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 believe intelligence is a mixture of common sense, good general knowledge, being able to make fast judgements and being practical.

Firstly, and most importantly, high EQ is not always a good thing, sociopaths have high EQ, as do a lot of senior executives (lots of whom are also sociopaths). If you understand other people's emotions you can manipulate them. High EQ does not mean nice.

Secondly, 'common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen' as Einstein said. One of which is that anyone intelligent 'lacks common sense'.

Anyway, I have all the traditional prestigious academic qualifications. I also have the knowledge and experience to make connections between disparate concepts. I know I'm more intelligent than most people but work and socialise in a bubble where everyone is smart (in my STEM job 90% of us have PhDs) so don't think about it day to day and then every so often will be having a conversation with someone and realise they aren't understanding something I think is straightforward. Conversely of course there are some people you speak to who don't have loads of academic qualifications but are clearly very smart (good trades people often are, although that may be because the type of problem solving intelligence required to be a scientist and to be an plumber or electrician are related so we recognise it in each other).

@ThreeLocusts makes an interesting point about excess weight being given to certain aspects of intelligence but whole I agree I do think that varies a bit from job to job. Nobody would recruit BoJo as a surgeon, aircraft engineer or clinical trials coordinator, his lack of attention to detail is well known but wasn't an issue as PM because he had civil servants for that, he could do the bit he was good at with their support. Obviously there were other failings that lead to his downfall.

I'm only of average intelligence really. I struggled with university and find new things hard. I'm a teacher. I kinda get by by being very hardworking but it's draining.
What takes other teachers no time at all takes me ages.

I'm intelligent. In a few subject areas, I have vg knowledge. I know I know nothing about some areas, though, eg chemistry.

I am good at arguing, at discussing, at seeing all POVs in an argument, and I'm good at looking at new information and revising my own opinion.

I don't think you'll ever meet an intelligent person who is not curious about the world around them. Lack of interest in things beyond their immediate sphere seems to be something that indicates someone not being very intelligent in general.

Also, people who are intelligent know they don't know everything. You see that stupidity with people like Donald Trump. He just assumes the world works how he thinks it works, that he can comment wisely on anything because he's so clever and cleverness is answering everything, even with total bullshit off the top of your head. Actually intelligent people are capable of saying 'That's not my area' or 'I'll have to ask X about that' or 'I'll have to look that up'.

I've got a 1st class degree in an 'intellectual' subject from a top 10 UK uni, and I know quite a lot of random shit about history, music and literature. I can't 'do anything' that smart like speak another language fluently or do complex maths though.

I believe intelligence is a mixture of common sense, good general knowledge, being able to make fast judgements and being practical.

I would disagree with some of that. I think you can have a very intelligent mind without having good general knowledge and without being at all practical.

I have read all of Shakespeare's plays, plus all the novels of Dickens, Jane Austen and Virginia Woolf. Right now, I am halfway through Middlemarch, and I'm also wading through Proust, partly in French, partly in English.

But, am I intelligent? No, I wouldn't say so. For a start, I'm utterly hopeless at anything even vaguely mathematical. As for technology, don't get me started. Most 10-year-olds know more than I do. I've often handed a phone or laptop to somebody, with tears of rage in my eyes, to stop me throwing it through a window. And though science interests me, I really struggle, and quickly forget everything I've read. Also, no matter how many books I read on grammar and punctuation, none of it sticks, and to this day I'm unsure where to place my commas.

More generally, I can't follow instructions, have no sense of direction, and often struggle to learn new things. Verbally I'm pretty good, however. I'd say I'm eloquent (I can speak without pausing, or saying 'er' or 'y'know', etc). I'm also fairly witty/quick-witted, and a pretty good conversationalist. It's a lopsided intelligence. On an IQ test, I suspect I'd score quite high in some areas, but well below average in others.

The one subject at which I excelled was literature. I could hold my own against most people in a discussion about, say, Wuthering Heights, or Pride and Prejudice. Yet even with literature I know my limits. For example, I once sat through a university seminar on T. S. Eliot, taken by a young PhD student. The guy was only about 22, yet his knowledge and insight, his grasp of poetry, left me standing. He was in a totally different league.

To me, intelligence is the ability to problem solve; emotional intelligence, and common sense.

Yes I do think I am intelligent but it's all relative, I'm no genius! I feel dumb compared to some very intelligent colleagues, but in my school days I was one of the brightest ones.
There's different types of intelligence anyway, unfortunately I'm terrible at job interviews so my brain is doomed to be wasted as I am unable to enhance my position. At least I can score well in IQ tests and complete an MSc with distinction though I guess.

I used to be but I swear I ended up crapping out at least 10 IQ points with each child 😂

Well, I've got an IQ of 155 which apparently means I'm intelligent. I also somehow managed a PhD. However, my general knowledge is shocking, I can't do my primary age children's maths homework, and I have zero common sense!

I feel a bit stupid a lot of the time, am not as politically aware as I should be, and struggle with a poor memory for names, dates, faces and multiple other things!

I've come to the conclusion that I have no idea what intelligence is, and nor do many people! It's a construct without much shared meaning. Maybe some define it as academic qualifications, some as an IQ score, and others as how much general knowledge a person has or how good they are memorising stuff. Who knows! All I know is that it is not an important construct in my life and not something I value in myself or others.

I'd rather raise kind, caring, hard working and polite kids than intelligent ones! And I'd rather surround myself with loving, fun, interesting people than those who score high on a random test (though if they happen to, that's cool too!)

Well I know I have a very high IQ (top 1%) so in that sense I know I am intelligent, however I also suffer dreadfully from imposter syndrome and never feel good enough and spend most of my time feeling completely average. I guess, as pp put it, I’m all too distinctly aware of how much there is I don’t know, and I seem to focus more on how there is always people who know more than me, than how I know more than others.
so I would never talk to anyone irl, and call myself intelligent.

To me, it would be about problem solving.
I have met people who think a vast knowledge of (mostly shite) things is a sign of great intelligence. They tend to be weed smokers who spend their life in the pub!

I don't think I am but people think I am. I have very average memory so not those types that knows the insides and outs of everything but I'm praised for learning, figuring stuff out and make connections very quickly apparently as well as ability to smell something fishy from miles away therefore creating solutions even before the problems are identified (apparently). But when people acknowledged and recognise what I do, I feel like I have done nothing special at all which is funny.

There is an agreed concept of 'general intelligence' that can be measured via validated IQ tests. It reflects broad mental capacity and correlates not just with academic ability (that can also be impacted by other factors) but also a lot of other positive life outcomes, because it generally leads to good judgement.

However, it is different from mental functioning. OP, what you describe sounds like the kind of fogginess that comes with illness, tiredness, or hormonal changes as others have suggested. Have you seen a doctor about it?

Yes. I’m an academic who’s perfectly capable of tying my own shoelaces, showing up to things on time, basic DIY, maintaining a normal social life. My four degrees didn’t make me magically incapable of basic common sense or eye contact, and the same is true of most of my (humanities) colleagues.

I've defo slowed down a bit and my word recall is way worse than it used to be, but then again I'm no longer writing proposals all day.

I think there are different types as others have said (rain man vs acerbically witty etc) but I feel most very intelligent people can read and understand complex arguments etc. Most people with an excellent vocabulary/high level of articulateness don't tend to be stupid, even if there are plenty of people of average intelligence who are very quick witted and good at banter.

I’m intelligent. Everyone in my family is. My husband is also very intelligent as are our kids.

I gauge intelligence by someone’s interest in the world, their ability to have a nuanced discussion about issues, their quickness to learn. I’ve got an excellent memory, a strong general knowledge and very good skills in my chosen area of work. I find corporate life exceedingly boring though. I enjoy the work that I do but not the environment.

I’m also very practical and enjoy learning how to fix things around the house etc. I’m a good cook. I have a pretty wide circle of friends and I think they’d say I’m kind and empathetic. In other words I don’t think I have any significant deficits that offset my intelligence as so many seem to believe must be the case.

I think an indicator of average intelligence is people who jump on the outrage bandwagon without engaging any critical thought. Or just parrot what ‘they’ve heard’ without bothering to look into it more.

In Australia where I live the tall poppy syndrome is alive and well and people spout the most ridiculous rubbish such as ‘I’d prefer my child was kind rather than intelligent’. Well my kids are both, meanwhile your child is bullying them so I’m not sure what your point is.

I think I'm of reasonable intelligence but I'm not sure when I would properly test my claim!
I love quizzes, cryptic crosswords, sudokus and puzzles etc but DH, who is dyslexic and not generally very academic, beats me at chess every time we play. I can usually get pretty close on the 1% club if we play at home.

My job is below average pay and not academic (RL average, not MN average) and I'm only educated to A levels so compared to most of MN I think I fall way short (and I don't have many books in the house which is a huge fail in MN terms and probably makes me as thick as mince🤣)

How old are you OP? Lots of women going through menopause go to the doctor querying dementia - brain fog is a key symptom

IQ tests online show our score so they are useful but it is also essential to have strong emotional intelligence plus common sense as well as good general knowledge wherever possible.

The interesting thing about IQ tests is the results are affected by age a nd by stress. The results can go up and down.

1st class Hons degree, 2 x Masters and a PhD. On paper I’m intelligent but I lack common sense.
To be honest, your post resonates with me. I feel my thinking is always clouded and I just feel so cognitively slow in comparison to how I used to be. My brain doesn’t even allow me to be the articulate little monster I used to be, and information retention just doesn’t happen unless the info is pointless. I’m 38, could this be hormonal or just getting old? I’ve been putting it down to just juggling children, work, life and household mental load. It’s tiring but I’m here with you in solidarity, OP.

I can recommend using ground turmeric in your home cooking to assist brain fog. Also remember to add ground black pepper at the end of the cooking time to enhance its absorption.

I am 59 and did this about a year ago. It took two months to noticeably help but I haven't looked back since. I was post menopausal but to be honest any age could benefit from th is. A male friend recommended it to me.

I think I'm the type of person who can look clever on paper because I've been persistent in order to achieve certain things but I don't think I am very clever, probably about average. I feel I panic a lot and don't pick up new things quickly.

I'm aware that academically I'm fairly bright. I loved school and learning. Being spoon fed new information was the perfect environment for me, and I didn't find it at all difficult to retain that stuff. But in the real world, where self motivation and confidence and the ability to try stuff you're not familiar with counts, I regularly feel as if I'm neither use nor ornament.
I do have a very analytical, questioning mind, relatively good emotional intelligence, can communicate and have gained the ability to learn from experience. However, practically speaking those things aren't worth much in themselves without self motivation... 🙃