Why do people with high IQ still make stupid choices in life?

[Filthy_Immigrant]

I'm well aware that no matter how smart we are we are still imperfect human beings in the end of the day and we are all prone to make mistakes. however there are and have been lots of people in life with high ass IQ who still make stupid choices in life. one of them from my point of view is that pornstar Asia Carrera...

this is gotta be the most ridiculous thing anyone can do to themselves. she once said in a documentary that the reason why she became a pornstar was because her mom was a "tiger mother". to me this is still no excuse, with such a high IQ and talent I myself would no doubt chosen a career that makes decent amount of money and probably use that money to open up my own swingers club or go to fancy bars and meet people to have better discreet sex with

instead she chose to degrade herself to the world just to have being right infront of a camera fake, scripted, unconfortable and most of all unsatisfying sex with strangers who probably didn't even respect her or had any feelings for her as human for the world to see. I also wonder if her kids today think any highly of her

of course this does not beat the one and only Ted Kaczynski aka the Unibomber.

this guy literally had an even higher IQ. he became a math professor at Harvard University at the age of 25, literally the youngest professor in history. but instead of keeping up his legacy he decided to quit his professional life to go live and hide in the woods to become one of the biggest homeland terrorist in America. from 1978 all the way till 1995 while hiding in those woods away from society he sended bombs via mails to random people causing the death of 3 innocent lifes, injuring 23 others and causing massive property damages.

till then I always wondered why do people with such high IQ can still be prone to making stupid decisions in their life. does having a high IQ really make you smarter?

[Effably]

You could have sent this question to a hithly acclaimed professor. You could likely walk in on any lecture with the foremost professionals in the world and get their very qualified response.

Instead you asked it on Gag. You won't get anything definitive. It would be surprising if ant response inspires you. Some might be outright questionable.

It is not that you lack the ability to think of a better approach. You have other reasons I am sure. Boredom. Laziness. Ease of access. Might not be something that makes you want to apply yourself. Satisficing - asking here is good enough even if it isn't the best choice.

We could of course get into how high IQ really only says people are good at IQ tests but even if we make it synonymous with lived intelligence and smarts, it absolutely does not mean people will apply it. Traits like being thoughtful and disciplined will go further than IQ.

Aaaand as for your example? Not sure I agree at all. If you could tap into something like the OF market. Make a solid 30 000$ a month. That would, to many, beat a good education and a good, ordinary, 5000$ a month profession. When we also factor in disposable income rather than just income it is likely that every month will net you not half a year but closer to a full year's results in resources. That means you can completely tap out after a year or two ane live very well. Never working again. Seems smart enough to me.

[Filthy_Immigrant]

indeed it was under the name of boredom. if I could ask it in a better place I would.

[Effably]

It is a measure of a standardised type of test that is meant to reflect reasoning ability. Yes, that does not meant it is a direct measure of intelligence so much as that it strives to reflect it. We do not have any accurate means of measuring intelligence today, IQ is one of our best tools but no one in their right mind would claim it actually does its job.

By the simple virtue of IQ tests being very easy to study for they are largely invalid today for anything but joining your niche book club. Which is what I used my own for, by the way.

It is not directly representative of our intelligence. But you are right that it is indicative of ability and that in general people with high IQ do better in most facets of life. While I don't really think this would change that, it is worth remembering when you make historical claims that most high IQ people in history did not take any IQ tests and their attributed IQ is often just based on one fan study. Confirmation bias is an easy slope to slip into. But I do think IQ is relevant, just not particularly important apart from broad strokes.

[RespectfulGuy]

I'll share my opinion without taking into account the persons mentioned in your Description, and many comments that are good.

Strictly answering "Why do people with high IQ still make stupid choices in life?"

Because there's a difference between Intelligence and Wisdom.

Enough had been written by OP and others what intelligence is: the ability to think logically, to analyse and solve problems related to academics like science, technology and engineering.

Wisdom on the other hand has to do with life, and how to live it.

For example, being loving, compassionate, kind and unselfish.

Sometimes it goes against logic, like why love when the Recipient is obviously not deserving?

Or, what's the use of being honest when doing so may land you in prison or a fine?

But that's wisdom: it gives a good conscience.

And being principled builds trusts, true friendship, and foster stronger bonds among people.

This is what makes life special.

How good when one can look up the heavens and declare "take me, for I've done my part in earth with a good conscience".

And this the difference between IO and wisdom, which answers your question plain and straight.

[ShesRad80]

Because IQ (intelligence quotient) is the measure of intelligence, does not mean how smart they actually are.

IQ tests are of cognitive abilities, brain skills- like perception, memory, attention. IQ tests do not test for creativity, common sense, emotional intelligence and they are just as important. In the end reason, logic, mindset, emotional intelligence, common sense abilities, we are human with different feelings, emotions, trigger points, that's where other things not in the IQ test come in as very important.

[marrk]

Really intelligent people tend to be a bit more…eccentric. The case with the unibomber is obvious. I think Asia’s does come down to psychology and kinda giving her Tiger Mom a big “F U”. It’s not about being a porn star to get sexual gratification, but to make her mother upset with her life decisions. Pretty smart if you think about it. (In regards to revenge, not how we* measure success).

[Filthy_Immigrant]

oh well. not saying I disagree with you but that's kinda crazy to ruin your own image just to give your parents that FU

[marrk]

I definitely agree. Like I said…eccentric…

[OlderAndWiser]

Many of the decisions we make in life are made on the basis of feelings, not intellectual decisions.

[zagor]

@reyega66777 No that is true of most people. Just because someone is intelligent doesn't mean that logic permeates all their decisions. If you aren't aware of that then you are stupid.

[Adaeva]

@OlderAndWiser that is very true. They act on impulses without taking time to consider if the outcome may not be desirable.

[Apple1996]

Smart people don't have much common sense/street smarts so they don't navigate real life that well

[BlackBeauty90]

Obviously you've never met the garage engineer, not only are they street smart but they're actually intellectual and make you look like an imbecile. What when the two people that he mentioned are only minor examples in both of them had psychological trauma in their youth so it had nothing to do with their intelligence they could have been retarded and still done what they did

[BCRanger10]

Because we can still be swayed and overcome by our passions. We can still be manipulated and succumb to temptations.

In the case of this Asia Carrera person for example, you say it's no excuse that her mother was a "tiger mom". Ultimately, I agree with you; the buck still stops with her and she still made the wrong decisions. However, her upbringing still plays a role. I look at what you wrote here and my first thought is that she didn't want to be an Ivy League super-genius by 15, resented her mother for raising her as she did, and chose the path that she did as an F-YOU.

In the case of Ted Kacynski, he rejected the increasing influence of technology in daily life. It does sometimes happen that someone goes to the opposite extreme of a lifestyle they once lived. They don't know how to find the appropriate balance and they don't trust themselves to find it. Or ultimately, they want to send a message about something.

In short, a tool is only as good as the person using it. The same applies for things like intelligence.

[Freiburger]

IQ tests test for "intelligence" in a few narrow areas. They do not test if someone is an emotionally healthy or moral person. A person with an IQ north of 150 could be highly dysfunctional for other reasons - nihilism, depression, emotional dysregulation etc. It is a bit of a stereotype, but some of the smartest people I know went through a period of dysfunctionality/risk seeking behavior - drugs, promiscuity, "living on the edge" by stealing food out of supermarket bins etc. A more mundane example is a friend from college who spent so much time reading law books that he almost failed his liberal arts degree. When advised to change courses he refused - too much paperwork and "degrees are bullshit man". He was smart enough to see the system's obvious contradictions and arbitrary rules, but lacked the emotional maturity to come to terms with it.

Regarding Ms Carrera, I hadn't heard of her before today but it sounds like she had an extremely successful career in the adult film industry. Female pornographic actors usually don't stay in the industry for longer than 6 months, so it's possible that her IQ was a factor in her relative success. I wouldn't worry about her too much - she has fame (and the brains to use it), money and a daughter who is a child prodigy. Not bad going for a 50 year old.

[OddBeMe]

There is actually links of high intelligence and mental disorders. The first chick above, sounds like she just likes sex and the industry. By your info, it seems she literally could have her pick at any job. So good for her.

Unabomber, obvious psychopath with delusions of grandeur. BUT his thesis that was published and got him arrested was received well by academics, if not counting for poor writing and misspellings. Poor Kasinski just had a rusty typewriter. Lol

[Filthy_Immigrant]

for once I agree with you on something

[OddBeMe]

Hey always a first.

Women can choose the sex industry to make money. So many guys get so mad at that. Like the OnlyFans backlash. I don’t get it.

[A_Bell]

Wisdom is intelligence over experience. Intelligence is like a rough gemstone, experience is grit and water, time is the tumbler. In the end, wisdom is the polished stone.

People with intelligence who have not had the life experience to work out the sharp edges fail where those who've put in the work succeed.

[VictorMachiavelli]

Having a high IQ doesn’t safeguard people from mental health issues. Ted Kaczynsky was a paranoid schizophrenic. “Tiger parenting” causes people to rebel against their parents and go nuts with their freedom when they become adults because of the negative impacts of a very strict childhood.

[jennifer_bloom]

I know highly intelligent people with psychopathic traits and I believe it’s because when things come easy, you don’t appreciate them, and throw them away like their worthless. The Harvard guy probably had people kissing his feet for effortless grades he did not have to try to get, so he ends up with a big ego and hating the human race in general.

[Flatmanlewis]

Intelligence is different than wisdom.
Being smart doesn’t mean you have common sense. Having a high IQ doesn’t mean you are not working through your own psychological or emotional baggage.

[exitseven]

Even people who test well on standardized tests can be exposed to incredible amounts of stupidity and it can rub off. If you look at what kids are exposed to in college it isn't hard to understand

[rigmarole]

You should be able to notice the pattern if you are at least of average intelligence... Very smart people understand that the rat race is a scam and they don't want to be part of it.

[rigmarole]

It's the same reason Tesla could of been the world's first billionaire, but he threw it all away to chase his dreams. He ended up homeless living in hotels bankrupt at the end of his life. Currency is all an illusion. It's not what is important in life.

[Filthy_Immigrant]

actually the reason why Tesla ended up the way he did was because he was backstabbed by JP Morgan right before the Wardenclyffe Tower was completed because that's when JP Morgan found out its true purpose. he knew free energy was noneprofitable and would put people like the Rockerfellers out of business

[rigmarole]

Yes because if he wasn't "obsessed" with following his dream he would have still put all his eggs in one basket right... Like I said if you were at least of average intelligence you would see the pattern. You can't seems to comprehend what is going on.

[rigmarole]

So lets go with another example... In 1955 Albert Einstein had a net worth of $65,000. He enjoyed playing his violin, riding his bike, spending time with his family, chasing his ideas and being creative... Again, a genius that chases his interests and enjoyed his time rather than chasing an imaginary money system set up to control people and promote labor that can be taxed...

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

I. Q. doesn't determine someone overall intelligence.

I. Q. exposes someone's level of education from what they been taught and learned through years of schooling.

And lastly, because us humans are sinful and evil dwell within us all to do immoral ish.

[Fireguy17]

Yes, having a high IQ does not automatically guarantee that you have more common sense than God gave a goldfish.

[Dargil]

A highly intelligent person may still lack self discipline and not think through decisions and opinions. That's why (we) Republicans are the Stupid Party. Expedience.

[Filthy_Immigrant]

we are nowhere near as stupid as democrats. if democrats were a little smarter they would feel ashamed for having Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as one of them

[Dargil]

That's true, but their only metrics are unity and winning. They don't think through decisions and opinions, either. It's all about gaining power and money. Democrats from the Olde Dayz like Truman, Kennedy and Mondale were smart Democrats who loved the country but had differing views on how to show it. If I sound like an under cover Democrat, I'm not. I'm just not a stupid Republican.

[Filthy_Immigrant]

I agree with with you and neither am I. but I'll be honest I actually was once a democrat for the fact that I thought all democrats were like Kennedy and Truman and all Republicans were Like the Bushs. but now the table have turn

[Dargil]

It's part of cultural tribalization. Polarization.

[Anemone978]

Lot's of people lack common sense that is the real issue here...

[AmeerX]

I don't know if it's stupid or not. Just not ordinary.
Being intelligent you think of greater good of the people but being clever you just become selfish

[petera1987]

It's because IQ isn't actually a measure of intelligence. The only thing that an IQ test can reveal is how well a person can complete an IQ test.

[sheikalana]

People are human beings regardless of their IQ. They're not Gods they're eventually going to fail and make mistakes in life regardless of how smart they are.

[love_conquers_lust]

You would use your high IQ to open up a swingers club or got fancy bars for discreet sex… “Would” is very much an operative word here.

[Filthy_Immigrant]

if I was that sexually deprived I again would choose those over being a pornstar anyday.

the sex you get from folks in these venues are a lot more satisfying than the sex you would have in porn which is not real sex to begin with.

[love_conquers_lust]

“was”. Another operative word.

[Filthy_Immigrant]

ok, not sure what your argument here is by pointing out "operative words"

[love_conquers_lust]

High IQ people predominantly don’t use their talents to engage in vulgar endeavors. Replace “If I was” with “I am”, then it might make more sense.

[Filthy_Immigrant]

aaah no, I say things the way they should be said. not gonna get poetic for you now

[love_conquers_lust]

Your high IQ tell you that? Takes a high IQ to recognize good poetry.

[Filthy_Immigrant]

nah my common sense did

[love_conquers_lust]

Common sense from a commoner.

[zagor]

She can make a living fucking, how is that not an intelligent decision? Then she can devote the rest of her time to doing whatever she wants.

[Filthy_Immigrant]

dude fucking someone you know and trust in the privacy of your bedroom is nowhere near the same as fucking someone random you did not choose too infront of a gang of people, cameras all over your face with angry directors and producers yelling at you to fuck the way they want you to fuck; this sounds more like a nightmare to me.

and devoting your life to other things or not how the fuck are you gonna live with that burden? no serious woman out there is gonna want you. you are gonna live a toxic life and worst of all your kids are probably gonna think low of you

[zagor]

It is a lot easier for a woman because she can feign arousal. And if you're used to it, it probably isn't that big a deal. And I suspect family disapproval probably isn't a big deal to those who go into that - she was probably getting fucked by her dad as a minor.