Unless it’s your lifelong dream to become a member of Mensa or brag to everyone you know about what a genius you are, your IQ is likely not very relevant. But according to one man, it’s not only important to know his and his wife’s IQ scores, it’s also crucial that hers is lower than his.
Below, you’ll find a story that was recently shared on the True Off My Chest subreddit, where a woman detailed her husband’s reaction to finding out that she is, on paper, more intelligent than him.
This woman’s husband thought it would be a good idea for the both of them to take IQ tests
Image credits: Olezzo (not the actual photo)
But after finding out that she had scored higher than him, his view of their entire relationship changed
Image credits: vladans (not the actual photo)
Image source: Soft-Sandwich5341
Later, the woman posted an update on the situation, sharing that her and her husband would be taking a break
Image source: Soft-Sandwich5341
IQ tests have been a popular way of determining intelligence levels for over a century
The first famous example of an Intelligence Quotient, or IQ, test as we know it today was created in 1904 by Alfred Binet. Binet was directed by the French government to conduct studies and determine the average levels of students’ performance. IQ tests did not have completely innocent backgrounds, though, as the idea of testing people’s intelligence stemmed from the American eugenics movement. The formula for determining a person’s IQ is their “mental age” divided by their chronological age multiplied by 100. This is why, in theory, the average IQ is around 100, and a person who scores 130 or above is considered to be extremely intelligent.
According to Verywell Mind, some of the characteristics that high IQ individuals often possess are adaptability, curiosity, recognition of limitations, empathy, open-mindedness, and many of them enjoy being solitary. A few notable high IQ famous figures include Dr. Evangelos Katsioulis, a Greek physician with an IQ between 198 and 205; Richard G. Rosner, a television writer with an IQ between 192 and 198; Garry Kasparov, a Russian chess player with an IQ of 194; Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, who had an IQ between 160 and 170; and theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who had an IQ of 160. Today, IQ tests are often used for educational assessment and placement, assessment and diagnosis of intellectual disabilities, cognitive research, to evaluate job candidates and to assess cognitive abilities including memory, speed, and attention.
Nowadays, however, it’s well known that the tests aren’t perfect
Despite how famous IQ tests have become, it’s well known today that the tests do have some issues. According to Steve Connor at the Independent, one study has found that IQ tests are “fundamentally flawed because they do not take into account the complex nature of the human intellect and its different components.” Connor explains that IQ test results have often been used to claim that certain groups of people are more intelligent than others, but the reality is that one single measure is not enough to accurately determine how smart anyone is. “Several different circuits contribute to intelligence, each with its own unique capacity,” Dr Highfield, a co-author of the study, says. “A person may well be good in one of these areas, but they are just as likely to be bad in the other two.”
Jonny Thomson also wrote a piece for Big Think explaining that IQ tests are limited. He notes that rather than telling you exactly how intelligent you are, an IQ test can actually only tell you how well you have done on that specific test, compared to everyone else who has taken it. “[Some] assume IQ represents raw ‘brain power.’ Worse, some people equate IQ with worth,” Thomson writes. “Employers, especially, might write off a person based on a low IQ. Doing so fails to appreciate that many employees can offer skills and abilities that lie beyond the scope of IQ tests (such as personality factors like conscientiousness).” Meanwhile, this test is something individuals can study and prepare for to improve their scores, rather than being a true measure of who you are.
No one should be using their IQ to determine their, or anyone else’s, worth
IQ tests also tend to be skewed towards favoring white Westerners who have had access to education and resources. “My research has shown, for example, that the particular skills measured by traditional university admissions tests in the United States tend to favor the skill patterns of white and Asian students and disfavor those of black and Hispanic students,” Robert J. Sternberg wrote for New Scientist. “In any society, people who are privileged make it so that people like them can stay privileged. The tests turn out to correlate very highly with socioeconomic status, and it’s sort of a way of laundering that.”
While it can be fun to take an IQ test and brag to your friends about how well you scored, it’s important to remember that these are in no way an indication of how much a person is worth. In fact, it’s questionable if they’re even a good indicator of someone’s intelligence. We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Feel free to share your thoughts, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing IQ, look no further than right here!
Readers were quick to show their support for the woman and call out her husband for being insecure
