The Student Room Group

Does IQ matter?

Some people may claim IQ is meaningless and it is nothing more than a measure of how good you are at taking IQ tests. It seems to be mainly used for bragging rights.

However, a Business Insider article I recently came across (http://www.businessinsider.com/facts-you-dont-want-to-know-iq-2011-11?op=1&IR=T - press "View As: One Page") had some 'facts' which shocked me. Here are the main points of the article:

Genetics make up an estimated 40-80% of a person's IQ

The higher your IQ, the more likely you're socially smart

Summer holidays can drop your IQ

People with a lower-than-average IQ (between 75 and 90) are morel likely to drop out of secondary school, go to prison, and live in poverty

Lower IQ scores are linked to more suicidal feelings

If you have an IQ of at least 115, you can do any job


What are your thoughts on this?

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Reply 1
Guess not then lol, I feel stupid for posting this now haha.
Reply 2
Well, I think practising IQ-test style questions can make you better in IQ-tests, i.e. they do not measure some fixed quantity of intelligence inherent to each individual. But the correlation makes sense, because in general IQ-tests demand good abstract reasoning skills and the ability to perform under pressure. Of course these are important in life. I would expect them to correlate with the traits described.
Original post by DarkEnergy

The higher your IQ, the more likely you're socially smart



What the hell does that mean.

Original post by DarkEnergy

Summer holidays can drop your IQ



An alcohol damages brain- an epic, great discovery of modern science!

Original post by DarkEnergy

People with a lower-than-average IQ (between 75 and 90) are morel likely to drop out of secondary school, go to prison, and live in poverty



Probably.

Original post by DarkEnergy

Lower IQ scores are linked to more suicidal feelings


I don't know what is my IQ level. As kid I was recognized by two psychologists to be more intelligent than average, but I have a lot of suicidal feelings, however when in depression, I do become less intelligent.

Original post by DarkEnergy

If you have an IQ of at least 115, you can do any job



Probably as long as this job is based on relatively easy, and common skills. Certainly, demanding a previous job experience from an intelligent candidate for casual office work, and anything below, is an insult. A month is enough to learn all about office fatigue and accidents, and those can't stop such person from getting the job done.

However expertise in many subjects requires a very deep knowledge and trained skills, I mean physics, programming, music composition etc.

Original post by DarkEnergy

What are your thoughts on this?


Don't read such short-note crappy articles.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 4
Original post by PTMalewski
Don't read such short-note crappy articles.

I see what you mean but there are further explanations on the article (I just used the title of each point) and each point is referenced.
The only people who care about IQ are insecure about their intelligence. Also, internet IQ tests blatantly pander to the participant, I took a few when I was about 12 and got 130 - 150 which is absolutely ridiculous.

IQ is a broken and worthless measure of intelligence and being smart is not the end goal, it's the success you gain using your intelligence that matters. That's why I don't see "intelligent but lazy" as a reasonable excuse for being an underachiever.
Original post by DarkEnergy
I see what you mean but there are further explanations on the article (I just used the title of each point) and each point is referenced.


I noticed and I isist on support of my point.

Explanations are short, and taken out of context. Some of them may be even misleading.
I used to read a lot of books, and scientific magazines, now I read less because of spending lots of time practicing piano and practice my English more. Still, there is nothing new, nor in this article, nor in any this sort of article I have seen in at least 2 or 3 years, only my teeth pain me when I read such.

Don't get me wrong, It's not that I'm so clever, it's just better to read something decent on daily basis, It doesn't take much time and it provides a lot more information.


Original post by Callum323
The only people who care about IQ are insecure about their intelligence. Also, internet IQ tests blatantly pander to the participant, I took a few when I was about 12 and got 130 - 150 which is absolutely ridiculous.

.


Did they ask for your age? IQ for children is estimated with different methods and they give large numbers.
I wouldn't trust internet tests anyway.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Callum323
The only people who care about IQ are insecure about their intelligence. Also, internet IQ tests blatantly pander to the participant, I took a few when I was about 12 and got 130 - 150 which is absolutely ridiculous.

IQ is a broken and worthless measure of intelligence and being smart is not the end goal, it's the success you gain using your intelligence that matters. That's why I don't see "intelligent but lazy" as a reasonable excuse for being an underachiever.


This is completely correct. And yes, the only way intelligence should be measured is by what is done with it. If you want to show that you're intelligent, excel in something intellectual instead of getting some meaningless high score in an IQ test and thinking that you're intelligent when in reality you could in fact be pretty dull.
I'm afraid there is no common criteria to judge intelligence from what is done.

Also, not to mention environment, intelligence may be affected by illness. You won't do much If you're seriously ill, no matter what kind of illness is that.
Well low IQ such as 75 and 90 comes with great issues. Those with scores in such ranges tend to have significant problems. A score of 70 is one of the markers for the provision of support. Low IQ, such as one of 90, would come hand in hand with problems related to poverty, and so would have a sort of circular relationship. Though a score of 90 isn't particularly unusual (100 being approximately population mean, and plus or -15 is like 1 standard deviation).

Intelligence tests can also be learned to some extent. Practice makes perfect. There are issues in the repeatability of psychometric tasks.

Personally I would say there is significant dimunition of return for increasing IQ. If you're smartish, you can do pretty much anything if you are motivated to do so. The brain is a plastic organ, and you can get smarter.

I would have thought higher IQ would have a greater relationship with things like poor mood?

Also I don't think such tests are particularly useful in distinguishing between people who are in a high range. Clinically useful, but not really for bragging rights etc.
(edited 7 years ago)
There IQ and EQ (emotional intelligence ), I tend to find that people with high IQ aren't very sociable and lack empathy


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Original post by Callum323
The only people who care about IQ are insecure about their intelligence. Also, internet IQ tests blatantly pander to the participant, I took a few when I was about 12 and got 130 - 150 which is absolutely ridiculous.

IQ is a broken and worthless measure of intelligence and being smart is not the end goal, it's the success you gain using your intelligence that matters. That's why I don't see "intelligent but lazy" as a reasonable excuse for being an underachiever.


Internet IQ tests are so fake lol, I took one when I was like 14 and got like 170. I do not have an IQ of anywhere near that. Also where are the real IQ tests and how do you do them ? Do you buy them online or something ? Not interested in doing it atm just curious.


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Original post by RossB1702
Internet IQ tests are so fake lol, I took one when I was like 14 and got like 170. I do not have an IQ of anywhere near that. Also where are the real IQ tests and how do you do them ? Do you buy them online or something ? Not interested in doing it atm just curious.


Posted from TSR Mobile


I don't know where to get real IQ tests, but they're probably just as convoluted as the ones on the internet. I assume you pay a con artist a crazy amount of money for them to ask you questions a kid could answer and say you have the same IQ as Einstein. Such irony.
Original post by Callum323
I don't know where to get real IQ tests, but they're probably just as convoluted as the ones on the internet. I assume you pay a con artist a crazy amount of money for them to ask you questions a kid could answer and say you have the same IQ as Einstein. Such irony.


Yeah lol they're most likely a waste of time. Tbh I think hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard except in the case if you're Will Hunting, that guy was smart asf. Good movie 10/10 would recommend.


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by DarkEnergy
Some people may claim IQ is meaningless and it is nothing more than a measure of how good you are at taking IQ tests. It seems to be mainly used for bragging rights.

However, a Business Insider article I recently came across (http://www.businessinsider.com/facts-you-dont-want-to-know-iq-2011-11?op=1&IR=T - press "View As: One Page":wink: had some 'facts' which shocked me. Here are the main points of the article:

Genetics make up an estimated 40-80% of a person's IQ

The higher your IQ, the more likely you're socially smart

Summer holidays can drop your IQ

People with a lower-than-average IQ (between 75 and 90) are morel likely to drop out of secondary school, go to prison, and live in poverty

Lower IQ scores are linked to more suicidal feelings

If you have an IQ of at least 115, you can do any job

What are your thoughts on this?


If we're assuming IQ is a reliable indicator of intelligence, I don't think the last point is correct. I mean, a senior lecturer in theoretical physics (or any other physical science/maths) is going to have an intelligence in the top 1%, most likely - yet an IQ of 115 indicates top 16%. (Just something worth mentioning).

Anyways, it's really only important if you want to join MENSA. Nobody gives job offers/uni offers based on IQ. However, I'm guessing a high IQ would probably indicate strong proficiency in aptitude tests like UKCAT, BMAT, TSA etc. As they contain questions similar to IQ tests - so in that regard, it could be helpful.
Original post by RossB1702
Also where are the real IQ tests and how do you do them ? Do you buy them online or something ? Not interested in doing it atm just curious.

I think you can pay to do a MENSA IQ test, and if you're in the top 1% or something they "let" you join.. by paying something ridiculous like £50 a year. Total scam imo.

Original post by GradeA*UnderA
If we're assuming IQ is a reliable indicator of intelligence, I don't think the last point is correct. I mean, a senior lecturer in theoretical physics (or any other physical science/maths) is going to have an intelligence in the top 1%, most likely - yet an IQ of 115 indicates top 16%. (Just something worth mentioning).


I agree, but I assume the article meant 'jobs' in a more general way - as in more 'conventional'/typical careers.
Original post by GradeA*UnderA
If we're assuming IQ is a reliable indicator of intelligence, I don't think the last point is correct. I mean, a senior lecturer in theoretical physics (or any other physical science/maths) is going to have an intelligence in the top 1%, most likely - yet an IQ of 115 indicates top 16%. (Just something worth mentioning).

Anyways, it's really only important if you want to join MENSA. Nobody gives job offers/uni offers based on IQ. However, I'm guessing a high IQ would probably indicate strong proficiency in aptitude tests like UKCAT, BMAT, TSA etc. As they contain questions similar to IQ tests - so in that regard, it could be helpful.


Interestingly though - admissions tests for medicine that seeks to indicate IQ has only a poor relationship with course performance.
Original post by hellodave5
Interestingly though - admissions tests for medicine that seeks to indicate IQ has only a poor relationship with course performance.


I think I may know what study you're referring to. I think it was that A Levels were a better prediction of medical school performance than aptitude tests? The study never stated that having a high IQ would damage performance, it essentially indicated that it was a worse indicator of performance than A2s.
Original post by GradeA*UnderA
I think I may know what study you're referring to. I think it was that A Levels were a better prediction of medical school performance than aptitude tests? The study never stated that having a high IQ would damage performance, it essentially indicated that it was a worse indicator of performance than A2s.


I can't remember any specific studies; but have read often in non-academic publications that scores do not correlate well, independent of comparison. I think A level grades for medicine tend to be a bit 'roofed' in that all are pretty much maxed out anyway.
Original post by DarkEnergy
(...) What are your thoughts on this?


I think that an IQ is more than measuring tasks in a test. In my opinion true intelligence shows when it is needed to solve a problem in a creative way. Thus intelligence also means to do right things to achieve your goal. Intelligence is quasi the potential to get good ideas in a moment of time. But I am not talking about a test, I am talking about real life.*

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