High IQs are associated with mental and physical disorders • Hacker News Board

Re: High IQs are associated with mental and physical disorders

#81

Post by sound1 » Wed, Mar 24, 2021, 9:05 PM UTC

giantg2 wrote: post #75

11thEarlOfMar wrote: post #26

Long, long ago, I came to the conclusion that intelligence was inversely related to sanity. Not a scientific observation, just that people who I knew who were very smart also tended to have difficulties in more ways than the people I knew who had typical intelligence. Typical issues were depression, insecurity, difficulty relating or communicating with others, ... Certainly you can find people with these issues in al…

Sounds like you're describing me... except I lack the intelligence

Well now you are describing me :-)

Re: High IQs are associated with mental and physical disorders

#82

Post by centimeter » Wed, Mar 24, 2021, 9:05 PM UTC

austincheney wrote: post #71

As I am currently watching a documentary on the college admissions scandal I would love to see a correlation between standardized test scores, preparation in dollars, and IQ. My initial assessment is that there isn’t any correlation between IQ and test scores, ergo the tests are measure of preparation and preference not merit or performance.

> My initial assessment is that there isn’t any correlation between IQ and test scores

This is completely false - I'm not sure how you got that assessment.

Many test scores (e.g. ACT) are heavily IQ/g-predictive.

SAT used to be better at predicting IQ/g but it's still pretty good.

g-factor is the single largest predictor of academic success (which, these days, is mediated mostly by test scores).

Re: High IQs are associated with mental and physical disorders

#83

Post by pizza234 » Wed, Mar 24, 2021, 9:05 PM UTC

tomcam wrote: post #22

lima wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. It's a weird bunch (not in a bad way!). I went to their meetings a couple times by invitation, and it never really "clicked" - for many of their members, their MENSA membership and related activities are a big part of their identity and their life, and I wasn't able to connect. I heard the same thing from a couple of friends who also met their entrance criteria, and there's certainly a lot of selection bias. Whi…

I joined at a young age and after a couple of meetings realized it made no sense at all to me. Joining a club because you have a high IQ is like joining a club because you have a leg or a head. I think immutable attributes in general just aren’t enough to hold a group together, or at least make it interesting. Could be wrong on this one, though.

> Joining a club because you have a high IQ is like joining a club because you have a leg or a head

That's a bit too loose analogy. A more precise is like joining because one is tall.

While the principle still somewhat holds, the difference is in the consequences. One may join Mensa because they're likely to find people with similar tendencies/interests, as much as tall people may like certain sports.

Re: High IQs are associated with mental and physical disorders

#84

Post by chrisco255 » Wed, Mar 24, 2021, 9:06 PM UTC

jpxw wrote: post #36

My pet (and layman) theory is that people with exceptionally high IQs might have a higher rate of genetic mutation compared to the general population. In my experience people with exceptionally high IQs often look unusual. If that relationship is true, it might also explain a higher rate of mental and physical disorders, many of which can result from genetic mutations.

Huh? I have met many high IQ individuals in my life and they've all looked relatively normal. Are college professors unusual looking? Are doctors and engineers unusual looking? I just don't see it. This article is a fluff piece based on a non-scientific survey of a non-scientific sample size.

Re: High IQs are associated with mental and physical disorders

#85

Post by carabiner » Wed, Mar 24, 2021, 9:06 PM UTC

11thEarlOfMar wrote: post #26

Long, long ago, I came to the conclusion that intelligence was inversely related to sanity. Not a scientific observation, just that people who I knew who were very smart also tended to have difficulties in more ways than the people I knew who had typical intelligence. Typical issues were depression, insecurity, difficulty relating or communicating with others, ... Certainly you can find people with these issues in al…

Meanwhile, we see significantly less depression in higher levels of educational attainment: https://figshare.com/articles/figure/Weighted_prevalence_of_...

Re: High IQs are associated with mental and physical disorders

#86

Post by coldtea » Wed, Mar 24, 2021, 9:06 PM UTC

rory wrote: post #5

> It’s also possible that people who join Mensa differ from other people in ways other than just IQ. For example, people preoccupied with intellectual pursuits may spend less time than the average person on physical exercise and social interaction, both of which have been shown to have broad benefits for psychological and physical health. Is Mensa really an "intellectual pursuit"? I'm not sure exactly what Mensa does…

>I'm not sure exactly what Mensa does

Gives a mermbership certificate and a number that they think they brag about to socially naive, gullible and arrogant (but otherwise smart), people (I say "think they can brag about" because nobody will actually be impressed by it, and it just makes them appear as crude idiots - IQ is not an accomplishment by itself, and the proof of genius is in genius work).

Re: High IQs are associated with mental and physical disorders

#87

Post by TazeTSchnitzel » Wed, Mar 24, 2021, 9:06 PM UTC

There's a lot of “smart” people who were forced to be so by their parents, and suffer as a result of it. (Bad childhood experiences can cause all sorts of lasting damage.) I can see that being a possible factor for high IQ being associated with e.g. anxiety.

Re: High IQs are associated with mental and physical disorders

#88

Post by GekkePrutser » Wed, Mar 24, 2021, 9:06 PM UTC

rory wrote: post #5

> It’s also possible that people who join Mensa differ from other people in ways other than just IQ. For example, people preoccupied with intellectual pursuits may spend less time than the average person on physical exercise and social interaction, both of which have been shown to have broad benefits for psychological and physical health. Is Mensa really an "intellectual pursuit"? I'm not sure exactly what Mensa does…

I've never joined Mensa but I very clearly see the thing about neglecting physical and social pursuits because they are harder than intellectual ones :) Makes sense to choose things you're naturally good in, it's not really a 'preoccupation' as such.

Someone who is great at sports will tend to focus on that. It's just natural to direct yourself towards pursuits that come easily.

The problem with this thing of course is that it's self-enforcing. Less experience with social interaction causes even less ability. In the end that can lead to psychological issues. It did for me too, but I was really helped by my therapists and put back on track <3

Re: High IQs are associated with mental and physical disorders

#89

Post by young_unixer » Wed, Mar 24, 2021, 9:06 PM UTC

People who have done IQ tests out of curiosity: Was it worth it?

I want to do the test but I know I'll be disillusioned with the result.

Re: High IQs are associated with mental and physical disorders

#90

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Mar 24, 2021, 9:07 PM UTC

rory wrote: post #5

> It’s also possible that people who join Mensa differ from other people in ways other than just IQ. For example, people preoccupied with intellectual pursuits may spend less time than the average person on physical exercise and social interaction, both of which have been shown to have broad benefits for psychological and physical health. Is Mensa really an "intellectual pursuit"? I'm not sure exactly what Mensa does…

[deleted]