# What things in your experience are often, but poorly, correlated with intelligence? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 22, 2022, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892 "2022-05-22T19:48:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/41 "2022-05-22T23:23:22Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > I’ve always hate that she would be pretty except for the glasses thing. Come on, are you suggesting that anyone could have guessed that the ugly girl and the beautiful girl in this video are _actually the same person_? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/VuNIsY6JdUw/maxresdefault.jpg "Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuNIsY6JdUw&t=172s) ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/42 "2022-05-22T23:25:38Z")
I’d go for the woman in the red bra, myself. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/43 "2022-05-22T23:50:35Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Actually, there does seem to be some evidence of a correlation between intelligence and the need for glasses. I used to wear glasses, then I got my eyes fixed last July and don’t need them anymore. Duz dat meen my intlejence dropt 2? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/44 "2022-05-22T23:58:07Z")
Let’s ask Homer. (Puts on serious glasses with semi-circular shaped lenses). Homer: “Has anyone recently deposited any cheques for $25,000 in our bank account”? Marge: “No”. Homer: (takes off glasses). “Ahhhhh.” ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/45 "2022-05-23T02:00:43Z")
\*Playing chess . \*Liking classical music, opera, and ballet. \*Being big on NPR and PBS. \*Reading the NYT and _The New Yorker_ . \*_Soi-disant_ “serious fiction”. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/46 "2022-05-23T02:30:06Z")
[![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViEW7wbkjOg) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/47 "2022-05-23T05:05:05Z")
Ham Radio License. Don’t make you smart, but makes you a fucking Nerd. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/48 "2022-05-23T06:30:11Z")
People seem to think medical practitioners are way, way more intelligent and/or scientifically knowledgeable than they usually are. > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Beer is freer from such pretensions. That may have been the case in the past. But with the rise of microbreweries and IPA-sobs and the like, the world of beer is now just as riven with pretension as wine. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/49 "2022-05-23T07:11:14Z")
Peppering your speech with Latin tags and/or poetry quotations. In general, a native English speaker who reads Latin is considered more intelligent than a native Spanish speaker who is fluent in English. Private education proves that your parents could afford the fees, not that you’re smart. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/50 "2022-05-23T08:09:52Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Speaking with a British accent. Goes without saying - we are all 'smart over here… ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/51 "2022-05-23T09:02:18Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > - Calculus is treated like arcane knowledge. I’m sure at least half of students take it. Aren’t you employing extreme selection bias here? Half of the students where? > [@bob\_2](#): > > > [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > > > Speaking with a British accent. > > Goes without saying - we are all 'smart over here… An’ over ‘ere, as well, an’ all. Innit? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/52 "2022-05-23T09:14:58Z")
I don’t know about where you are, but around here a decent red wine is cheaper per ml of alcohol than a decent beer. It’s an image thing. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/53 "2022-05-23T09:29:55Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Beer is freer from such pretensions. The craft beer community would like a word… ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/54 "2022-05-23T10:23:59Z")
Back when John T. Molloy wrote _Dress for Success_, a poll he did said a British accent was positively associated (by Americans) to intelligence and class. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/55 "2022-05-23T10:41:37Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > People seem to think medical practitioners are way, way more intelligent and/or scientifically knowledgeable than they usually are. When I was in grad school for mechanical engineering, I roomed with some medical students. They studied an awful lot, but mostly it seemed like just a shitload of memorization. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/56 "2022-05-23T10:54:41Z")
Doctorin’ is a whole lot more than memorization. But I have a theory, of course: Their brains are so saturated with their medical knowledge - often a very specialized sliver of medicine - that they may not have the capacity to, say, know how to sort a Word document. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/57 "2022-05-23T11:47:01Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > People seem to think medical practitioners are way, way more intelligent and/or scientifically knowledgeable than they usually are. This thread is about things that are wrongly associated with intelligence. I am beyond certain that being a medical practitioner is correlated with higher intelligence. Over-correlated, in popular perception, maybe. But there is no way on earth it is not correlated. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/58 "2022-05-23T11:48:31Z")
For whatever its worth, I trach English, Government, and Economics. People are orders of magnitude more impressed by Economics than the other two. In reality, it’s the easiest and more straightforward subject of the three. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/59 "2022-05-23T11:58:32Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Over-correlated, in popular perception, maybe That’s the entirety of my point. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892/60 "2022-05-23T12:03:17Z")
Assuming that intelligence shows a normal distribution in Canada I’d say that _at least_ 1/3rd of Canadians requiring corrective vision (that is 24% of the total amount of Canadians) have an intelligence below the Canadian average. Probably more. > [@bob\_2](#): > > > [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > > > Speaking with a British accent. > > Goes without saying - we are all 'smart over here… Assuming a normal distribution… aw, never mind. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-in-your-experience-are-often-but-poorly-correlated-with-intelligence/964892.md?page=4)