From Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby to Steve Jobs of Apple, people often associate success with intelligence.
Over time, that intention changed.
The tests transformed into a means to identify people who had higher-than-average intelligence.
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On a standardized exam, such as the Stanford-Binet test, theaverage IQ scoreis 100.
Anything above 140 is considered a high or genius-level IQ.
About 2% of the population scores 130 or above.
Limitations of IQ Tests
It is important to remember that IQ testing has both limitations and biases.
The way that tests are constructed and scored can also affect scores.
Some research also indicates that many IQ tests are biased against certain groups of people.
What tests often miss are other skills that contribute to intelligence, such as emotional understanding and interpersonal abilities.
Intelligence is about more than just IQ, and includes characteristics like flexibility, curiosity, and emotional understanding.
Of these, 80 had scored over 170.
Over many years, Terman tracked the children and found that most were socially and physically well-adjusted.
The study continues to this day and is the longest-runninglongitudinal studyin history.
Intelligence and Achievement
So how did Terman’s original participants turn out?
He ultimately concluded that “intelligence and achievement were far from perfectly correlated.”
Research also suggests that high IQ people tend to be more successful at work.
However, in some cases, it may just be the opposite.
This trait is one of the key personality dimensions described in thebig 5 theory of personality.
Moreover, it is moderately associated with creativity, intelligence, and knowledge.
So more intelligent people may be more open to unpopular or unconventional experiences.
Emotional Intelligence
General, or cognitive, intelligence is what IQ tests measure.
But another indicator of success may beemotional intelligence, or EQ.
People with high EQ are often quite successful in careers and relationships, regardless of their IQ.
Fulfilling that potential requires skills, traits, and support that IQ tests alone can’t measure.
Frequently Asked Questions
The evidence is mixed on whether high IQ people struggle in life.
Some do and some don’t.
High IQ people are likely to be flexible, curious, and open-minded.
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