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posted by janrinok on Monday December 19 2016, @05:27PM   Printer-friendly
from the appealing-to-a-community-of-loners dept.

A story at Inverse, covers research that concludes that Evolution Made Really Smart People Long to Be Loners:

Psychologists have a pretty good idea of what typically makes a human happy. Dancing delights us. Being in nature brings us joy. And, for most people, frequent contact with good friends makes us feel content.

That is, unless you're really, really smart.

In a paper published in the British Journal of Psychology , researchers Norman Li and Satoshi Kanazawa report that highly intelligent people experience lower life satisfaction when they socialize with friends more frequently. These are the Sherlocks and the Newt Scamanders of the world — the very intelligent few who would be happier if they were left alone.

[...] To come to this conclusion, the researchers analyzed the survey responses of 15,197 individuals between the ages of 18 and 28. Their data was a part of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health — a survey that measures life satisfaction, intelligence, and health...

Intelligence is believed to have evolved as a psychological mechanism to solve novel problems — the sort of challenges that weren't a regular part of life. For our ancestors, frequent contact with friends and allies was a necessity that allowed them to survive. Being highly intelligent, however, meant an individual was more likely to be able to solve problems without another person's help, which in turn diminished the importance of their friendships.

[...] That certainly doesn't mean that if you enjoy being around your friends that you're unintelligent. But it does mean that the really smart person you know who spends much of their time alone isn't a sad loner — they probably just like it that way.

In my estimation, the community here is above-average in intelligence so I am curious: How many of you are loners? Do you prefer the company of yourself to the company of others?


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  • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Monday December 19 2016, @08:45PM

    by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Monday December 19 2016, @08:45PM (#443318) Journal

    Now, disclaimer: I consistently test in the 140-150 range when taking IQ tests, usually right smack in the middle around 145. I also prefer to be with a small group of close people, preferably around the same mental level as me. And yes, being around stupid people is draining and painful. But alone? No. As much as I look like the stereotype of "scary six-foor loner chick" I actually don't like being entirely alone for very long.

    But...define intelligence. What is intelligence in this context? Are we speaking only of verbal and mathematical skills? Because I'm a lot better with the former than the latter, almost completely useless at anything artistic, and barely even average kinesthetically aside from having a good proprioceptive map of myself. This article, I'm guessing, speaks of the logical and mathematical components of intelligence only, right?

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 19 2016, @08:56PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 19 2016, @08:56PM (#443330)

    > What is intelligence in this context?

    Not getting caught. Ted Kaczynski started his bombing spree in 1978 and didn't get caught until 1995. Smart man! Going to be the science advisor in the new administration.

  • (Score: 2) by AthanasiusKircher on Monday December 19 2016, @09:09PM

    by AthanasiusKircher (5291) on Monday December 19 2016, @09:09PM (#443337) Journal

    Now, disclaimer: I consistently test in the 140-150 range when taking IQ tests, usually right smack in the middle around 145.

    Can I ask where you are "taking IQ tests"? When I hear most people say this, they're often referring to the multitude of online tests, which are mostly completely BS. Real IQ tests require detailed statistical analysis of population samples and norming -- something that basically no 20-question online IQ quiz is capable of. The online tests almost always give you a number FAR above what a standard IQ test would, either because they're trying to sell you a full "report" or because they want you to share the test with your friends to get ad revenue, and they know if half of people are getting "below average" scores, fewer people will share the test on social media, etc.

    I remember a few years back reading about somebody who wanted to see exactly HOW bad these tests were. When guessing randomly without even looking at the questions, he got a 110. When he deliberately chose a wrong answer for every single question, he got a 98 or something. If 100 is defined as the standard average IQ, obviously there's likely something wrong there.

    Not saying you aren't above average or even significantly so. But unless "when taking IQ tests" refers to official normed tests administered and scored by a competent person, any supposed IQ numbers you've been quoted are likely quite suspect.

    But...define intelligence.

    Yeah... there are all sorts of problems with IQ or any supposed measure of general intelligence too, which is even more of a reason to view any such metrics with a lot of qualifiers.

    • (Score: 2) by VLM on Monday December 19 2016, @10:34PM

      by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Monday December 19 2016, @10:34PM (#443406)

      A specific critique I can see is in purely analog telecom RF world trying to use 20 questions to transmit a number between 0 and 200 but probably in an unspecified narrower range is going to result in a low signal to noise ratio. How correct of a floating point number can you send with one symbol of 16QAM or in this case some kind of weird 20QAM signal? Or if you prefer programming analogies quarter or so precision 20 bit format has not really swept the programming profession by storm.

      Looking at sites like

      http://colloquysociety.org/col83eqv.htm [colloquysociety.org]

      Maybe that site is "fake news" but looking at my actual ASVAB and ACT scores those are professional tests taken almost the same time of my life decades ago, but the scores diverge by quite a few IQ points.

      When I was in the Reserves it was a widely held belief that your ASVAB GT score was your actual IQ and that page implies its a bit inflated.

      • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Azuma Hazuki on Tuesday December 20 2016, @01:45AM

        by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Tuesday December 20 2016, @01:45AM (#443485) Journal

        If the ACT, GRE, and SAT scores they list there are any indication then 140-145 is a perfect fit. But what's the point? A high IQ and $2 will get you on the bus here, but if you don't have $2 you end up walking anyway.

        One of the biggest lies I was ever told, back when I was young enough to believe it, is that a combination of intelligence and hard work will take you far in life. Bullshit. Intelligence is an active liability in most places in this country and if you're not in the right position the only thing you get from hard work is tired. We go from the playground to college back to the playground, it seems.

        --
        I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 19 2016, @10:04PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 19 2016, @10:04PM (#443380)

    I look like the stereotype of "scary six-foor loner chick"

    And every time you mention it, someone blurts out, "that's my fetish!"

    • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Monday December 19 2016, @10:13PM

      by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Monday December 19 2016, @10:13PM (#443389) Journal

      Yeah for some reason a lot of guys seem to like that look. I don't know why. I've got permanent, Grumpy-Cat-tier RBF and wear almost no color but black or navy blue, like ever. What's the appeal?

      --
      I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 19 2016, @10:36PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 19 2016, @10:36PM (#443407)

        So smart, so genuine, so ... dominant. Oh stop, you're turning me on.

        • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Tuesday December 20 2016, @01:34AM

          by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Tuesday December 20 2016, @01:34AM (#443473) Journal

          I'm not at all dominant, that's the funny thing. Maybe it's like how really big dogs are pretty laid back and the smaller yappy ones are all like "You wanna fight me? YOUWANNAFIGHTME?! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YER WHOLE FAMILY ARF ARF YAP YAP YAP!"

          --
          I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @03:01AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @03:01AM (#443512)

            The appeal is that you're big enough and strong enough to beat up an average man, not that you're violent enough to start a fight.