Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

IQ Matters Less Than You Think

nautil.us

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

151–160 of 347 posts

Re: IQ Matters Less Than You Think

#151

Post by k__ »

mikestew wrote: post #147
k__ wrote: post #10

I know a few people with >130 IQ and they all have executive disfunction and anxiety problems. So yes, the best CPU doesn't help if the IO is constantly blocked.

I know a few people with >130 IQ and they all have... No, those are just the ones you know about. You know, the kind that tell people that they have a high IQ. You probably know more people with IQs > 130, you just don't know that you do because they're well-adjusted, and they don't feel the need to tell you about their high IQ.

You're probably right.

On the other hand, almost all of my friends have anxiety, depression or executive disorders, but I know the IQ of a few of them.

Re: IQ Matters Less Than You Think

#152

Post by mikestew »

YouAreGreat wrote: post #146
petercooper wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not at the level required for MENSA (140 in the UK) but all I heard when I looked into it is it's a bunch of pretty dysfunctional people trying to one-up each other. I already have Reddit and HN for that :-D

When I looked (decade ago), your description would have characterized their online haunts but not IRL meetings. Maybe being online turns anything into Reddit/HN. On the other hand, word was most members are inactive and only a small percentage turn up at IRL events at all, i.e. strong (self) selection effects.

Maybe being online turns anything into Reddit/HN.

See if you can find some old usenet discussions about "prior art".

Re: IQ Matters Less Than You Think

#153

Post by mcguire »

toasterlovin wrote: post #97
teilo wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm around 150, and I don't consider myself smarter than Feynman. And I'm no savant, am socially well adjusted, and not on the autism scale. This, among many other data points, has led me to question the entire concept of IQ. The measurement of IQ borders on pseudo-science. It measures something, but what exactly? Everyone has a different answer. Ok, sure, intelligence. Now try to define "intelligence" empirically. W…

FWIW, IQ is not pseudo-science. The research around IQ is some of the most robust psychological research that exists. In fact, it is one of the few areas of psychology that has basically been unscathed by the replication crisis.

Some of the most robust psychological research, as long as you define intelligence as the ability to do well on an IQ test.

Re: IQ Matters Less Than You Think

#154

Post by annabellish »

madeuptempacct wrote: post #117
majidazimi wrote: post #100

Well, I like to think persistence matters more but getting into top 1% of everything requires more than determination. 1. Going from bad to good requires x amount of effort/persistence. 2. Going from good to best requires 1000x amount of effort. When you've put 800x amount of effort, you'll realize this harsh bitter fact. You have already given up on your hobbies, family, social life, ... and you are still considered…

Very much this - average genes, hard work, and sacrifice can generally guarantee upper middle class (barring accidents). Basically, all you need to get there is being a good cog in the machine. That is to say - you come in groomed, you do your job, you study or take night classes, you don't spend your money on having a life, you don't make mistakes which come with fun. Eventually, you will get to your $100,000/year a…

Do you have any research backing up this position? It seems to fly in the face of every reputable study I've seen, which suggests the opposite is true - average genes, hard work, and sacrifice is not enough to "guarantee" anything.

Re: IQ Matters Less Than You Think

#155

Post by Shekelberg »

Funny how HN is full of people with >120 IQ claiming that IQ doesn't matter. If that's really true, than why is pretty much everyone here in the top 10-15% of the population? Where are all the <100 IQ people here claiming to have successful careers in the tech industry despite their IQ scores? Remember, the average IQ is 100 by definition, so roughly half the general population is <100. What are the odds of this happening by chance if IQ is truly irrelevant?

Re: IQ Matters Less Than You Think

#156

Post by k__ »

kipchak wrote: post #150
k__ wrote: post #10

I know a few people with >130 IQ and they all have executive disfunction and anxiety problems. So yes, the best CPU doesn't help if the IO is constantly blocked.

Not exactly a scientific analogy, but it reminds me of rolling for stats in D&D or similar, where points in one area usually mean less points available for other areas. It also seems like there's variance in the amount of "points" available normally. Dolph Lundgren for example seems to be playing with higher stats than most people. Acquired Savants like Jason Padgett who seemingly become able to use dormant brain are…

I don't think it's like in D&D, because I could imagine these people to be highly successful.

I think the environment they grew up in is the problem.

People they had around them just handled them badly because of their intelligence. Sometimes because of envy, sometimes because of high-intelligence leads to being bored with most stuff rather quickly. If people around you think you are bored with everything they wanna do, they think you're a hater and don't want to be around you or even haze you in one way or another.

Re: IQ Matters Less Than You Think

#160

Post by dEnigma »

hackinthebochs wrote: post #139
dEnigma wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you please explain the meaning of that quote to me?

It's about expected necessary effort vs actual necessary effort. It's better to wrong that you needed more effort than be wrong that you needed less effort.

Thank you! I misread the quote and thought it talked about having a lower IQ than one thinks in both cases. This cleared everything up.
Post reply on HN