Are IQ (Smarts) and Success Correlated?

[Lex DeVille]

Ha!

1kg of coffee is heavier than 1kg of tea, and way heavier than 1kg of water.

Because it has more caffeine.

It's basic maths and science! What do they teach in schools these days?

That both are racist and disgusting compared with the Democratic Coca-Cola which they conveniently have provided in the hallway vending machine. Also, fat is beautiful, and you're referencing dated white supremacist math and science, not real math and science.

 

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[Antifragile]

The correlation between net worth and IQ is a real thing.

To have high net worth:
1. Be born rich
2. Marry rich
3. Make your own

The last one is where you are linking IQ to net worth. I'll only comment on that.

I don't know much about IQ tests and don't know if it's ever possible to truly grasp a person's intelligence with any kind of precision. Maybe one day with the AI tools...

The fastest way from zero to wealth is business ownership. Being stupid means you won't succeed. Being a genius may mean you'll think through too many "why it doesn't work" and still fail.

My business is real estate development. Unlike tech companies, we cannot jump to a MVP and launch. That would be like jumping from airplane with an MVP parachute! I cannot build a high-rise building, ask buyers to try it, demolish and then try again based on their user experience and comments.

What worked best for our business?

Tinkering during the planning stage. Most people are horrible at getting their business right the first time. But most people are great at tweaking inputs to get the right result. You don't need to have a super high IQ to do that. I have no idea what my IQ is, nor do I give a shit. I'd rather spend the time tinkering with my ideas for the next real estate project. Visit competition, ask more questions, talk to the community, politicians, construction crews, local stores or just be there, walk the streets and get a feel for it. I can then play with my "lego blocks" to see how a vision can become a reality.

Again, no need for any super high IQ, just willingness to tinker until you get the right result.

If I can do it with real estate... and most people here are internet business focused (technology), you can and must iterate cheaply until you get your desired result. What does your IQ have to do with it? Well, someone with a better brain may tinker faster and get there faster, but its not a guarantee.

For anyone capable of reading MJ books, then joining and posting here... you've got it. Your IQ is not slowing you down (no way!), but your method, your process may. Focus on that. Ignore the rest.

All the best.

 

[Matt Lee]

Not all smart people are rich, but all self-made rich people are definitely smart.

The correlation between net worth and IQ is a real thing.

In honesty, what a test says about your intelligence should be as useful as what you hear when you talk to a damn wall. It should mean nothing. If you let a test put a limit on your mental capacity or how you see yourself,

you either

1) have low self-esteem and low self-worth

or

2) are not made to create anything great.

As individuals on a TFLF, I think we all share the "f*ck you" mentality if someone or something tells us we can't do something because of certain limitations. Right? It's already going against the odds to build what we want in a system that screams get sedated and consume your life away.

If you are smart, you should know you are smart. It comes down to believing you got the mental capacities to do anything you put your mind to before anything, hell a damn test, certify you as some part of an elitist group of intellects. Self-belief, work ethics, and self-esteem if anything should be determining factors if someone will hit it big.

Going back to the IQ and net worth correlation. Correlations are just "correlations" and not "causalities" because some people set out to look for specific stats. Read any scientific articles. Research papers. Studies.

If you look long enough in any direction you can find specific evidence to support ANY claims. Some claims will contradict each other. It's just the nature of "correlations" and scientific studies.

I can guarantee you that if you give ENOUGH MONEY to a bunch of researchers to look for how many "dumb" people get filthy rich every year, you'll have a groundbreaking article to read about.

"holy cow, did you know OVER X amount of millionaires have an IQ of less than 'insert the average IQ'"

So what is my point in writing this? Well, it's pretty much to say don't accept something that will put you in a box. If it is something that makes you feel small, reject it.

"IQ" is just a box. If your IQ is below average, it'll take a while to get to where you need to be, but you'll still get there with the right attitude and work ethic. If your IQ is above average, you better not get complacent or else it'll be a slow fall to your knees and you'll cry about why the world isn't at your lap at that time.

I'll leave with a quote from The Magic Of Thinking Big.

"Most of us make two basic errors with respect to intelligence:

1)We underestimate our own brainpower.
2)We overestimate the other fellow's brainpower.

Because of these errors, many people sell themselves short. They fail to tackle challenging situations because it 'takes brain power'. But along comes the fellow who isn't concerned about intelligence, and he gets the job"

 

[c4n]

Spoiler: Nerd alert (don't click here to read)

Pounds and kilograms are units of mass, not weight. Weight is expressed in N (newtons) and is calculated as mass * acceleration (W = ma; usually expressed as W = mg where g is the gravitational acceleration).

So you guys are arguing about the weight but are talking about the mass

Mass versus weight - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

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[Guest931Xfjyx]

You know what intelligent people don't do?

Argue over intelligence on forums.

 

[Kak]

 

[Black_Dragon43]

Is this you bro?

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XvzkCpVGVqM
@Antifragile

No, but Elon Musk’s IQ is 140-155 most likely. Not a genius, just highly intelligent and also very driven/obsessive. To me a real genius is 160+. Over the years hanging around some very intelligent and not so intelligent people and taking lots of IQ tests I’ve grown quite accustomed to being quite accurate in estimating someone’s IQ from having a discussion with them or listening to them talk.

For example, I can almost guarantee that @Kak has an IQ between 120-135. Likely around 130. Same for @Antifragile which actually explains why they get along so well

Most highly successful people have IQs ranging from 120-140. Stephen Hawking is someone I’d put at the border between real genius and highly intelligent. 155-165 IQ.

 

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[heavy_industry]

I’ve grown quite accustomed to being quite accurate in estimating someone’s IQ from having a discussion with them or listening to them talk.

What's your estimation of my IQ?

I would say it's anywhere from -5 to 80 max.

 

[Patryk.]

What's your estimation of my IQ?

I would say it's anywhere from -5 to 80 max.

Minus mean you can even think backwards? That's could be cool Haha

 

[Black_Dragon43]

What's your estimation of my IQ?

I would say it's anywhere from -5 to 80 max.

I actually don’t have an idea. I don’t know you well enough yet. But I’m sure it’s above 100 lol. Most active posters here who can express their thoughts well and show a decent capacity for conceptual thinking and conceptual manipulation of ideas and symbols will be above 100 in IQ. This isn’t the kind of place that attracts the dumbest kids on the block tbh with you

 

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[Shono]

I actually don’t have an idea. I don’t know you well enough yet. But I’m sure it’s above 100 lol. Most active posters here who can express their thoughts well and show a decent capacity for conceptual thinking and conceptual manipulation of ideas and symbols will be above 100 in IQ. This isn’t the kind of place that attracts the dumbest kids on the block tbh with you

i agree

 

[Black_Dragon43]

I read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, and having a photographic memory, was able to answer every question asked by the kids in the street where I lived. They called me "The Professor." Is that genius, or a quirk of nature?

This is actually a classic sign of high intelligence in kids. Both Bill Gates and Elon Musk have done the same, and I’m sure both have IQs > 140 (my impression being that Gates has a higher IQ than Musk).

The fact that as a kid you had the patience to read the Encyclopedia and didn’t get bored indicates that your mind enjoyed it and found it easier to comprehend than most people.

So it’s not just about your memory and the fact you can remember, but also the mere fact that you did it which is a sign of high intelligence.

Part of what goes into IQ is your ability to focus your mind at will on a particular problem and not relent until you solve it. The speed & dexterity with which you observe and use patterns is also highly important, but the latter is irrelevant if your mind is so scattered that it can’t focus.

 

[biophase]

What you really mean isn’t that iron is heavier, but that it’s denser. It packs greater weight per unit of space it occupies.

So depending in how tight of a space your pound of feathers is packed, you would generally prefer to be hit with the feathers. They’ll be displaced around more upon impact in whatever package they are stored in, whereas the iron will not (and that displacement/deformation will “consume” part of the force you’d otherwise be hit with). But it all depends how tightly packed they are and how little room for displacement they have. Because if they are packed in a tight, high density formation it will be just as bad as if you’re hit with the iron!

This is less about the material, than about its structure/formation though. Almost all materials can be arranged into flexible shapes which deform more easily.

@Droopynips : Would you rather be hit in the face by a pound of iron filings or a pound of feathers packed into a 3” cube?

 

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[Shono]

This is actually a classic sign of high intelligence in kids. Both Bill Gates and Elon Musk have done the same, and I’m sure both have IQs > 140 (my impression being that Gates has a higher IQ than Musk).

The fact that as a kid you had the patience to read the Encyclopedia and didn’t get bored indicates that your mind enjoyed it and found it easier to comprehend than most people.

So it’s not just about your memory and the fact you can remember, but also the mere fact that you did it which is a sign of high intelligence.

Part of what goes into IQ is your ability to focus your mind at will on a particular problem and not relent until you solve it. The speed & dexterity with which you observe and use patterns is also highly important, but the latter is irrelevant if your mind is so scattered that it can’t focus.

Bill gates self made success story is so inspirational, and what hes doing now with his philanthropic endeavors is something we should aspire to

 

[Shono]

@Droopynips : Would you rather be hit in the face by a pound of iron filings or a pound of feathers packed into a 3” cube?

@Droopynips : Would you rather be hit in the face by a pound of iron filings or a pound of feathers packed into a 3” cube?

it doesnt take many feathers to pack into a 3" cube, so the feathers obviously

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

it doesnt take many feathers to pack into a 3" cube, so the feathers obviously

I literally did the math for you. It would take somewhere in the ballpark of 55,000 feathers to weigh 1 pound

 

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[Shono]

I literally did the math for you. It would take somewhere in the ballpark of 55,000 feathers to weigh 1 pound

yes, but he said a 3" cube tell me how you will fit 55000 feathers into that, its impossible

 

[Kak]

The confident stupidity displayed here is unlike anything I have ever experienced in my life. This is insufferable.

 

[Antifragile]

@Kak I wouldn’t put it past @Droopynips to be pulling one over us. It’s just too much, and as a joke it’s hilariously funny.

 

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[RicardoGrande]

For the original question:

I'm more inclined to say being more intelligent, or at least being able to run hypotheticals and be wary, could be a downside. I have some friends that have been "interested" in entrepreneurship for years but have also spent that past few years overanalyzing and looking for the "perfect" thing to go in on. Thing is, that thing will never come. If those thoughts never occur and you see some guy on tiktok telling you you can run an SMMA or start carpet cleaning and you go do it- actually do it- you're suddenly rolling in cash because you took action.

I'm not the brightest bulb but industry surveys say that my job niche usually has smarter people in it. Thinking back, my friends and I spent a good 2-3 years after college poking around and being non-commital, thinking up hundreds of ideas, taking small action on some, but never seeing them through because of stupid hypotheticals we invented in our heads. "Oh gawd the economy no one will buy this", "oh no I'd have to go sell my product in person or go to tradeshows", "oh noooo shipping things from overseas could get expensive if there's a global pandemic!"(maybe that one was a good thought to have). Having more mental horsepower works if you need to learn and specialize, but if you don't take action or are good at really thinking things over and catastrophizing, I bet one'd be much more likely to spin out.

On the flipside, I've talked to more than 10 specific business owners at this point, a chunk of them high school dropouts, that just got fed up with a bad workplace or a bad hand and immediately went to hustle and have build 1m$/yr businesses. Didn't consider anything more than "I need to make something work now, I will ply my skills, deliver, and hope for the best". If you met them you'd definitely sniff out that they're blue-collar, but they also make enough to own nice homes and get a new truck every three years.

Something to think about.

 

[Kevin88660]

I actually don’t have an idea. I don’t know you well enough yet. But I’m sure it’s above 100 lol. Most active posters here who can express their thoughts well and show a decent capacity for conceptual thinking and conceptual manipulation of ideas and symbols will be above 100 in IQ. This isn’t the kind of place that attracts the dumbest kids on the block tbh with you

The active participants here in FLM should be around top 10 percent if the population, that would translate into mean IQ score of around 120.

 

[Kevin88660]

For the original question:

I'm more inclined to say being more intelligent, or at least being able to run hypotheticals and be wary, could be a downside. I have some friends that have been "interested" in entrepreneurship for years but have also spent that past few years overanalyzing and looking for the "perfect" thing to go in on. Thing is, that thing will never come. If those thoughts never occur and you see some guy on tiktok telling you you can run an SMMA or start carpet cleaning and you go do it- actually do it- you're suddenly rolling in cash because you took action.

I'm not the brightest bulb but industry surveys say that my job niche usually has smarter people in it. Thinking back, my friends and I spent a good 2-3 years after college poking around and being non-commital, thinking up hundreds of ideas, taking small action on some, but never seeing them through because of stupid hypotheticals I invented in my head. "Oh gawd the economy no one will buy this", "oh no I'd have to go sell my product in person or go to tradeshows", "oh noooo shipping things from overseas could get expensive if there's a global pandemic!"(maybe that one was a good thought to have). Having more mental horsepower works if you need to learn and specialize, but if you don't take action or are good at really thinking things over and catastrophizing, I bet one'd be much more likely to spin out.

On the flipside, I've talked to more than 10 specific business owners at this point, a chunk of them high school dropouts, that just got fed up with a bad workplace or a bad hand and immediately went to hustle and have build 1m$/yr businesses. Didn't consider anything more than "I need to make something work now, I will ply my skills, deliver, and hope for the best". If you met them you'd definitely sniff out that they're blue-collar, but they also make enough to own nice homes and get a new truck every three years.

Something to think about.

I think in general when you have careers that pay well and you don’t hate the jobs the opportunity cost of entrepreneurship commitment becomes higher.

When you have nothing much to lose by leaving the jobs the choice is often more obvious.

When you look at Gates and Zuckerberg who are super smart and ambitious and are from affluent background that could enable them to pause their degree and take financial risk easily. Being smart is not a hurdle.

 

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[Isaac Odongo]

There

I dont know what my IQ is but I have a vague idea.

I also know that most successful people that I know became successful simply because their intelligence gave them a monstrous edge over anyone else.

I actually have come to believe that very few people succeed just because they work hard - they always have another edge.

And IQ, like physical attributes (height, voice, being hot or ugly) are things that play in your chances of success and no one speaks about them.

The whole "YoU caN acHieVe aNythIng You WanT" is kinda toxic as it gives people false hope.

You can probably do a whole lot more than you think, yes.

But no, sorry, unless you're smart, tall, and have a high pain tolerance, you can't achieve anything you want.

This is erroneous. Leonel Messi isn't tall.
I know there's a millionaire in my country who isn't handsome.

I know someone made claims similar to these at university and almost failed to finish his course due to retakes.

Intelligence is explained using theories. Nobody really understands it. Even the concept of understanding is not understood.

I have examples of people who have greatly upped their cognitive abilities through practice and effort and those who have taken the opposite direction.

Nobody was can be really high there in intelligence just because he was born that way.

The human brain is a complex muscle. The mind is similarly complex.

 

[Isaac Odongo]

Probably AQ.

Adversity is guaranteed to happen in life.

The strongest entrepreneurs and business people tend to have quite high AQ.

I was reading the biography of a billionaire and he actually failed 50-60 projects in a span of 15 years. Of course in wikipedia you can only see 3-4 big projects he did earlier that failed.

Where was his IQ then? It took something else to keep coming back and failing in such phenomenal numbers. It took grit. He had nerve.

 

[Isaac Odongo]

Some say EQ is more important than IQ...

And there is also SQ, social intelligence. The human is complex. And that's where the beauty lies. Potential is just unrealised for reasons lightyears beyond genetics. If all could realise their cognitive potential, Oh my God!

 

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[Isaac Odongo]

There it is: HOT! - CHAT - Random Chat, Thoughts, Posts, and/or Rants Thread


Yes, agreed 100%. And the more mental capacities you have, the more likely you are to be a successful entrepreneur.

These mental capacities are developed. Nobody is born with a developed mind. Everyone up there learns and has grit and self control to keep going day in day out.

 

[Isaac Odongo]

IQ is the capacity to understand complex problems and the speed you take to do so.

Einstein got a higher IQ so he could understand complex physics problems.

Jeff Bezos got a higher IQ so he understood before anyone else how important the Internet would be (and btw, he was in a school for "gifted students" aka geniuses).

Musk got a higher IQ so he could code games at 11 years old, something 11 years-old dont normally do.

Etc.
That's what IQ is.

95% of rich and successful people in the west could not have become so without high IQ.

It's the only variable that correlates with self-made wealth.

Not saying these people didnt work hard. What I am saying is that high IQ was necessary, (but not sufficient).

They weren't born with those IQs. They acquired them. And they acquired many other valuable things too, to keep them and their businesses affloat. And they hired smart people who could grind it through to keep their businesses running and growing.

 

[WillHurtDontCare]

IQ is useful but it's still an attempt to reduce the complexities of life into something that you can put on a spreadsheet (ghey)

 

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[xShepherdx]

If you're dumb, hire smart people to compensate.

If you're smart, hire dumb people to get more stuff done.

If you think that a pound of iron weighs more than a pound of feathers, hire someone who knows how to use a scale.

 

[Fox]

All the A1 students I know from university have NOT done well.

I see the same thing in them all - they must have the identify of “winning” right from the start, so they can’t try anything new where they might fail.

One guy was amazing on any test, like a walking dictionary. He could tell you all the different historical periods and could go into detail with all kinds of advanced theories and concepts.

But he couldn’t make it work with any real opportunity he got - couldn’t mentally hack not being #1 in a new environment. The second he started failing, he would check out instead of accepting the suck.

To me if you are self-made wealthy you are intelligent. Maybe you don’t use fancy words, or maybe you can’t pass some general knowledge quiz. But you are smart.

You have succeeded where 99% fail and you have the right combination of work ethic, drive, focus, and stickability.

Of course there are other forms of intelligence too. But it’s hard to say that someone who learned to become financially successful isn’t smart when 99% of “smart” people are two paychecks away from being broke.

I’d rather be the simple dude with some money in the bank than some intellectual type who relies on daddy government or their credit card to get by.