Deep down, how impressed would you be if I told you I was a member of MENSA?

Question

I'm not, of course - but I'm interested in people's perceptions of this.

I met someone the other day who is, and I did look at them in a different way, in spite of myself.

Answer 1

I am, honestly. I do well in tests. Analytical brain you see. Being a member has done me p.iss all good in the real world, although it looks good on your C.V.

Answer 2

I personally do not find it to be that impressive the reason being that you can be a member of Mensa but still work in a dead end, low paid job. I'm more impressed by people who are for example Neuro Surgeons or QC's or people with complexed Doctorates who may not necessarily be members of Mensa.
P.S I was meant to join Mensa when I was 17 years old.. I was tested by an educational psychologist but didn't join,as I knew that I would not fit in. I am so glad that i didn't join as I truly believe that a high IQ is not necessarily indicative of intelligence and these tests can also be manipulated in so far as you can improve each time you take them.
Carol Voderman had a high IQ, is a member of MENSA but got a THIRD CLASS maths [I think it was] degree from Oxbridge!!!

Answer 3

Depends. If someone joins Mensa strictly to access a denser pool of intellectual stimulation, then there may be some merit in that. But if they join Mensa primarily to satisfy themselves that they're in the intellectual elite... then their emotional/psychological challenges probably outweigh their intellectual prowess.

In order to qualify for Mensa you have to meet one standard: A raw IQ score. You have to grasp mathematical relationships (even if they don't always appear to be mathematical, they are). But meeting or surpassing that standard has little relationship with the proper use or applications of intelligence. In fact, it's often to the contrary. People of exceptional intelligence are often most impaired socially and personally.

To whom much is given, much is required. The more we know, the more see... the more we have to process and integrate into all the other aspects of our lives. That can be an incredibly daunting task.

Answer 4

I'd be impressed, but secretly, I think I could be a member of MENSA, so I wouldn't be too impressed.
Life is more than IQ scores. I've met some really smart people who were idiots when it came to actually functioning in society.

Answer 5

Haha it depends! I think generally I would be impressed by a member of Mensa but if I knew them well enough to think they were a complete xxxx then it wouldn't impress me at all.
There's a girl at work who is a complete drama queen (show school girl with fully working jazz hands) who recently mentioned that she was a member of Mensa. I was impressed that she has a high IQ - her social life is still a complete mess though ;-)

Answer 6

i'd tell you to stop showing off, and i'd say that if you you were truly intelligent then you wouldn't have to prove it with some test score. i don't believe you can judge a person's intellectual ability on an IQ test - people with high IQs are there because they're good at IQ tests, not necessarily because they're intelligent. i find the whole concept inane - that you can sit someone down, give them a short test and categorically say who's more intelligent than who. the man who created the IQ test didn't have them with this purpose in mind - they were merely a guider, and were used on young children. another problem is that IQ tests don't in any way promote thinking 'outside of the box' - there's plenty of questions on logic and maths - but what else? i've met a few show-off types who've declared their high IQ to me, and it turns out they're not actually very good at generating intelligent or original ideas in their own heads; they're usually just good at logic etc. and just re-hash other people's opinions when it comes to more devisive issues. and joining MENSA is just so..... self-indulgent....sitting around in their little cliques or using it as a way of showing off - urgh.

(i last scored 132, just in case you're wondering - not sure if that would get me in to mensa or not)

Answer 7

Impressed? That is kind of like saying, "I have a masters in psychology."
And?

Sure, you are impressed, but limited to the revelance of that fact and how it relates to us.

Sure, there are those who are obviously on a genius scale, but you don't see them talking about it. Some even hide the fact at times.
I have know several people of that calibre and to be honest, that doesn't make the man.
Who the person is determines how I perceive them, or you.

Answer 8

I've met and know so many people that are members of mensa that it just does not impress me at all - as it shouldn't.

Answer 9

Not very MENSA has always seemed like a show off group. My brother passed the MENSA test but didn't want to have to pay to talk to other smart people. I wouldn't either.

Answer 10

I wouldn't be. I have a v. high IQ myself but it doesn't mean I'm better than anyone else, or indeed "smarter." Einstein had trouble remembering his own adress.
I'd probably just think "Oh, cool" and then go on to something else.
After all there are probably a lot of unacknowledged geniuses (genii?) out there who don't belong to MENSA but could qualify. But they may never have heard of it or have had the opportunity.

Answer 11

Sorry, i don't really care in any groups or members... if that person is interesting and can talk not just about cars, sex or home extensions but can represent knowledge in different subjects.. i will be very impressed! But even then ... if it's mathematics all the way or computing..