BellaOnline Forums Education Gifted Education How do you feel re: "optimal IQ range of 120-145?"

In the book, Parents' Guide to IQ Testing and Gifted Education, by Dr. David Palmer, there is a chapter titled: Is it Good to be Gifted? Optimal IQ and the flipside to Being Gifted.

Dr. Palmer identifies the IQ range 120-145 as being "optimal" saying, "At this level, you'd reap most of the advantages of having enhanced abilities in some areas but might be spared some of the potential downside of being too 'different' from the rest of the world."

What do you think of this?

I've got my own opinion, but I'd like to hear what folks think of this first. Do you agree? Disagree? Both? What are your thoughts and personal experiences?

Let's hear from a lot of you!

Wendy Skinner
St. Louis Park, Minnesota

That's a pretty fascinating quote you have there. And I think I have to agree. I have a 150 IQ and my sister has a 155 IQ. My ex had a 160 IQ and I know a young man who had a 177 IQ. As the numbers go up, so does social awkwardness and a feeling of being different. Each one of us uses well thought-out charm to deal with other people, but I wouldn't say any one of us every feels quite like we "fit in".

I often think if I could just be a little less "quick" and with a little smaller vocabulary, I could "pass" more easily without being singled out as "that smart girl", "the A student" or the "brainiac". On the other hand, I really enjoy my intelligence and know that it has helped me in so many areas of my life.

Very intersting. I wonder what others think...

I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes from Alvin And The Chipmunks: Theodore once said to Alvin, "Gee, Alvin, I wish I had a lower IQ, so, I could enjoy your company." Hee! Hee!

But, seriously, I can say that my kids fall in the over 145 range you're talking about. I suspect my husband does, too. Me, I'm in the optimal range! We all have that "different" feeling but have learned to enjoy other people. On the other hand, none of us are eaten up with a need for tons of social interaction. We'd probably wilt if we were forced to be social for more than a couple of hours at a time! Oh, and the allure of watching team sports completely eludes us all--if that says anything! Is the sports thing true for anyone else?

I used to try to "dumb down" my vocabulary, but I don't worry about it so much anymore. On the other hand, I do use a simpler word if one comes to mind.

My husband is famous for telling us we can learn from anyone--so true. To me, one big thing to learn from interacting with others is empathy. Empathy is a really good basis for a range of social skills, to me. Ultimately, I think, we just have to accept that "different" feeling and let it be part of who we are. Everyone has a cross to bear. It could be worse.

Wendy, what does the author consider "optimal" ? Obviously that is a subjective assessment by the author, so i would like to know what it is before considering a reply to your question.

I also think that empathy is an asset for people of all IQs. It gives us a tie-in to our humanity while lifting up the giver and receiver.

My opinion is that the 120-145 range gives us enough smarts to do most anything; empathy and talent a winning combination for a "full feeling" life.

Thank you Susan! I don't know why people with high IQ's aren't supposed to have the same emotions and feelings as everyone else. I'm going to guess that many high IQ people have parents that struggled socially themselves, and were unable to teach some of these skills properly.

Of course, we could point out that some high IQ people have forms of learning disabilities that make social skills much harder for them. Now that we are learning more and more about learning disabilities we understand that very intelligent people can be dysfunctional when it comes to life skills. (For example, the lawyer on Boston Legal)

But I believe that the original question was more like "can a person with an IQ of 160 have it all?" I guess I would have to answer "unlikely" to that one.

Palmer isn't the first to talk about optimal intelligence. Here's a link to something he wrote on the topic:BellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!

and here is a reference to 125-155 for that optimal range, attributed to Leta Hollingworth. BellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!

I think there are too many variables to paint any group with one brush. There are some people in that "optimal" range that feel very much outside. There are some who are on the upside and have found a comfortable niche.

Personality, environment, and probably other factors that I haven't thought of, have to be part of the equation.

Members of my family are outside the "optimal" gifted range. I wouldn't say that highly gifted people all have poor social skills, but it can be difficult to interact with people who don't know or care about the things that are of interest to the gifted person. It's easy enough to make small talk, but the isolation of not being free to discuss big ideas with people who will understand... that's a tough situation. Fortunately, I think HG+ kids today have a much better shot at meeting others like themselves, through the internet and various gifted organizations.