Are you intelligent? How do you gauge intelligence?

[Terrifiedofwastingmylife]

Sure, there are different kinds of intelligence so there will be many answers to this question. But I am interested in how people define intelligence? Are you comfortable in your intelligence?

I do not feel intelligent, according to any definition of it. My brain seems to have really slowed over the last decade, I find it very difficult to learn new systems (I get almost mentally paralysed from fear and stress) and struggle to retain information. I sometimes worry if I'm in the early stages of vascular dementia, which would obviously be different from not having any raw intelligence to begin with. But perhaps I've always been like this, I've just not realised before, and it's nothing to do with dementia.

Anyway, whatever the cause I mostly feel the opposite of intelligent - I can't even work out in my fuzzy brain what it even means anymore.

I'm educated to postgrad level but consider myself pretty thick actually. I'm slow to learn and rubbish thinking on my feet. I have zero ability to explain my ideas or thought processes so I sound really quite vacant a lot of the time. However, I have a good memory, I'm interested in a variety of topics and I love to learn. I have no problem admitting that I dont know something which is something other people struggle with. I think it holds them back and they never learn anything new because they think they know it all already. I dont think I'm more intellgent than them, just more open to learning.

mensa test iq 156. autistic with slow processing... I've always believed myself to be 'intelligent' but couldn't now prove it!

I think I’m a bit thick. But I have a nice accent, large vocabulary and confidence. The world has been my oyster because of the assumptions other people make.

I have above average intelligence 0 common sense

I feel like you OP, that I struggle with new systems. I'm no good with learning things via Teams calls , much prefer face to face.
I do get frustrated that I'll work out how to do something, then if I don't have to do it for eg 6 months , I have to start again as it doesn't stick.

I know ppl who score very highly in iq tests but aren't good at writing essays or what I call reading comprehension, I would say I am good at that.

I think there's only one type of intelligence. It's a combination of good IQ, excellent memory, fast processing skills. I went to university but consider myself very average among my friends and family who are also graduates. But when I step outside my social circle I do notice that many people don't process information or make the correct connections nearly as fast as me.

I don't know, but I'm sitting here reading this, which can't be a good sign.

As others have said intelligent in some ways but not others.

Academically I always did extremely well.
I can read and absorb information fast.
I “get” concepts and arguments very quickly and can think fast on my feet.
I’m articulate and good at presenting and explaining.
I don’t remember facts (except very short term, for exams) and have useless general knowledge.
I’m very disorganised.
I overthink, get anxious and struggle with some fairly basic daily tasks as a result.
I don’t think I read people particularly well.

I'm bright, but not intelligent.

I am empathetic and emotionally in tune with others. Tbh that opens doors for me meaning intelligence isn't required. I'm "nice", so friends, acquaintances, teachers and employers are generous with me.

My husband is very intelligent but struggles socially. He can appear stand-offish and superior, but he is enormously good fun. My life is definitely easier than his.

I think its the ability to understand complex ideas, to use logic to find solutions and to apply learning in an appropriate way.
I don't think how fast you learn is always a factor, as that's often just about memory of the stages of a process. It's the speed of understanding the learning that denotes the intelligence level.

Same as other people - i have a phd and two masters, not sure whether i am intelligent. not sure what it means to be intelligent. but i can definitely tell when i am surrounded by people who are not thick (i know thats not a nice way of putting it). for me it's people who are quick and understand things. however, for the life of me, i cannot follow ikea furniture instructions, find lego pretty hard work (and a tad pointless), have less of a feel for all things maths. it definitely gets harder with age and especially the menopause.

I'm bright, but not intelligent.

But what does that mean? I honestly don't understand.

My thread is making me feel even less intelligent

But when I step outside my social circle I do notice that many people don't process information or make the correct connections nearly as fast as me.

I'd be fascinated if somebody could give examples of a situation where they make fast connections, and observe other people going slower.

I'm really slow at learning anything new where there is a series of steps which must happen in a particular sequence. It makes me despair. It's so much worse if somebody is 'teaching' me too as I get really self conscious so fumble and stumble and get stuff wrong and look even more stupid...

Agree, ‘bright’ and ‘intelligent ‘ are synonymous to me.

Remembering that ‘intelligent’ and ‘educated’ do not mean the same thing (one can be one without the other).

Interesting how many people have mentioned the menopause as throwing a spanner in the works re learning speed and memory. Not looking forward to even more bs.

Remembering that ‘intelligent’ and ‘educated’ do not mean the same thing (one can be one without the other)

Very much agree with this.

I have 14 GCSEs at A and 5 A levels at A grade. I have three degrees - one a first class degree, one distinction postgraduate and one another postgraduate degree.

am I intelligent - at certain things yes, my subject yes, I have forgotten more than most people with learn.

Can I speak a language - yes I could order a drink and say please and thank you

I knew bugger all
about abuse, narcissists or emotional intelligence.
I know sweet FA about cooking and the arts

intelligence is a yard stick meant to determine where people are.

on my office I have Einstein’s quote ‘ Everyone is a genius. If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will spend its whole life thinking it is stupid’

iq tests are also developed by those that have a certain idea of intelligence as are verbal and non verbal reasoning.

let’s actually call it what it is - a made up concept we look at seals using tools to open clams and say patronisingly aren’t they clever - we don’t mean that - we are judging them by our signs of intelligence as recognise by humans eg numbers, language, writing, use of tools etc

but look at ants - much better system?

we need to value everyone and realise they are all unique in terms of intelligence or brilliance and help them achieve their potential

the most intelligent person I know has no GCSEs, no grades and no degrees but he knows everything about everything - or at least it seems that way to me, he can talk to anyone, fix anything etc

the most intelligent person on paper that I know is my father - an abusive self absorbed narcissistic man who has no friends now he has retired and no interests and no hobbies - he can’t talk to anyone and he’s vile. Emotional intelligence 0.

I have a very high IQ, I’m great at some things, rubbish at others. I suspect my ADHD has an impact both ways.

I would say that the ability to critically analyse information is key, ability to grasp concepts, apply the concepts to different situations, including ones which are not directly comparable to previous ones, see the same thing from different perspectives, ability to provide original or non standard arguments. Being able to manipulate information and apply it.

Intelligent people often seem to know a lot but the retention of knowledge is not the marker, it’s incidental to the curious nature of intellectual people.

I have a string of A grade qualifications, a diploma, a degree and a masters in education. My DH has a handful of CSEs, yet he is the clever one. He can fix things, he retains useful information, and he’s extremely creative. He can come up with solutions and think out of the box.

I dont think I'm particularly intelligent, probably about average but I have fast processing skills, can suss out situations and find solutions quickly. My dh is the opposite he is intelligent but pretty slow processing skills(he is autistic if that makes a difference). I think most people have something about them, whether it's book smarts or good with people etc, it's just a matter of playing to your skills.

I think this is very true. Physical health is increasingly seen as something we need to concentrate on as we get older. We should also be encouraged to keep in learning things to keep our minds active and agile.

I'm academically intelligent with an Oxbridge degree. I'm quick at understanding and learning new things and have a very good memory (though slightly less good at 51 than when I was younger!).

But... only in the areas I'm good at. I'm a linguist and am terrible with numbers, spatial awareness, directions, maps, physical memory etc. But I'm very good at remembering anything as long as it's in words!

I'd be fascinated if somebody could give examples of a situation where they make fast connections, and observe other people going slower.

If I'm in a training session or discussing something a bit complex in a meeting, I tend to get it, and think of ideas, before many other people. I'm not always quick at learning new technological things though. Also, as a teacher, I see both fast and slow processing, very noticeably, all the time in my students. Teaching grammar really shows up the relative mental agility and acuity of my students!

I guess to me, bright means engaged in the world around me, a critical thinker and open-minded to learning new things. Intelligence I guess is more about having actual skills or knowledge😂But maybe they are the same, or adjacent.

Doesn't sound like anyone with whom I went to Cambridge...sounds like confirmation bias to me.

I'm a great problem solver and always seemed to be the one who could figure out the puzzles first on those team building excursions or I'd be given some number problem at work to sort out and I'd do it fairly quickly when others couldn't get it.
I'm also a good out of the box thinker.
But, I don't understand theory and can't get stuff just reading it. I only really understand processes and instructions once I actually do it.
Written down, it's hard for me to make sense of it.
I don't know if that's intelligence or not.