader associative horizon which allows them to pick patterns out of existing knowledge base which prove useful.

The real drawback I feel comes from the fact that they must live with the rest of us riding the top of the bell curve. Fitting into the mainstream is like cutting the juice to your computer.

History does not treat highly intelligent people very well, unless they've managed to hide their abilities or have found a way not to make those around them feel uncomfortable.

Those with broader associative horizons should have been allowed to use their talents to increase all existing knowledge and learn new knowledge previously unknown. Without that freedom humankinds chances of continued existence is doomed. And maybe rightly so.

Emotionally: I feel sort of alienated by the world around me. I care about strangers, and consider the well-being of other people more important than mine.
I've suffered bouts of severe depression in the past.

Socially: I'm a recluse, barely venturing out of my house.
I never eat in restraunts. When i do talk and communicate with people, i have an excellent sense of sarcasm and a great sense of humor, i think.

Religiously: I'm an Southern Baptist and i believe that everything happens for a reason.
However those reasons are frequently dim, and that's why i rarely go outside of my house, i rarely go to church, only if i know something terrible is going to happen in the next week or there's a possibility of another war, i always repent.


I never really did care about school alot, but i have had my IQ tested before, and it's 138.

In education i always excelled in History and Geopolitics, and Art.

[edit on 22-8-2006 by mindlessinsanity]

I have a very low IQ but IQ doesht actually mean anything. Someone with an IQ of 90 is just as intelligent as someone with an IQ of 140.
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Please expand TG. Coco the Gorilla had an IQ of 90, and I think I'm smarter than her. But then again, maybe not.

I dont think IQ means anything. Some say it's a measure of intelligence but I dont believe intelligence can be measured.

i took an iq test mines 142 i think like u guys. not like people with high iqs are supper smart. i fail a lot of my classes but thats only cuz i dont do my homework. iqs are messurments of peoples abilitys to learn not inteagence...

Well I have taken a few online IQ tests, but I don't know how reliable they are. Between the multiple tests I have taken my IQ score ranged from 140-170'ish. So, I guess I fit in this range.
In terms of thinking, I noticed I can sometimes understand things other people can't. I am exceptionaly good at Math and Chemistry when I do my homework and pay attention. I do how ever believe that I have a lower than normal short term memory. I can understand and use math and physics equations quiet well, but I can not keep track of the numbers in my head. Give me a paper and a pencil and I can beat everyone in my class. Also I have trouble with languages for some reason. No matter how hard I try I can't get much better at english and japanese(Note my limited vocabe, bad sentance structure, and horrible spelling.).
In terms of emotions, my emotions when I was younger where messed up and I will leave it at that. Then as I got older my emotion kind of went away. My freinds all said I was neutral or emotionless. Then last year I became very depressed. Now I believe my emotions are normal to weirdish. I also have a few phobias, and I can not ignor problems that I see every day.
World view I am dishartend. I am disapointed with society and the majorty of the human race. I find that to many people are caught up in the illusion of society and ultimatly don't acheive anything. I will leave this part to that, perhaps in another thread I will go over my world view's in full detail.
Socielly, I am kinda an out cast. Don't go to parties or anything. I am considered a nerd by some, but I am rarly bullied. I have a few freinds, but they are good friends.
I like different stuff, anime, martial arts, hiking, snowbarding, web comics, games. I find that I am not very out of the ordinary.
If I really do fit in this IQ range there we go. Hope this helps to help people with lower IQ's understand people with higher IQ's. (P.S. I don't know how to formate paragraphs in these posts yet. New to the forum.)