If you could be reborn with a different IQ..... would you choose to?

[novasatori]

Originally posted by: Motek
For the people who are still like "Huh?" Roosters don't lay eggs.

Sorry just had to clarify

its like the good old question
5lb lead and 5lb feathers are put on a scale - which is heavier

 

[ShadowOfMyself]

Hmmmmmmm... Hard question... Like others have said... A part of me would prefer to be dumber so I could appreciate life more, but once youre intelligent its hard to go back this thread needs a poll

 

[PrinceofWands]

Something more 'normal', no question. I wouldn't mind being a little above, but not much. Say, 110-140 range. That way I could get some of the benefits without being a total pariah.

You should make a two part poll:

Would you want your IQ to be:
higher
lower
the same

What range wouldyou want your IQ:
<60
60-80
80-100
100-120
120-140
140-160
160-180
180+

 

[Flyback]

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
Something more 'normal', no question. I wouldn't mind being a little above, but not much. Say, 110-140 range. That way I could get some of the benefits without being a total pariah.

LoL. Are you suggesting that you're higher than 140? Hell, some Nobel physicists were in the 130 range.

 

[PrinceofWands]

Originally posted by: Flyback

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
Something more 'normal', no question. I wouldn't mind being a little above, but not much. Say, 110-140 range. That way I could get some of the benefits without being a total pariah.

LoL. Are you suggesting that you're higher than 140? Hell, some Nobel physicists were in the 130 range.

That's because general 'g' intelligence doesn't include any kind of strength in specific field (as does, say, gardner conceptions of IQ), and because there's more to doing stuff than intelligence. It makes the doing easier, but you have to want to do it, and have the opportunity to do it as well. Otherwise all the intelligence in the world is moot.

 

[Black88GTA]

-2 Int
-1 Wis
+3 Cha

done

 

[Jeff7]

What's the maximum capacity of a human brain?


I'd want not only a higher IQ, but also a brain that is more prone to try to structure itself logically. I'd like something that makes more efficient use of the volume within the skull. When nature "designs" things, it works backward from how we engineer things. It tries something, and if it works well enough, it keeps it. We like to predict the outcome, and design for that purpose. I would like something like that, something designed logically, purpose-built for receiving, interpreting, storing, and recalling information quickly and effectively. I understand that the hippocampus has some role in long-term memory, so perhaps something with a similar function, but more capable would be a nice addition too
With improved structuring would likely come quicker learning, and better focus - with this improved structuring, there would be less need to control our natural and rather irrational or even random impulses. Without this distraction, that would leave even more resources available to the already enhanced mind.

Yeah, that's what I'd want out of a new brain. Sure, nature's granted us something a bit excessively intelligent for pure survival. But it's only given us a small glimpse of what sentience can really do.

Originally posted by: Flyback
LoL. Are you suggesting that you're higher than 140? Hell, some Nobel physicists were in the 130 range.

Really? Huh.....interesting.
I got into the gifted program in elementary school. I remember a bit about the test - there were some things involving various configurations of shapes, and remembering their colors or arrangement. And I remember that I was asked which continent Chile was on. I thought it was on Asia; I never really had much interest in political geography. Things like elevation maps, I like looking at them; satellite images too. Borders just didn't seem important.
But I think the gifted program's cutoff limit is an IQ of 130. For some reason, the number 136 always stuck in my mind.

I find that stories like this one are inspiring. I just wish we knew more about why some people are so exceptionally quick to learn certain things. Is it hardware, or is it all in the software?

 

[mugs]

My IQ is well above average now.

I wouldn't mind having a higher IQ.

I wouldn't want to have a lower IQ. That's just stupid (pun intended).

 

[DarkThinker]

I'd pick an IQ of 1, so I would stop wasting my time theorizing sh!t, and spending more time making sh!t

DarkThinker

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: DarkThinker
I'd pick an IQ of 1, so I would stop wasting my time theorizing ******, and spending more time making ******

DarkThinker

You don't have to replace "drool" with "******"

 

[DarkThinker]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: DarkThinker
I'd pick an IQ of 1, so I would stop wasting my time theorizing ******, and spending more time making ******

DarkThinker

You don't have to replace "drool" with "******"

No the word was sh!t

Nice hussle though!

DarkThinker

 

[PrinceofWands]

Originally posted by: mugs
I wouldn't want to have a lower IQ. That's just stupid (pun intended).

Not necessarily. There are a number of reasons.

1. America doesn't celebrate intelligence, instead it's often shunned and/or misunderstood.
2. Ignorance is bliss...that's not just a cliche, it can be very true.
3. Very high IQ's have a higher percentage of various mental illnesses.
4. It's impossible to cover all of the situations one encounters in life where not disguising your intelligence causes you stress and/or harm.

These things usually only come into play at 3SD's over standard or higher.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I'd want to be around 180 I guess. Dunno if that would make me smarter or better at taking a particular kind of test though...

 

[PrinceofWands]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: Flyback
LoL. Are you suggesting that you're higher than 140? Hell, some Nobel physicists were in the 130 range.

Really? Huh.....interesting.
I got into the gifted program in elementary school. I remember a bit about the test - there were some things involving various configurations of shapes, and remembering their colors or arrangement. And I remember that I was asked which continent Chile was on. I thought it was on Asia; I never really had much interest in political geography. Things like elevation maps, I like looking at them; satellite images too. Borders just didn't seem important.
But I think the gifted program's cutoff limit is an IQ of 130. For some reason, the number 136 always stuck in my mind.

Sounds like the WISC test. It's largely replaced the Stanford-Binet for testing kids in school. Kindergarten and earlier generally take the WPPSI. They're all based on the same research (by Wechsler). And are fairly accurate between g's of 75 and 150. Above 150 is VERY hard to accurately predict in kids. As adults there are a number of tests geared specifically towards the much higher IQ's, some of which take specific high function into account.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
3. Very high IQ's have a higher percentage of various mental illnesses.
4. It's impossible to cover all of the situations one encounters in life where not disguising your intelligence causes you stress and/or harm.

These things usually only come into play at 3SD's over standard or higher.

You seem to have partly covered it with #4 there.
Maybe there's a reason for the mental illness. Imagine yourself confined in a place like the Politics and News forum, and the constant idiocy in there was the only thing you were exposed to, 24/7, for years on end, save one intelligent magazine you were permitted to read. I think before too long, you'd show symptoms of a variety of metal illnesses.
Some of these people are isolated like that - they try to talk about things that are important to them, or that interest them, but so few others have any knowledge whatsoever on those subjects, that conversation is simply impossible. Metaphors to get a point across might make no sense if they're too high level. Vocabulary would need to be dumbed down to converse normally with an average person. It could be quite exceedingly stressful, to the point that socializing becomes more trouble than it's worth, and so is simply abandoned for the most part.

Cause and effect - genius and insanity. Maybe it goes both ways.

 

[Crono]

If I had a high IQ (or anything above average, which my IQ right now is) I would probably be tempted to be arrogant about it, especially if it were in the genius range. So I'm OK with my current IQ.

I could say the same for my looks. I'm perfectly fine with the way God made me, though there are brief (and sometimes not so brief) moments where I wish I was smarter or better looking.

 

[PrinceofWands]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: Flyback

I find that stories like this one are inspiring. I just wish we knew more about why some people are so exceptionally quick to learn certain things. Is it hardware, or is it all in the software?

Nature/nurture studies have generally indicated that general 'g' IQ is nature within a range and nurture to it's level within that range. So if you're bred with an IQ range of 120-150 it's your environment and upbringing which dictates where you'll fall within that range. What isn't known yet is how wide the nature range is at birth (though 20-40 points is assumed).

Furthermore this doesn't account for savants, nor precociousness. Savants have such an enormous ability within one focused area as to deny study by general 'g' intelligence means. Precociuosness has many elements of psychological development that interfere with trying to learn about it from a purely cognitive standpoint.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I believe true genius verges often on instability/insanity. I have had the combined fortune and misfortune of knowing a number of truly gifted genius' who either lacked the skills to interact with 'normal' society or burned out trying to do so. It is not that genius is so rare, it is that genius combined with the desire/ability to communicate and aid the plodding masses they are surrounded with is almost non-existent.

 

[Luthien]

I would pick a high IQ. I don't believe dumb people are happier because they are dumb. I think people that think that are dumb.

 

[bersl2]

Another standard deviation up would be nice. Of course, the higher the number goes, the less meaningful it becomes.

Furthermore, as I keep telling myself, it's not what you have, it's what you do with it. And so far, I ain't done ******.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands

Originally posted by: mugs
I wouldn't want to have a lower IQ. That's just stupid (pun intended).

Not necessarily. There are a number of reasons.

1. America doesn't celebrate intelligence, instead it's often shunned and/or misunderstood.

I have noticed the trend here that anytime there is an article about some super-smart kid getting a perfect SAT score at the age of 10 or something like that, there are ALWAYS negative comments about his social skills. So yes, I agree that intelligence isn't really celebrated here in the US.

However, from personal experience I think that people react very differently to intelligent people they know personally. I have experienced respect far more often than disdain.

2. Ignorance is bliss...that's not just a cliche, it can be very true.

Yeah... I'll pass. I don't think that's a selling point for being stupid.

3. Very high IQ's have a higher percentage of various mental illnesses.

So far, so good.
/crosses fingers

4. It's impossible to cover all of the situations one encounters in life where not disguising your intelligence causes you stress and/or harm.

I think the problem is that so many people flaunt it instead of being modest about their intelligence. That's what causes problems in social situations. I've never felt the need to play dumb.

To each his own I guess, but I think that if an intelligent could become dumb and still be conscious of what it was like when they were intelligent, they would miss being intelligent. Didn't you ever notice how frustrated other people would get in school because they couldn't understand math or science?

 

[Chiboy]

I would keep my current IQ of 115.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

There are Crazy People in the World
All Geniuses are Crazy
Therefore all Crazy People are Genius

 

[rocadelpunk]

I would like to have an iq that would allow me to make a difference in a subject...

i.e. an Ph.D in mathematics & be at/near top of my respective field.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands

Originally posted by: mugs
I wouldn't want to have a lower IQ. That's just stupid (pun intended).

Not necessarily. There are a number of reasons.

1. America doesn't celebrate intelligence, instead it's often shunned and/or misunderstood.
2. Ignorance is bliss...that's not just a cliche, it can be very true.
3. Very high IQ's have a higher percentage of various mental illnesses.
4. It's impossible to cover all of the situations one encounters in life where not disguising your intelligence causes you stress and/or harm.

These things usually only come into play at 3SD's over standard or higher.

I agree with you on this. When I'm talking to people at work and my answer doesn't match up with what everyone else is saying, instantly I'm the outcast of the group and they tell me that I'm overthinking things. If I look up the answer afterwards to show them that I was right, they'd say "nobody even cares anymore".

It's as if the only reward possible comes in the form of social acceptance by agreeing with the rest of the herd; there is no reward for disagreeing and being correct.