Intelligence is irrelevant to a happy old age

[Jay_Gatsby]

Interesting article stating that intelligence has little to do with being happy in old age.  Of particular note is the following excerpt:

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7678

"We have found that older people have better quality of life the healthier they are and the more financially independent they are, which supports the suggestion that intelligence is not a significant determinate."

So you can be stupid, but you'll be happier if you're healthy and wealthy?

 

[SteveR]

I'll take healthy and wealthy over being smart any day.

Lots of brains does not get your fed or your toys paid for and being sick or crippled does not allow you to enjoy your Golden Years.

I guess one would need to be at least somewhat intellegent to be wealthy and to stay healthy. Maybe there is hope for me after all.

 

[Nords]

So you can be stupid, but you'll be happier if you're healthy and wealthy?

"Blissfully ignorant."

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Just one very smallish point of view. I am in the 99th percentile
on all recognized IQ tests (please th, don't bother to write) .
I think if I lost that, it would be worse than no weath for sure, and
health? Not sure. Would I want to be healthy and stupid?
Probably not...................

JG

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Interesting article stating that intelligence has little to do with being happy in old age.  Of particular note is the following excerpt:

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7678

"We have found that older people have better quality of life the healthier they are and the more financially independent they are, which supports the suggestion that intelligence is not a significant determinate."

So you can be stupid, but you'll be happier if you're healthy and wealthy?

I can see Health as being an overriding determinating factor. That makes sense. Accepting stupidity as long as you are wealthy? Maybe. There
is a lot of evidence to support this. Just pick up a newspaper or watch TV.

JG

 

[REWahoo]

Just one very smallish point of view. I am in the 99th percentile
on all recognized IQ tests (please th, don't bother to write) .

JG, I've always been of the opinion (you realize you don't have to have an off-the-chart IQ to have one of those) that the super-intelligent of society were always a bit peculiar. Odd even (pun intended).

You and th have given a lot of support to my belief.

REW

 

[wabmester]

"Blissfully ignorant."

I thought the expression was "fat, dumb, and happy."

 

[lazyday]

Some people Ive known think there's a negative correlation with intelligence and happiness.
Perhaps if it's true that
1. there's no correlation between intelligence and happiness, but
2. there is correlation with wealth and happiness, and
3. intelligence is correlated to wealth, then:
=. For people of equal wealth, there is a negative correlation between intelligene and happiness.

In other words, if you're very intelligent, you're less likely to be happy than not-so-smart people with as much money as you.

Anyway, I think there's happy and unhappy people with and without brains or money--the correlations are probably small. There are things we can do to be happier. I don't think most of those things have much to do with wealth or IQ.

It's nice that there's lots of people studying happiness lately. Would be nicer if they start to produce practical advice.

By the way, it wouldn't surprise me if half the members of this board had 99%ile IQ.
Well... maybe 1/4. And over 1/2 are at least 95%.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

JG, I've always been of the opinion (you realize you don't have to have an off-the-chart IQ to have one of those) that the super-intelligent of society were always a bit peculiar.  Odd even (pun intended).

You and th have given a lot of support to my belief.

REW

Hi REW.  Oh, I think you are right on. Peculiar does not begin to describe
me.  But see, the thing is.............I don't care.  I know I am smarter than almost
everyone.  You can not possibly imagine how liberating that is...................

JG

 

[justin]

By the way, it wouldn't surprise me if half the members of this board had 99%ile IQ.
Well... maybe 1/4. And over 1/2 are at least 95%.

I'm 110% sure that I'm at least 99th percentile. Maybe even 100th or 101st percentile on a good day.

 

[REWahoo]

By the way, it wouldn't surprise me if half the members of this board had 99%ile IQ.
Well... maybe 1/4. And over 1/2 are at least 95%.

I'm pretty sure that at least 50% of this board is above average.....

REW

 

[SteveR]

I am 100% sure I could care less what anybody's IQ is. :

 

[REWahoo]

I know I am smarter than almost
everyone. You can not possibly imagine how liberating that is...................

JG

No, us mere mortals can only watch in wonder and amazement.

REW

 

[wabmester]

I know I am smarter than almost everyone.  You can not possibly imagine how liberating that is...................

A little math lesson for you, JG: 99-percentile means that there are about 250,000 people in this country alone who are as smart or smarter than you.   And they all have internet connections.

Edit: a little math lesson for me: make that 2,500,000.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

A little math lesson for you, JG: 99-percentile means that there are about 250,000 people in this country alone who are as smart or smarter than you.   And they all have internet connections.

Edit: a little math lesson for me:  make that 2,500,000. 

True! Whenever I need a dose of humility (rare) I remind myself that
the little town where I grew up has a pop. of 2500 and so 25 of the
citizens could match my IQ, on average. That will bring you back to earth
in a hurry.

JG

 

[Mr._johngalt]

I am 100% sure I could care less what anybody's IQ is.  :

Understand. However, you should. Some of those folks
might end up with a major impact on your life.

JG

 

[tozz]

mebbe I'm missing some of the humor here, but BARF.

little town where I grew up has a pop. of 2500 and so 25 of the
citizens could match my IQ, on average. 

 

[laurence]

I have not found much correlation with I.Q. and wealth. Drive is all you need to be wealthy, plenty of average intelligent people who hussled and got paid. My Dad and younger brother are both much more intelligent than I, yet I will probably have the highest net worth by far. I think if anything, you need a certain thresh hold of intelligence reached, and once you get there, social I.Q., drive, charisma, etc. that "gets you there". I enjoy my level of intelligence, smart enough to enjoy and appreciate those geniuses around me : but also close enough to average to fit in socially.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

mebbe I'm missing some of the humor here, but BARF.

I'm not sure there is any humor.............

JG

 

[Jarhead*]

Hi REW.  Oh, I think you are right on. Peculiar does not begin to describe
me.  But see, the thing is.............I don't care.  I know I am smarter than almost
everyone.  You can not possibly imagine how liberating that is...................

JG

JG: By stating that REW couldn't possibly imagine how liberating that is, implies that REW isn't as smart as you.
That's not a very smart statement, when you have no information on REW.

Regards, Jarhead

 

[lazyday]

I think if anything, you need a certain thresh hold of intelligence reached, and once you get there, social I.Q., drive, charisma, etc. that "gets you there".

IIRC there may have been some research, or maybe just an essay, about this somewhere. The threshhold being fairly high, perhaps 99.5%ile, but I believe was talking about making major contributions in one's field. Something about having IQ of say 180 not being much more statistiacally likely to produce original thought or discoveries than "just" 150.

Not just because there are many more people of 150 than 180--thats something else.

(I suppose you were talking more about just normal success, Laurence. I'd imagine there's diminishing returns of IQ there too/something of a threshhold.)

IMO one's worth (as opposed to net worth) is not highly correlated to one's IQ

 

[wabmester]

You guys know about the Stanford Marshmallow study, right? The key to success is not IQ. It's your ability to delay gratification.

http://www.sybervision.com/Discipline/marshmallow.htm

 

[Mr._johngalt]

You guys know about the Stanford Marshmallow study, right?    The key to success is not IQ.   It's your ability to delay gratification.

http://www.sybervision.com/Discipline/marshmallow.htm

Never heard of it, but it makes sense. If you are toasting a
Marshmallow, it is almost impossible to wait until it it toasted
properly. Most folks lose patience and just set it ablaze

JG

 

[Mr._johngalt]

IIRC there may have been some research, or maybe just an essay, about this somewhere.  The threshhold being fairly high, perhaps 99.5%ile, but I believe was talking about making major contributions in one's field.  Something about having IQ of say 180 not being much more statistiacally likely to produce original thought or discoveries than "just" 150.

Not just because there are many more people of 150 than 180--thats something else.

(I suppose you were talking more about just normal success, Laurence. I'd imagine there's diminishing returns of IQ there too/something of a threshhold.)

IMO one's worth (as opposed to net worth) is not highly correlated to one's IQ

I see your point, but "worth" is a meaningless concept.

JG

 

[laurence]

Hey, I like my marshmellows burnt!

I honestly don't know what my exact I.Q. is. When I was younger I took a test and was placed in a gifted magnet (over 130 I.Q., or so I was told) and I took a short test as an adult that estimated 150. But who knows if that was accurate? Maybe because my Dad is an Ivy League white male I understood analogies involving greek fables?

General Theory of Relativity? Probably beyond me no matter how hard I try (actually, now I'm too old anyway), but I certainly could choose any mortal profession, and do well.