Do scientists have high IQ's?

Question

Such as Stephen Hawking, Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton etc.
I know IQ tests aren't much to go on as intelligence cannot necessarily be measured like that but I was just curious really.

Is it that they would score extremely high on an IQ test (hard to know as Einstein and Hawking have apparently never been tested, and it's fairly obvious why Newton never was lol!) or is it simply that their intelligence level is nothing over the scale and it's more to do with the way they look at the world around them and make use of the brain power they do have?

As I said just curious.... please don't get all silly on me by posting ridiculously high IQ's on here!

Uh scientists don't make IQ tests. They were originally invented by Alfred Binet, a psychologist

Answer 1

the men you mentioned, i assume so. but i am not sure for most.

Answer 2

I would feel confident that history's greatest scientists would have had above average IQs (if modern IQ testing had existed when they were alive), but not necessarily EXTREMELY high. I think the law of diminishing returns applies to intelligence just as it does to so many other things. After a certain point, being a little bit smarter isn't going to give a person must real advantage in life. On the other hand, scientists of Newton and Einstein's level are very rare, so maybe they did have that little bit of intellectual advantage over their "merely" above-average peers.

Of course, there are factors that IQ testing cannot measure, like curiosity and determination, that would be necessary for someone to become a ground-breaking scientist. And a potential great scientist must have the opportunity to actually study science.

Yet IQ tests do measure many characteristics that a good scientist would need, such as the ability to recognize patterns, solve logic problems, and put events into a sequence based on cause and effect. History's great scientists must also have possessed decent communication skills, or they wouldn't have been able to share their ideas with the world. Given what we know of Newton and Einstein, they probably would have done quite well on a modern IQ test.

PS: Psychologists ARE scientists too.

Answer 3

Most scientifically-minded people I've known have all scored extremely high on various tests designed to measure one's alleged "Intelligence Quotient." However, there's a marked difference between brain-fu and common sense. And sadly, many with advanced cognitive faculties can be so woefully "socially dyslexic" when it comes to dealing with "normals."

Answer 4

Your question prompted me to search the web a bit to see what I could find on this subject. Here's one example of what I found -- a simple table that supports the notion that scientists tend to have higher IQs: http://www.audiblox2000.com/learning_disabilities/occupation.htm

Answer 5

Yes, they generally do, but then they lack in other mentality areas. The "absent minded professor" image is not a joke. They generally are not practically minded but their brains are preoccupied with all that theoretical stuff they forget to put the bin out, even forget to eat or sleep.

Answer 6

Because they make up the IQ tests.

Answer 7

brilliant minds,,

Answer 8

We do okay.