On: The Trouble with High IQ

[loeg]

It may well be that higher anxiety people are more likely to join Mensa.

[eqmvii → loeg]

I'd honestly be surprised if there weren't a correlation between distressed/disordered thinking of some kind and joining Mensa.

[lemagedurage → loeg]

That sounds counterintuitive to me. "People with anxiety are more likely to join a community."

[_jgvg → lemagedurage]

Not really, people with anxiety are often looking for self-validation and self-affirmation. Joining a community that screams "we're more intelligent than 99% of the population" sounds like a fair way to go with that anxiety.

[hmschreck → lemagedurage]

You would be amazed in this instance. Mensa has a reputation for being very 'superior', very 'elitist', and that's the type of organization that is more likely to attract the more typically anxious or neurotic personalities.

[smallnamespace → lemagedurage]

Why? Communities allow people to work together to deal with shared problems -- like anxiety or not fitting in elsewhere.

[scientistem → lemagedurage]

Ehh, as someone with anxiety, it’s not that straightforward. Maybe you join it to socialize and improve your self esteem.

Granted, the members I know just really like puzzles.