# what percentage of people THINK they are "above average" in terms of IQ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 18, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569 "2006-01-18T23:20:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/1 "2006-01-18T23:20:02Z")
If made a survey … what percentage of people would believe to be above average (median) in terms of inteligence? (my take would be - more than the 50%) thx alfred ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/2 "2006-01-18T23:35:19Z")
I think it’d be around 50%, or even less. Intelligent people tend to gravitate to jobs and social milieus with people of like intellects. When everyone around you is as smart as you are, you tend to think yourself average. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/3 "2006-01-18T23:40:12Z")
It has been my experience that dumber people tend to think they are smarter than they are and smart people tend to think they are not as bright as they actually are. It seems a sign of intelligence that the smarter you are the more you realize what you do _not_ know. On the other hand not so bright people seem to be absolutely sure of themselves on a variety of topics. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/4 "2006-01-18T23:49:33Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > It has been my experience that dumber people tend to think they are smarter than they are and smart people tend to think they are not as bright as they actually are. > > It seems a sign of intelligence that the smarter you are the more you realize what you do _not_ know. On the other hand not so bright people seem to be absolutely sure of themselves on a variety of topics. Here is a [study](http://www.phule.net/mirrors/unskilled-and-unaware.html) on the subject. It pretty much echos what \*\*Whack-a-Mole \*\* says. It’s an interesting read. (I posted that somewhere else, but I cannot remember where I originally saw it at. It may have been here at SDMB, and if so someone else deserves credit for it) ---
**Author:** ![jawdirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@jawdirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jawdirk)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/5 "2006-01-19T00:04:46Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > It seems a sign of intelligence that the smarter you are the more you realize what you do _not_ know. On the other hand not so bright people seem to be absolutely sure of themselves on a variety of topics. Provocative, but just because you realize how much you don’t know doesn’t mean you think you are below average. Anyway, statistics on this question would be fascinating, but probably misleading. That IQ tests (or any tests) measure “intelligence” is disputable. I would wager a guess that most people’s self opinions are greatly influenced by their results on an IQ test. So pretty much you are left with humble opinions. Personally, I doubt I’ve met many people with below average intelligence. I’d wager that most of the people on this board have above average intelligence. I’d guess that people who have below average intelligence don’t think about questions like whether they are of below or above average intelligence, and if polled, their answers would depend more on self-esteem than intelligence. So a related question would be, is intelligence correlated with self-esteem? It probably is. People with low self-esteem have more difficulty thinking clearly. ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/6 "2006-01-19T00:50:26Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > It seems a sign of intelligence that the smarter you are the more you realize what you do _not_ know. Gimme Crates! How many? 50!!! 50 crates!!! Sorry, I apologize… ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/7 "2006-01-19T01:22:18Z")
Well, I’m usually surrounded by people of lesser intellectual capacity, but that’s because I tend to work menial jobs to prevent my superior intellect from being taken advantage of. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/8 "2006-01-19T01:34:26Z")
Sorry, that last post was actually by me, due to my failure to follow proper logging-off protocols. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/9 "2006-01-19T01:37:09Z")
Bloody hell! it was me!! ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/10 "2006-01-19T01:37:15Z")
> [@jawdirk](#): > > Provocative, but just because you realize how much you don’t know doesn’t mean you think you are below average. I am not saying someone who is intelligent thinks they are below average. I think they generally tend to have a more realistic view of their own intelligence and may be more likely to underestimate themselves a bit (yet still think of themselves as intelligent). ---
**Author:** ![mike1dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mike1dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike1dog)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/11 "2006-01-19T01:47:00Z")
This is also called, at least on Wikepedia, [The Lake Wobegon Effect.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Wobegon_effect) Where all the children are above average. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/12 "2006-01-19T06:21:24Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > I think it’d be around 50%, or even less. Intelligent people tend to gravitate to jobs and social milieus with people of like intellects. When everyone around you is as smart as you are, you tend to think yourself average. Gosh, I think this is wildly wrong. Surely you don’t think 50% of doctors think they have IQs below 100 just because they hang out with doctors? I would guess that at LEAST 85% of people think they’re smarter than average. IQ threads we’ve had on here suggest that most people overestimate their IQ. By a lot. There can’t be that many super-geniuses on one message board. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/13 "2006-01-19T11:59:08Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > IQ threads we’ve had on here suggest that most people overestimate their IQ. By a lot. There can’t be that many super-geniuses on one message board. take into consideration, that the IQ is a **construct** and iirc is also age dependent. It could be fairly easy possible (i would even say _probable_) to find that the median of the IQ of people posting here is way above the median in the general population. same “effect” applies to taking IQ tests in gradschool … you already have a pre-selected sample that is very skewed cheers alfred ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/14 "2006-01-19T12:04:31Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > IQ threads we’ve had on here suggest that most people overestimate their IQ. By a lot. There can’t be that many super-geniuses on one message board. take into consideration, that the IQ is a **construct** and iirc is also age dependent. It could be fairly easy possible (i would even say _probable_) to find that the median of the IQ of people posting here is way above the median in the general population. same “effect” applies to taking IQ tests in gradschool … you already have a pre-selected sample that is very skewed cheers alfred ---
**Author:** ![Kitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Kitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kitt)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/15 "2006-01-19T12:06:23Z")
[QUOTE=Jamaika a jamaikaiaké] Gimme Crates! How many? 50!!! Reminds me of the old saying: “He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool, shun him!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![indecisive1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/41988e/32.png) [@indecisive1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/indecisive1)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/16 "2006-01-19T12:11:21Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Gosh, I think this is wildly wrong. Surely you don’t think 50% of doctors think they have IQs below 100 just because they hang out with doctors? > > I would guess that at LEAST 85% of people think they’re smarter than average. > > IQ threads we’ve had on here suggest that most people overestimate their IQ. By a lot. There can’t be that many super-geniuses on one message board. Speak for yourself, RickJay! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/17 "2006-01-19T17:26:52Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Gosh, I think this is wildly wrong. Surely you don’t think 50% of doctors think they have IQs below 100 just because they hang out with doctors? Did you even read my link? **Spectre of Pithecanthropus** didn’t say anything about doctors thinking that they have IQs below 100. He did hint that they would underestimate their IQ. Since everyone they hang out with is smart, they assume that everyone else is also that smart and would tend to underestimate their own IQ. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/18 "2006-01-19T18:22:48Z")
Also keep in mind that the average (median) IQ score is no longer 100. Due to the [Flynn effect](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect) IQ scores are becoming inflated and not a good measure of human intellect. In addition, more than 50% of people will test out at higher than the median since many of the people on the extreme low end of the bell curve are untestable. I also wonder how many of these people have actually taken IQ tests run by a licensed child or adult psychologist, and aren’t just relying on Internet tests. I took an Internet test a few years ago and got a score of 175. (My real IQ is much lower.) Many people probably think these tests are legit. But I think **mike1dog** ’s link is the best reason for this. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-people-think-they-are-above-average-in-terms-of-iq/340569/19 "2006-01-19T19:16:57Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Gosh, I think this is wildly wrong. Surely you don’t think 50% of doctors think they have IQs below 100 just because they hang out with doctors? > > I would guess that at LEAST 85% of people think they’re smarter than average. > > IQ threads we’ve had on here suggest that most people overestimate their IQ. By a lot. There can’t be that many super-geniuses on one message board. To clarify what others were saying. The smarter they are they more likely they are to accurately assess their own IQ. However, since they work around other very high IQ people they tend to have an inflated view of what the average IQ is. Thus, they may be in the top 5% but would estimate that they are in the top 10%. They recognize that they are smarter than average, just not how much smarter than average.