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  • Did you know that the average IQ varies significantly by profession? Here are the smartest professionals,

  • as demonstrated by the scientific literature. Dr. Jubbal, MedSchoolInsiders.com.

  • This is going to be an interesting video, mostly because of the comments from viewers.

  • Most of you will find this interesting, but a small portion will be deeply offended by

  • the data. After all, the year is 2021 and being offended is one of the most widely practiced

  • sports across hyperwoke social justice warriors eager to virtue signal how truly woke they

  • are. First, what is IQ? IQ stands for Intelligence

  • Quotient, a standardized test with numeric scoring designed to assess human intelligence.

  • The concept of measuring one's IQ arose in the 1910's, by either Wilhelm Stern or Lewis

  • Terman, depending on which source you believe. The population's average is 100 with a standard

  • deviation of 15. This means approximately two thirds of the population scores between

  • 85 and 115, and 2.5% are above 130, and 2.5% are below 70.

  • It's important to note that while IQ tests have a high degree of reliability, meaning

  • you'll score similarly by repeating the test, the validity of the test is limited to the

  • types of intelligence that are necessary to do well in academic work. It does not account

  • for creativity or social intelligence, among other valid and important forms of intelligence.

  • The Simon-Binet IQ Scale classifies scores as the following:

  • Over 140 – Genius or almost genius 120 – 140 – Very superior intelligence

  • 110 – 119 – Superior intelligence 90 – 109 – Average or normal intelligence

  • 80 – 89 – Dullness 70 – 79 – Borderline deficiency in intelligence

  • Under 70 – Feeble-mindedness So how important are IQ scores? When asked

  • his IQ, Stephen Hawking replied, "I have no idea. People who boast about their IQ are

  • losers." Well said, Dr. Hawking. Well said. Here are the professions with the highest

  • average IQ, taken from a variety of sources, including Robert Hauser's "Meritocracy, Cognitive

  • Ability, and the Sources of Occupational Success". At the top of the list, in the low 130's,

  • are either physicians and surgeons, or professors and researchers, depending on the study you

  • look at. The range amongst physicians and surgeons is tightly clustered, whereas the

  • range for professors and researchers is broader. Below that, in the high 120's are lawyers,

  • followed by accountants in the low 120's. Pharmacists average around 120 and nurses

  • in the high 110's. You can find a link to the full list with more professions in the

  • description. So what does this mean? Not much, actually.

  • It appears that, on average, those with higher IQ's gravitate to more intellectually stimulating

  • work. Cue the keyboard warriors enraged in protest that their work isn't as intellectually

  • stimulating as that of a professor or researcher. Curious to know more, I dug further into intelligence,

  • wealth, and happiness. Can you take a guess what I found?

  • Jay Zagorsky from Ohio State University analyzed a sample of 7,500 adults between the ages

  • of 33 and 41. The analysis initially confirmed findings similar to other studies linking

  • higher intelligence with higher income. More specifically, every point increase in IQ was

  • associated with approximately $200-$600 more income per year. For example, someone with

  • an IQ of 130 would earn approximately $12,000 more than someone with an IQ around 100. Not

  • surprisingly, those with higher intelligence scores also had greater wealth, meaning a

  • higher average net worth. But when performing multivariate regression

  • models and controlling for various factors, such as divorce, years spent in school, type

  • of work, and inheritance, there was no link between IQ and net worth.

  • Other studies have found a correlation between IQ and income, meaning those with higher IQs

  • tend to make more money each year. These studies find little correlation between IQ and wealth,

  • however, meaning those in the yacht club aren't on average smarter than those who aren't.

  • I find that data questionable. When you look at some of the wealthiest people in the world,

  • including Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Larry Ellison,

  • Larry Page, and other highly successful entrepreneurs, it's hard to argue they aren't all incredibly

  • intelligent. Their immense wealth and high degree of intelligence would surely skew the

  • data, resulting in something statistically significant. But of course, the data sets

  • we're looking at don't take these individuals into account.

  • What about happiness? Do those with higher IQ tend to be happier than those with lower

  • IQ? In a 2012 review by Veenhoven and Choi, it

  • was concluded that on the micro-level of individuals, there was no correlation between IQ and happiness.

  • But at the macro-level, meaning the average IQ amongst nations, there was a strong positive

  • correlation. The researchers concluded, "together these findings mean that smartness of all

  • pays more than being smarter than others." You would think that smarter people should

  • be happier. There is good evidence that IQ predicts more than just performance in school,

  • but also success at work, health, and longevity. But these positive effects could be offset

  • by negative effects, namely in expectations. As the authors write, "school-smart people

  • could expect more of life and therefore end up equally happy as the less smart, who expect

  • less." They raise other theories too, such as the development of school-intelligence

  • involving opportunity costs, namely less time spent on sports or socializing, which are

  • also important to leading a satisfying life. And why would smarter nations be happier?

  • One possible explanation is that both IQ and happiness depend on shared factors, such as

  • adequate nutrition and health care. If this video sparked curiosity, I'm glad,

  • and I hope you join me here again, so please be sure to hit the like and subscribe buttons.

  • It's unfortunate that as we grow into adulthood, our childlike curiosity is beaten out of us.

  • I find that one of the most rewarding experiences is to get reconnected with that childlike

  • wonder and explore where your curiosity leads you. If this video offended you, examine what

  • meaning you're assigning to the data. And as Mae West famously said, "those who are

  • easily shocked should be shocked more often." If you enjoyed this video, check out my video

  • on the competitiveness of medical school versus law school versus nursing school and other

  • professions, or my video exploring the research on whether money can buy happiness. Much love,

  • and I'll see you guys there.

Did you know that the average IQ varies significantly by profession? Here are the smartest professionals,

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