Iq And It's Relevance To Self-actualization

[Baul]

I took an IQ test, and I got a 104.

The Mensa practice exam can be taken at https://www.us.mensa.org/ . The price is 18$. It gives a rough estimate as to what you would score on the official exam. I scored a raw score of 51 which equates to an IQ score of about 104. This indicates that I possess an average intelligence, which I am more or less content with. There is little, if anything, that I can do to augment my IQ. IQ is something that is not largely subject to environmental influence, as most modern scientific studies have disproved the assumption that it is. In layman's terms, it cannot be altered greatly overtime. I would be more than happy to see some papers and/or clinical trials demonstrating that IQ in fact can be greatly altered overtime, but alas, there are none. IQ is a massive predictor of generalized success in life, as we now live in a society which is becoming increasingly more reliant on intelligence in order to function. A 104 IQ barres me from performing at certain, socially respectable occupations at an acceptable level, such as a lawyer, doctor, physicist, accountant, etc. I would be an excellent data clerk according to this exam. Due to the Dunning–Kruger effect, people have difficulty admitting their own limitations in terms of intelligence (especially online, where IQs tend to be largely inflated and joked around upon). IQ should be seriously considered and talked about in society, as it's effects on the overall operation of the individual and society at large are vastly understated. 

Charles Murray and Sam Harris discuss IQ and it's effects on society:

 

Jordan Peterson on IQ and it's relationship to job prospects:

Your question might be how is IQ relevant to self-actualization? Well, apart from luck, intelligence plays a central role in your capacity to make well-informed decisions in your life, as well your capacity for self-reflection in many cases. Your beliefs, apart from your culture, are a consequence of intelligence. Your intelligence (or lack thereof) may force you to abandon certain pursuits in life, as your baseline performance would be largely predetermined by your intelligence. On one hand, a knowledge of one's IQ can definitely be interpreted as a limiting belief (provided that one's IQ is subpar), but on the other hand, a knowledge of one's IQ can help one understand why certain insurmountable intellectual difficulties arise (e.g., irrespective of how much effort one devotes to a particular intellectual activity, he cannot improve.) 

My point is that baseline intelligence (IQ) occupies a significant role in one's self-actualization journey, as it's a quality that you will use over and over again. You are applying your intelligence consistently, almost everywhere on your journey. Your knowledge of your own intellectual limitations may be valuable in evaluating and paving your own purpose in life (knowing which pursuits to abandon, etc). The development of awareness as well, serves as a valuable construction in one's self-actualization journey, but my suggestion is that it is only possible given a baseline level of intelligence. A mentally handicapped person will have a variety of difficulties self-actualizing. This subject is largely arguable, so I welcome any opinions. @Leo Gura
 

[Leo Gura]

IQ is the biggest load of bullshit. Such a red herring. Never take those tests. All they do is compare you to some arbitrary standards some rationalist chimps concocted in their infinite ignorance.

Unless you're clinically retarded, you're good.

The highest IQ people are some of the biggest fools around. Just because you can solve a math puzzle quickly, doesn't say anything about your wisdom or level of consciousness.

Self-actualization means you have to stop thinking of yourself as a statistic. Statics are for policy-makers and people who care about measuring the mob. As a self-actualizer, you are going to grow so high above the statistical mob that you will not even fit on the scale. You will be qualitatively beyond all that.

Your true nature is Absolutely Infinite, and you're trying to measure yourself with an IQ test? Lol. You might as well be measuring your dick to see if it's big enough to self-actualize.

[Baul]

@Leo Gura I understand that legitimizing IQ can be considered a self-limiting belief, and that the reality of intelligence is not static yet dynamic but we use a variety of static metrics to outline our path in self-actualization, why should IQ be ridiculed and excluded when as a static it has been proven to be useful in determining many aspects of self-actualization? I'm just saying it may be an effective metric in determining your life purpose, aside from just having your creative passions determine your purpose.

 

Edited June 4, 2017 by Baul

[Baul]

@Fidelio The one I took is completely culturally unbiased. Most tests aim and succeed at being culturally unbiased. 

[Leo Gura]

25 minutes ago, Baul said:

@Fidelio The one I took is completely culturally unbiased. Most tests aim and succeed at being culturally unbiased. 

Hehehe... the notion of "a reality" is a cultural bias. Not to mention: time, space, science, math, self, other, life, sentience, death, mind, brain, language, money, society, country, race, age, pain, good, bad, up, down, and intelligence.

You're grossly underestimating how deep the rabbit hole goes.

[sgn]

2 hours ago, Fidelio said:

The more intelligent we are; the more we overthink things, and the more and clever ways our ego has to keep us asleep, the more of a roadblock it becomes.

People with high IQs are also generally not as happy as people of "average" intelligence, they worry more, and have more health and social problems.

Like the saying goes, ignorance is bliss? 

I don't know if this is true. You can easy come up with a counter argument like: If you're so smart you will see that your overthinking and worry is bullshit. If you're depressed, you're full of delusions. You have distorted thinking. You don't think of things from different perspectives or deeply enough. But with that said I don't think it's true to say this either.

But what do I know. Maybe I'm just overthinking. I'm so damn smart.

Edit: Ok, after some googling around it seems that many share your opinion.

Edited June 4, 2017 by sgn

[Leo Gura]

@sgn Tis hard to solve overthinking with more thinking

Rationalists who try to grasp the nature of reality with their intellect alone, often end up going full-insane. Of course. Because the whole project is fatally flawed from the get-go.

The intellect is such a tiny thing.

[sgn]

@Leo Gura I'm doing a lot cognitive behavioral therapy at the moment. So I ask myself a lot of questions which makes me see things from different perspectives and realize I have all these irrational beliefs that creates fear, stress, worry etc. And when I think more deeply about it and getting to the root of it, I see constantly that it's bullshit. So in that way I fight thinking with more thinking  (which in the end leads to less thinking)

But I get what you mean.

[Extreme Z7]

@Baul Sadghuru openly claims that he has refused to become educated in life.

He is now a 100+ year old yogi and one of the wisest men to live in the 21st century.

[Leo Gura]

6 hours ago, sgn said:

@Leo Gura I'm doing a lot cognitive behavioral therapy at the moment. So I ask myself a lot of questions which makes me see things from different perspectives and realize I have all these irrational beliefs that creates fear, stress, worry etc. And when I think more deeply about it and getting to the root of it, I see constantly that it's bullshit. So in that way I fight thinking with more thinking  (which in the end leads to less thinking)

But I get what you mean.

That works up to a point, but CBT can only take you so far. Precisely because it's cognitive. And cognition is the whole problem.

3 hours ago, Extreme Z7 said:

@Baul Sadghuru openly claims that he has refused to become educated in life.

He is now a 100+ year old yogi and one of the wisest men to live in the 21st century.

A) Sadhguru is highly educated. Which should be obvious from his manner of speech. He has a degree in English Literature.

B) He's 59 years old.

[Extreme Z7]

@Leo Gura Well, I didn't say that he wasn't highly educated or that he avoids education. To me, when he says that he 'refuses to be educated', it's really more of an identity thing, I think. As opposed to other people who try to make an identity out of education or their level of intelligence.

Also, I guess I may be wrong about his age. Could have sworn he said he was more than a hundred years old in one video. Don't know if I misheard or if he was being metaphorical or if he was talking about a guy who was more than hundred years old, because he tells a lot of stories and stuff.

P.S. I wouldn't be surprised if he did reach over a hundred years old, though.

Edited June 4, 2017 by Extreme Z7

[BjarkeT]

There is actually a lot you can do to improve ones iq 

from what i have read from call newport book called deep work focus is a skill that can be trained (best in isolation and be comfortable being bored for a long period of time and focus as intensely as possible) 

he also argues that focus/deep work is the new iq

and how you train it can give you different (for example concentration while having facebook open will give poorer results due to something called attention residue) results how ever it's not something that is fixed but a skill that need to be trained like you pratice a guitar to become a better guitar player  

So i am pretty sure you can improve your iq with the right kind of pratice

(on a side note some people also think they can't become a good piano player or what ever you want to become good at the research actually shows that anyone can become really good if only the right methods are used such as deliberate pratice, deep pratice)

Edited June 4, 2017 by BjarkeT

[Baul]

@Outer I got a 135 on iqtest.dk, just took it.

[BjarkeT]

11 hours ago, Outer said:

Nah there really isn't

 

Well that what the book(deep work by cal newport) is suggesting 

[Nahm]

@Baul IQ tests are such a tiny tiny piece of information.   Think about it this way, if you had a kid and rather than put him in school or offer any personal development, all you did was teach him the questions and answers to that IQ test. Then when he's around 12 years old he takes the test and scores higher than anyone ever has. Would he be any more intelligent then anyone else?

I would suggest pursuing connection rather than IQ. 

Also, IQ is not a predictor of success at all. Just a reminder, Donald Trump is currently the president of the US. We all have our own connotation on what success means but I think being the president falls somewhere in the success zone, not to mention being a billionaire, and you're more intelligent than he is. 

 

Edited June 5, 2017 by Nahm

[Baotrader]

looks like this IQ topic goes on in people's mind for ever