Intelligence - Page 18 of 23

What Is A Sapiosexual? Meaning, Definition, Signs

Sapiosexual people find high intelligence particularly attractive, whereas most people rate it below kindness and being understanding.

The definition or meaning of a sapiosexual is a person who finds very high intelligence a sexually attractive trait in others.

While many people appreciate those of above-average intelligence, a sapiosexual prefers people with IQs over 120 and looks for it to the exclusion of other traits and characteristics.

Sapiosexual is a new word and sapiosexuality is claimed by some as a sexual orientation, although it is really a preference that sits alongside all the other sexual preferences.

Sapiosexual meaning and signs

Sapiosexual people focus less on appearances and more on intellectual qualities.

Typical signs of sapiosexuality include:

Sapiosexual people enjoy intellectual conversation about subjects like literature, philosophy or politics.
Being attracted to a potential partner based on their intelligence rather than their appearance.
Sapiosexual people find intellectual connections more important than an emotional connections.
Requiring an intellectual discussion before even thinking about having an intimate relationship.

One-in-ten are sapiosexual

For almost one-in-ten people, researchers have found, high intelligence is particularly arousing.

The results come from a survey of 383 people aged 18 to 35 who were asked what traits they valued in a romantic partner.

They found it a more attractive trait than looks and personality combined.

A sapiosexual is as likely to be a man as a woman and are typically very turned on by high IQs.

The sapiosexual is more likely to endorse statements such as:

“Listening to someone speak very intelligently arouses me sexually.”

…and:

“It would excite me sexually to have an intellectually stimulating conversation with a potential partner.”

Dr Gilles Gignac, the study’s first author, said:

“The emergence of the popular culture notion of a sapiosexual, an individual who finds high levels of intelligence (IQ) the most sexually attractive characteristic in a person, suggests that a high IQ may be a genuinely sexually attractive trait, at least for some people.”

How much intelligence is enough?

The same research found that the most attractive IQ for the majority of people is 120.

An IQ of 120 means that a person is more intelligent than 90 percent of the population.

A higher intelligence than 120, though, started to become less attractive to the majority of people, but not to the sapiosexual, the researchers found.

In ranking the most attractive traits overall, intelligence came behind being kind and understanding and ahead of having an exciting personality and being easy-going.

The study was published in the journal Intelligence (Gignac et al., 2018).

A Sign Of High IQ Better Mental Health And Long Life

It is linked to higher IQ and being 30% less likely to suffer major depression.

People who are intelligent are 30 percent more likely to be short-sighted, research finds.

Intelligent people are also 30 percent less likely to suffer from major depression.

The findings are part of a study looking at the genetic underpinnings of intelligence.

The results come from 300,486 people aged 16 to 102 who had their DNA analysed.

The researchers found 148 different genetic locations were linked to cognitive ability.

Smarter people are also likely to have better mental health, a lower risk of cancer and greater longevity.

In fact, intelligent people are 17 percent more likely to live longer.

Dr Gail Davies, the study’s first author, said:

“This study, the largest genetic study of cognitive function, has identified many genetic differences that contribute to the heritability of thinking skills.

The discovery of shared genetic effects on health outcomes and brain structure provides a foundation for exploring the mechanisms by which these differences influence thinking skills throughout a lifetime.”

The search for connections between genes and intelligence has proved difficult.

Professor Ian Deary, who led the study, explained:

“Less than a decade ago we were searching for genes related to intelligence with about 3,000 participants, and we found almost nothing.

Now with 100 times that number of participants, and with more than 200 scientists working together, we have discovered almost 150 genetic regions that are related to how clever people are.
[…]
One thing we know from these results is that good thinking skills are a part of good health overall.”

The study was published in the journal Nature Communications (Davies et al., 2018).

Are Psychopaths Smart? The Surprising Truth About Their IQ

Psychopaths are not that smart — perhaps even less intelligent than average.

Psychopaths are less intelligent than average, research finds.

Contrary to the common view of the psychopath as a criminal mastermind, they score below par on intelligence tests.

In general, far from being smart, psychopaths tend to do rather poorly in school — they are more interested in sensation-seeking, such as taking drugs.

Perhaps one of the reasons psychopaths appear smart is their confidence in social situations.

Psychopaths can quickly take charge and they also have a superficial charm.

Both factors can lead us into thinking they are also highly intelligent — but not so, it is probably all bluster.

Not so smart psychopaths

The research pulled together the results of 187 different studies including over 9,000 people whose intelligence and psychopathic tendencies were measured.

The study’s authors explain the results:

“The results of the current meta-analysis produced a small, but significant effect size suggesting that individuals who score higher on measures of psychopathic traits tend to score lower on measures of IQ.”

It included potentially smarter psychopaths with successful careers as well as those in prison.

Psychopaths are more likely to be criminals, but many are not.

Psychopaths are generally dishonest, manipulative and lacking in empathy — and also not that smart.

The Hair Colour Linked To High IQ

Which hair colour is linked to higher intelligence?

The stereotype has it that blondes, while having more fun, are not as smart.

However, contrary to the stereotype, blonde women have slightly higher IQs than brunettes, a study finds.

However, the difference is so small as to be statistically insignificant.

Blonde men, meanwhile, have similar IQs to men with other hair colours.

So, blondes are not dumb — whether they are male or female.

The point might seem trivial, but the study’s author, Dr Jay Zagorsky, argues that stereotypes can have real-world implications:

“Research shows that stereotypes often have an impact on hiring, promotions and other social experiences.

This study provides compelling evidence that there shouldn’t be any discrimination against blondes based on their intelligence.”

The conclusions come from a survey of 10,878 white Americans asked about their natural hair colour (Hispanics and African Americans were excluded to eliminate bias).

The results showed the average IQ of blonde-haired women was 103.2, 102.7 for brown hair, 101.2 for red hair and 100.5 for black hair.

However, the differences were so small as to be unlikely to represent a real difference.

Dr Zagorsky said:

“I don’t think you can say with certainty that blondes are smarter than others, but you can definitely say they are not any dumber.”

A factor that could explain blondes having higher IQ is that they also had more books in their homes during childhood, Dr Zagorsky said:

“If blondes have any slight advantage, it may simply be that they were more likely to grow up in homes with more intellectual stimulation.”

While the research may reveal little difference, stereotypes are powerful, Dr Zagorsky writes:

“…humans use a person’s looks as a signal for the person’s personality or productivity.

For example, blonde women are often stereotyped as dumb or incompetent while redheads are seen as people with fiery tempers.

These stereotypes are reinforced in popular culture with the dumb blonde female being a staple of Hollywood movies such as Reese Witherspoon in the “Legally Blonde” series or even Marilyn Monroe in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.”

The study was published in the journal Economics Bulletin (Zagorsky, 2016).