Poll: Rate your Intelligence! (UPDATED: NOW WITH I.Q. TEST TO PROVE YOUR BRAVDO!)

[Quazimofo]

its fair to say im slightly above average. while i dont consider myself particularly smart, i HAVE gotten 95+ every year on every section of every standardized test

 

[axlryder]

Well, what a surprise. The vast majority of people consider themselves to be slightly above average.

Why do people always make this comment? It's a website full of nerds. I would honestly be surprised if the majority legitimately weren't slightly above average.

I think it's true for people in general, not just nerds.

I was speaking specifically about this website, as polls like this one have been conducted several times. Maybe on other forums you'd get similar results, but here I find those results to be far more believable.

What I am somewhat skeptical of is the alleged number of geniuses among us.

I don't believe what 9/10 people on this website claim about themselves to be honest... Look on an article thread where a crook claims to have asperger or alzheimer syndrome and almost every single person will say "Well... I have aspergers and I don't think that it's any excuse for committing a crime!". People lie, they want to make themselves feel good about themselves and most importantly, they want to look good on a forum that they post on commonly.

OP: I have a thing called common sense, and I think others should base their own intelligence on how amazing they think it is to have common sense.

For one, the "Aspergers" (or some similar) claims in those threads most likely come from the individuals who have something to say about it. Whether they're lying about the affliction or not, If you put a poll on this website "do you have Aspergers" then I'd think the percentage of individuals who tick "yes" will be signficantly fewer than the percentage of posters in those threads that piped up about having Aspbergers. That's just conjecture of course, I could be wrong.

Secondly, my point wasn't even pertaining to the honesty of the individuals, it was pertaining to this site itself. A website that caters to a primarily nerdy and liberal crowd, I would assume, it IS far more likely to attract somewhat more intelligent users. Even having an IQ of 110-115 or so is above average, so that's not really much of a stretch. If we're going by "slightly above average" we could probably go as low as 105-110. It's not like everyone here is claiming 120-130. What's more, I've been on plenty of forums where the posters are mostly brain dead idiots who can hardly form a coherent thought. I've seen hardly anyone on these forums that comes off as outright dumb (though I can't really comment on the R&P section, as I avoid that place like the plague)

That said, I'm still skeptical of the number of so claimed "geniuses" among us, as being a genius is a FAR less common occurrence than being "slightly above average".

Also, having "common sense" doesn't necessarily correlate to other types of intelligence. I know several actual geniuses who overlook very simple or practical solutions at times. So I'd find that to be a pretty poor gauge for overall intelligence.

 

[SillyBear]

More escapists think they are geniuses than of average intelligence.

That's fucking hilarious.

We truly live in the era of the entitled.

I'm willing to bet that most of you who call yourself genius haven't achieved anything exceptional and don't possess any truly amazing insight whatsoever. You've probably done a few years of university and have done fairly well and some of you have an arbitrary IQ test that was over 140. So you think you are genius. Hah. What a kick in the face to the likes of Da Vinci, Newton and Beethoven.

And don't get me wrong, I truly believe some of you probably are near genius level. But I believe the overwhelming majority of people who have called themselves geniuses are talking out of their backside.

The way I see it; unless you have achieved something truly amazing or you possess insight that is really exceptional and game changing (that other people would vouch for) - you aren't a fucking genius.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

I intuitively grasp concepts, I've received good grades without trying throughout both high school and university, I double most people's scores in Scrabble, and I have a working knowledge of philosophy and logical fallacies. I wouldn't call myself a genius, as I don't do anything that's particularly genius, but I have decent brainpower.

 

[smearyllama]

Fluctuates wildly between "dumb as a post" and "actually kinda smart". I can do well in school, and I can understand advanced concepts, but I also tend to do stupid stuff because it seems like a good idea at the time.

 

[lacktheknack]

When I was a small child, I was described as a "bit of a prodigy".

That SO didn't turn out.

I suppose I'm average, really. I was a really, REALLY smart little kid who just stagnated through his teenage years until everyone caught up.

 

[Gimelbub]

According to the IQ test I took, I'm just south of genius. Unfortunately, wisdom was my dump stat, so I'm really lacking in good judgement.

 

[Eddie the head]

Snip

DAMN YOU THIS GUY! I just have to say that any time I quote you now because you know your my nemesis and all now. On topic I agree with for the most part, I really have no idea how smart I am. I am good a looking at a machine or something and just getting how it works, and because of that I can jury rig things to work pretty well. I get a lot of Math at it's base level, but I struggle in higher things. I am not good at spelling or sentence structure, in fact I bet I made a bunch of errors in this post. Oh, and I can't cook. Like at all. So yeah, I have no idea.

Edit. Oh, two other things I forgot. My handwriting is abysmal. Just bad, you think yours is bad mine is worse, trust me. I have seen first graders with better handwriting. On the flip side I am good at taking tests. But I see them as like machines in a way, in that I just kind of get how they work. If that makes any sense what so ever. Also I didn't vote I have no clue.

 

[A.A.K]

I took an IQ test like 3-4 years ago and scored 136 or something.
I'm bright, I have the ability to process logical and rational thought (relatively) quickly and I naturally can practice and understand martial arts. Physical and mental, I've just been able to pick it up most of my life.
There are 3 primary issues though:
1. I have a strong dislike for academia that leaves me without constant 'challenge'.
2. I'm lazy. Relating to '1', I lack the interest or self motivation to work through assessments and what-not because I can justify and valid other interests or plans.
3. I usually don't have a clear thought process. My thoughts are violent and incoherent. Partly due to all the mental issues and problems I have, but as well due to the first 2 problems.

 

[Dr.Fantastic]

I was a smart little kid but now I'm average. I used to think I was a genius but now Im It seems everyone my age knows the same stuff I do which is an odd transition to say the least.

 

[Filiecs]

"A wise man understands that he understands nothing."
-A clown from Pajama Sam

I chose slightly above average actually, mainly because a lot of people act upon impulse. Charging into action without forethought.
While that does work for on occasion for emergency situations, I still think that people listen to their impulses way too much and in all the wrong ways.

 

[SquirePB]

I put genius but I think that that might be a bit of an overstatement of my intelligence. I'm definitely well above average so I felt genius was probably the closest option.
To support my claim I'll add this. I'm currently studying astrophysics at one of the top universities in my country which also happens to be ranked around the middle of the top 100 in the world. I'm debating the merits of going into a double degree with engineering (specifically mechanical engineering) but not sure if I want to commit the extra years to it.

 

[Kae]

According to the test I made my IQ is 78, so I'd say below average, I got really bummed out after I took that test, but I've come to accept it, besides it's not like it's relevant, though I may be stupider than most people I put more effort into learning than most people I know, and though I may be stupid, due to my range of knowledge and the way I talk most people think I'm really smart, which is wrong and it's probably easy to tell if you take the time on how much I take to resolve a problem since it seems to take me ages, but since I put a lot of effort into learning, I make up for my stupidity with that effort, kinda funny that most people attribute my slow velocity of thinking to being a very distracted person, when in reality I'm just stupid, though since when I speak I tend to choose my words rather carefully, so I guess my choice of words must make me sound smart, though again in reality that's just because I'm unfamiliar with the modern lingo, and I get most of my words from dictionaries and old books, so I guess I speak a sort of old times Spanish that makes me sound smart and well and articulated, since I tend to use proper words, though sadly my English is nowhere near as good and it doesn't make sound as clever.

Anyway but basically I'm an idiot who looks and sounds smart but really isn't.

 

[Grimh]

Well if I am a genius, I'm way to lazy and procrastinate too much to put it to any good use.

Seeing how that's a pretty fucking stupid thing to do I'm just gonna rein in my ego and pick "average".

Maybe above average in some areas, but certainly below average in others, so I think it all evens out to an average. Maybe a little under. My brain hasn't got much use recently.

Actually this sums me up pretty well.

Thanks for writing that. I was gonna do it myself but you know... lazy... and stuff...

 

[Watcheroftrends]

Intelligence is entirely relative.

You can speak of it as a concept with intrinsic value: "I'm really intelligent but never worked hard. The only reason I make less than 6 figures a year and live in my parents basement is because I don't try."

Or as a functional measure: "I have to be smart because I make a ton of money" (or) "I can do math problems that only the greatest minds in history could even touch."

Neither of these measurements really makes any sense once examined at any length. Anyone can sit there and belive they are 'special'. Most people who do that, though, generally have a bell of sorts ringing off in the darkest crevices of their minds signaling (to themselves) that they're dillusional. The second scenario is purely based on how intelligence is defined on an individual basis. The investment banker would think the mathematician a fool for not making as much money as possible, and the mathematician would think the investment banker were missing out on some grand beauty and understanding of nature found only in the scrall of mathematical jargon across a chalkboard.

Intelligence is merely how YOU approach reality best. Understand yourself and you will understand everything.

 

[C2Ultima]

I know a lot of people who are waaaaaaaay smarter then me, and a lot more who are waaaaaaaay dumber. Not sure where I stand on any level.

 

[Ldude893]

I know nothing. Absolutely nothing.

 

[Pinkamena]

Oh boy, these threads are always fun!