What role has intelligence / scholastic ability played in your life? Positive, Negative? [poll]

[Locut0s]

It seems like I've been in school my whole life at times. I'm 30 and have been in and out of post secondary school more times than I care to count, due to depression and other issues. One thing that has always struck me is that success has so little bearing on intelligence. Obviously up to a point it does but once you get to the point of "smart enough to pass", intelligence quickly takes a back seat to EQ (emotional quotient) , motivation, lack of disabilities (both mental and physical), socioeconomic factors and more. I suppose much of this should seem obvious but it's one of those lessons that seem more obvious in hindsight. I've always been a scholastic achiever, near top of my class when other things weren't holding me back. But year after year something always did hold me back, depression, anxiety, take your pick. I have seen many many people over the years plug away at it with perhaps less in terms of raw scholastic ability but more where it really counts in the end and they almost always succeeded, graduated, got a job etc...

Just my 2 cents to anyone struggling in school or daunted by the thought of getting a degree, or whatever you wish to accomplish. NEVER let someone tell you that you aren't "smart" enough to do it! NEVER! Certainly this doesn't mean everyone can do anything but you'd be amazed what you can accomplish if you just take a page from old Mr Tortoise running against the hare.

And conversely for those who are smart as a whip, knowitalls who get A+ on everything. Remember intelligence is multidimensional. Just cause you excel at one aspect doesn't mean that those other aspects that you lack in won't come by one day to bite you in the ass!

What role has raw intelligence played in your life. Has it been instrumental to your success? Has it instead actually held you back? Are you now where you thought you would be success wise given the level of intelligence you always thought you had?

Oh and I feel I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Dunning–Kruger effect here. See wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect for some reason the link didn't work.

NOTE: This isn't a perfect poll. Lots of people won't fit neatly into one category or the other.

8 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	I've always been very smart and it has been instrumental to my 'success'. I would not be where I am now if not for my brains.
	3 (38%)
	I've always been very smart but it has played little role in where I have ended up.
	2 (25%)
	I've always been very smart but it has actually been something of a detriment to my success in life. My smarts came with baggage.
	1 (13%)
	I'm just an average guy but have managed to make quite a success out of life.
	0 (0%)
	I'm just an average guy but things haven't gone the way I would have wished them.
	0 (0%)
	I think I'm below average intelligence but I've managed to be very successful!
	0 (0%)
	I think I'm below average intelligence and it has played something of a negative role in my life.
	1 (13%)
	I don't wish to categorize myself in any of the above.
	1 (13%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[NJCher]

1. methodical

Awhile back (a year or so ago, maybe two), more research was announced that backs the idea that being methodical has more to do with success than anything. Maybe if you google "methodical success" you can find that study.

Also, Malcolm Gladwell writes about this in one of his books that I can't think of the name of at the moment. Gladwell has a site with a lot of his articles and short blurbs about his book. also easily found by Googling.

In this book that I can't recall the title of, he discusses the success of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and others in the computer field. A lot of it had to do with access to computers at a crucial time.

There is quite a bit of research out there that debunks the idea of intelligence leading to success.


Cher

[tarheelsunc]

2. IQ tests say I am a genius, my complete lack of concentration says I'm an idiot,

but hopefully I'll be a university graduate by December 2013!

Through 11th grade, I was the kind of outcast nerd who made an A or A+ in every class. In my senior year, I became a real slacker and I don't think I began a single assignment before 11:00pm the night before it was due during the last semester. Somehow I still got most of it done. The past year and a half of university have been considerably more difficult for me than I can remember any other time in my academic career being. I don't make all A's or anything, but I get everything done as well as I can. I'm pretty sure I have adult onset ADD but it's just something I live with.

You can have the ability to do anything in the world, but it's meaningless unless you have the ability to actually apply yourself towards that goal. I think that's why you can look at a lot of people who are "book smart" but who can never live on their own or be trusted to answer a complex open-ended problem. Something I have learned is that balance should almost always be ideal in everything. It's good to possess a high degree of "intelligence" (though I don't believe this is quantifiable) but you must also be driven towards your goals. At the same time, it's hard to make progress in a field without having a certain sense of creativity. What's the point of learning something if you don't have anything to add to it?

[dawg]

3. The more intelligent a person is ...

the more likely they are to realize that success means something different to them than just blindly following the corporate path to a big paycheck, a fancy house, and lots of consumer goods. So intelligent people may be less likely to pursue these things, causing people of lesser intelligence to think them unsuccessful.

But ultimately, our success or failure is based on what we want to achieve.

[justabob]

5. there is something to that

Success definitely means different things to different people, as you say. I think there are limits on what is actually achievable, even if a person wants it though. I think the post below also makes a good point about life circumstances being a major factor, particularly money, but also mental issues and other things. Some people can push through horrible things... traumas, poverty, abuse, depression etc and be successful, others cannot, regardless of smarts, effort and desire. Also, not knowing what you want is a huge obstacle for many, including myself. Maybe one *could* be successful if s/he could find a path and start down it, but sometimes it is difficult to the point of being a kind of paralysis. That is pretty much where I am at.

[Locut0s]

10. Indeed this is true...

I was thinking more along the lines of stereotypical social measures of success but I fully agree that you come to realize these things mean so little over time.

[nolabear]

4. I believe in multiple intelligenct theory. We still have far too narrow a view of intelligence.

I score high on standard IQ tests, but I'm skewed way into the verbal and emotional and have a ridiculously low body intelligence, which I think is a genuine kind of smarts and extremely valuable.

I also know that many people are intelligent but have trouble accessing their abilities because of life circumstances. It's not cut and dried by any means.

[Egalitarian Thug]

6. Early morning rescue kick. n/t

[Locut0s]

8. hah lol why thank you!

[a la izquierda]

7. I am a horrible standardized test taker...

And it plagued me in school.i graduated 10th in my class in HS, nearly failed out of college, and now have a PhD.

What is happening to schools is a disaster. Kids don't learn writing and grammar. My 11 year old nephew did not know what the 13 colonies were...

[Locut0s]

9. Yes schools in the west are becoming something of a joke :( ....

I'm frequently startled at what kids coming out of high school don't know these days. Even when I graduated HS 12+ years ago things were bad, and they have only gotten worse. I only learned a lot cause I was naturally inquisitive and read tons of stuff outside of school.

[WinkyDink]

12. Let me tell you, school principals are the true villains here, imposing watered-down curricula and

'feel-good" teaching practices. Class assignments are little more than an Andy Hardy "Hey, kids! Let's put on a SHOW!"

[WinkyDink]

11. My intelligence has meant everything, from my education to my job to my ability to appreciate art,

literature, history, and the sites I've visited all over Western Europe, Morocco, Canada, and the U.S.

It got me onto "Jeopardy."

It has enabled me to grasp the importance of being a Democrat, with Democratic ideals.