Mensa/High IQ Society?

[Rage]

Do any of you guys have experiences with high IQ society/Mensa?

I’m thinking of perhaps taking a test and looking into joining if I pass, part because curious about the experience and the people that might be there. Part because from what I hear below 25 members are rare, and I do wish I had some really old wise people who I were friends with that could learn many things from.

Briefly on that subject, from http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/10/07/ ... arly-bond/

Jobs had similar close relationships with several other Silicon Valley leaders who were a generation older than himself, including the man who took Intel to its greatest heights, Andy Grove. When she asked Jobs why he spent so much time with them, she said he told her, “It’s like what Schopenhauer said about the conjurer.”

 

He then ran for a copy of “On the Sufferings of the World,” a book by the 19th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer and read her a passage. She liked it so much she made it the frontispiece of her 2005 book, “The Man Behind the Microchip: Robert Noyce and the Invention of Silicon Valley.”

 

The passage said: “He who lives to see two or three generations is like a man who sits some time in the conjurer’s booth at a fair, and witnesses the performance twice or thrice in succession. The tricks were meant to be seen only once, and when they are no longer a novelty and cease to deceive, their effect is gone.”

 

“Jobs got to see all the conjurer’s tricks through Noyce,” Berlin said. “People tend to think of him as unique, but I don’t think he saw himself that way. He wasn’t content to stand on the shoulders of the giants. He wanted to pick their brains.”

 

I don’t care much about intelligence personally; https://www.girlschase.com/content/are-y ... either-way was a paradigm aiding article for me when it was written and my sentiments on the matter are about the same (was something really helpful for me to read because it had always been something I struggled with paradigm wise from a young age).

I’ve been reading that some haughty and rude people are there at mensa, but maybe some intellectuals who have done cool things too are there as well?

…

I’ve scored gifted by a fair margin on all online IQ tests have taken (but they aren’t really that accurate from what I hear).

In elementary school I tested gifted too and was in GATE (gifted and talented education program) with 2 other kids in my whole school.

Lol; we got to have field trips and learned Japanese and old school photography and some other cool things… but I kind of didn’t like that other kids didn’t get to join cause they weren’t considered “smart” enough.

Whatever the case; do any of you guys have any experiences with this sort of thing? Or thoughts on the matter at all… am just curious about it all a little bit.

Thanks,

-Rage

 

[Big Daddy]

Changed your username, dude?

After you mentioned mensa, I went to their website and took the free online test that they offer and the results were "you got pretty good chances of passing the exam", which means I'm at least in the top 2% in regards to IQ.

So I went to look what that means and that equals to an IQ of ~130 (acording to Gladwell in Outliers who's able to finish a PhD usually sits around 115 or more) and I instantly became sad.

It made me sad because that are 110k people that have Mensa memberships (probably more around the world) that are in the top 2%; I'm not as special; I wanted to be at the top 0.001%, and I'm not. There are better people around. And all kinds of asphyxiating thoughts like that instantly began to rush in my mind.

The thing is, when I stop and think about it, which is what I'm doing now, it doesn't fucking matter. There are dumb as shit people that are millionaires. Believing that you need to be intelligent and shit to achieve what you want in life is a limiting belief. I already concluded this before I read that article, but it serves well as a brief guide/reminder.

My entire life my classmates and family talked about me as if I'm way smarter than anyone else (and I'm really not; just slightly better than people around me) and that I learn things pretty quickly and shit and it DOES feel good, my ego appreciate it. By it's always soul crushing getting a poor grade or failing to succeed in something I wanted really hard. Often times you give excuses to yourself rather than trying harder and failing 10x more next time.

I always remind myself of that study where the researches split the classroom into two and kept providing feedback to one half as if they were very hard workers and the other half as if they were very intelligent. The hard working group did way better later in life, because the students that believe they were smart shied away from challenges and just played it safe.

I'm in a point where I almost forgot how well or not I do on IQ test, which friends do better, which doesn't... it doesn't fucking matter to me. I'm willing to try harder and for a longer time than anyone else I know to achieve the things that I want. I'm almost at the point that I'm enjoy failing because it means that I'm in the right direction (provided you learn from your mistakes).

For that reason, I'd stay clear of that ambient. There are better places to find mentor and shit.

 

[Drck]

just curious - What are you hoping to gain by having high IQ and being labeled gifted?

 

[Rage]

I've had the label in the past before, and don't care for it... honestly i think most of us on the boards probably have the same sentiments on the topic (I know I do) that work and effort matter a million times more than being born and considered smart or good looking or buff or whatever other positive thing by some arbitrary standards. people who are born with a lot less in all realms can work and achieve far more than the "naturally good with women" or "naturally smart" or "naturally talented" camp of people.

All I am curious about is that really if people have gone to these sort of events or been around with this certain batch of people before.. pratically what their experiences interactions and relationships might have been like; my interest in it is simply detached curiosity plus a desire (whcih I have always had) to find other interested, hard working, like minded people. That's why I'm on the baords and that's why I would want to be part of other groups or organizations if I took teh time to be a part of them at all.

Most places don't have that/don't have those qualities exclusively and those qualities are typically fit and set to indvidiuals and not groups. So if I were to guess likely I'd scoff at this high IQ society group, or find many arrogant, superiority copmlex people in the group. But if I made even one good friend and had a lasting feindship from it where we both got a lot of mutual value then it would probabyl be worth it to me... especially when the opprotunity cost and value on ym time at this moment in my life isn't as high as it is for say a guy like Chase.

I can afford to meet new people, experience different groups and environemnts and it's a phase I should have in my life... and just loosely because of that is where my slight bit of interest and curiosity lingers here.

-Rage

 

[Richard]

From my tests in high-school and various other tests I've had to take, or taken by choice I was introduced to the idea of meeting people from Mensa by a professor of mine. Pretty sure I was qualified to join them as well.

Anyway, I did happen to meet some people from Mensa and I'll tell you that the usual drawback for high intelligence is social confusion (except for psychopaths of course who are socially talented) and it was pretty weird. Like you, I was labeled as gifted and even in AP classes I was in the top of whatever class I walked into I just didn't apply myself to homework in school and the usual bullshit but I was not impressed with them.

Everything was incredibly logical, and any form of humor went right over there heads. I was unable to connect with them because I'm an idiot who is smart (if you've seen Trigun, the anime, then I'd be just like Vash) and it was just too dry and plain for me.

Anyhow, don't let my experience with them discourage you from seeking to interact with them yourself. I may have been unlucky and met the most boring of the Mensa allotment.

I'm all for intelligence but it doesn't amount to anything if that's all you bring to the table. I like to have fun and be a fucking idiot sometimes, these guys don't seem to be that type though.

-Richard

 

[Rage]

Richard,

Thanks immensely for the input!! Yeah come to think of it a lot of the guys on the boards likely are high IQ guys, alongside the personality disorders and the high sex drive and all that (a unique blend of guy, which probably attracted us to Chase’s unique blend of writing in the first place and allowed for us to feel more personally tied and directly relevant to it… or rather it to us).

 Everything was incredibly logical, and any form of humor went right over there heads. I was unable to connect with them because I'm an idiot who is smart (if you've seen Trigun, the anime, then I'd be just like Vash) and it was just too dry and plain for me.

 

Anyhow, don't let my experience with them discourage you from seeking to interact with them yourself. I may have been unlucky and met the most boring of the Mensa allotment.

 

I'm all for intelligence but it doesn't amount to anything if that's all you bring to the table. I like to have fun and be a fucking idiot sometimes, these guys don't seem to be that type though.

Hahaha that’s an interesting experience; perhaps I run into that!

Glad you seem to have a similar paradigm here to me; I’m not particularly attracted to or captivated by the high IQ society thing at all. But I’m not gonna be vehemently opposed either… just want to be open minded and open to potential experiences and what I may run into.

Come to think of it I just recalled something exactly similar to your experience!; I had went to a mastermind group for entrepreneurs who had bought Ramit Sethi’s products (a DIY business guide and other stuff in that niche); I had been excited but ran into many people like that who were intelligent, hard working, but largely quite dull and I was bored out of my fucking mind. Couldn’t joke much with them or relate much to them either, just as you said. I ditched like 30 min. in, waiting that long to check if any hot girls came… but it was all guys at the meetup mostly, save for a few nice but nerdy girls.

Girlschase boards is perhaps the best place I’ll find guys most like myself in a way… but I want to be open to networking and socializing in many groups and locales and stuff too with many people of varied walks of life. For the life experiences and shit; but also a few times in my life, it was in the most hopeless and random and boring of places that I jus tby chance met some of the closest and greatest friends I have today.

Thanks for the thoughts bro

-Rage  

 

[Drck]

Screw Mensa, join other groups. If you are smart and hard working become lawyer, doctor, engineer or businessman... That's where you use your intelligence for your benefits and that's where you meet most intelligent people anyway.

These are usually highly intelligent people (with good and fairly easy access to quality women) but still just people. Many are satisfied, but there is also lots of unsatisfied people...

Some are obsessed with the "smartness", which is just ridiculous, many times they take simple things and they create a huge problems out of it, then they work their ass off to solve it - while in reality nobody else really cares. There is lots of people with OCD, high anxiety forces them to sort of control everything (which eases the anxiety), that's how they become very good at things that they focus on, they simply keep repeating them until they master the subject...

Many of these people need structured environments, they also become workaholics.... It's all great, but regardless the high IQ, intelligence and knowledge, many are also unhappy. They don't know how to use the intelligence to become happy, they reach the top of social ladder, they make tons of money, they are praised by society - but they are not really happy... Social skills with women might be actually less than average. Think about it, they spent years in books and on their careers while other people were having fun...

Some people get obsessed with achievement. They can make lots of money, and they become obsessed with making money, with more achievements, diplomas, certifications... You look at their resume and it is pages long with achievements and fascinating titles. Wow, you would say, if you gave a damn.... They sort of build their name, while in reality their true self is just hiding behind those great titles...

Many also failed for the social structure, they are highly intelligent, hard working, able to make lots of money - but they need the dependence on the system. They make millions of dollars each year - for their employer, who is usually a guy with average intelligence and has some business degree, who learned how to talk to people - while they work for average salaries of that group.... They became slaves of that system, thanks to their knowledge and hard work other people are millionaires...

So there are lots people who are happy, but there are also many people who are unhappy. Being happy and satisfied is what matters, not high IQ,fifty diplomas and memberships in groups such Mensa...

If you are smart, use it. Do it for yourself. Work hard and study hard, become good in your field - and work for yourself. Make money for yourself, open a company and employ tens of people that work for you. At the same time, learn to be happy - with money or without. With high IQ or without. With membership in different groups or without...

 

[Slippin' Jimmy]

I went to a Mensa meeting once, but all they found were rats in my head.