TresSugar

Smart and Rich? Scholar Says Poor People Have Lower IQ

LibertySugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 09:00:25 -0700

Dr. Bruce Charlton, an evolutionary English scholar, just submitted a paper that argues that the poor are intellectually mediocre. He claims that:

The UK Government has spent a great deal of time and effort in asserting that universities, especially Oxford and Cambridge, are unfairly excluding people from low social class backgrounds and privileging those from higher social classes. Yet in all this debate a simple and vital fact has been missed: higher social classes have a significantly higher average IQ than lower social classes.

He thinks that top schools are overwhelmingly populated with wealthy students as a result of the working class "meritocracy", not admission prejudice.

Charlton's tone, which seems to suggest that the poor are genetically inferior, is bothersome. Families working hard just to get by may not have the resources or time to foster their children's early education. Should higher education institutions and society in general take steps to correct the educational inequalities between the classes?

Do you see a class bias in IQ testing, or educational practices? Do the admission standards of elite universities exclude equally qualified students from working class families, or are there subconscious systematic factors at play here. Do universities have a responsibility to help those with a disadvantaged upbringing fulfill their potential?

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Higher IQ Equals Better Sperm?

DearSugar — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 07:30:00 -0800

When looking for the right guy, I'm sure you have a list of traits he must possess, such as a good sense of humor, attractive appearance, subtle sensitivity, and an honest heart. A smart guy is a plus, too; intelligence goes a long way in my book, and as it turns out, sharp guys can not only help with your taxes, but they may also help in the baby-making department. Studies show a connection between high IQ and high quality sperm. That means an intelligent man has a higher sperm count, and his sperm are strong, perfectly shaped, and good swimmers. All these characteristics make for one fertile dude, so if you're trying to get pregnant, you might have an easier time with a brainy guy!

Now that's not to say that a non-Harvard graduate has bad sperm. Other factors play into the quality of a man's swimmers, such as exercise, diet, genes, stress level, use of steroids, alcohol consumption, and tobacco and marijuana use. So even if your man isn't well-versed in Shakespeare or can't spell to save his life, he can still father your children - he just may not be able to help them with their geometry homework!

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The Springer IQ Test

GiggleSugar — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 04:00:00 -0700

The Jerry Springer Show is known for its fight-happy guests so it should come as no surprise that the Springer way of testing one's brain power is through a good old-fashioned brawl: no pain, no brain!

R U A No-It-Awll?

GiggleSugar — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 13:45:00 -0800

An IQ test is never funny unless it involves misspelled test questions--as you'll find in this Irish "exam sheet." WTF?! I'm supposed to entrust the evaluation of my intellect to someone responsible for four bogus test questions and a random spelling error? Sure, we're all prone to typos, but if you're not smart enough to run spell check, then don't judge my intelligence, thank you very much. ...I didn't like my score anyway.

Take the test for yourself!

And for answers, read more

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Do You Think You're Emotionally Intelligent?

TresSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

In some ways, this is a trick question, because if you're not emotionally intelligent - defined very broadly as someone "particularly good at establishing positive social relationships with others, and avoiding conflicts, fights, and other social altercations" - you might think you are anyway!

But October is Emotional Intelligence month, and it seemed a good time to remind people, as Emotional Intelligence author Daniel Goleman claims in his book subtitle, that "it can matter more than IQ." We've all known the brilliant boss or friend who had a horrible temper or little ability to empathize and couldn't figure out why, in the case of the boss, no one ever stuck around for long, or, in the case of the friend, people had to break up with them they were so toxic.

Some traits of emotional intelligence?

1. Having the ability to accurately perceive emotions in oneself and others.
2. Using emotions to facilitate thinking.
3. Being able to understand emotional meanings, being sensitive.
4. Being able to manage emotions.

So if you're paranoid everyone's out to get you, or that everything someone says is a perceived slight justifying angry outbursts, but nothing you say or do should bother others . . . you might need a higher EQ. (Some believe this can be worked on, others say it's inborn.)

Test Your Nipple IQ!

DearSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Nipples. Both men and women have them, but they're rarely talked about. Here are some questions that are sure to test what you know about this peculiar body part.

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Take the quiz

A News Study Shows Alcoholics Misread Facial Cues

TresSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:00:00 -0700

They don’t call it getting blotto for nothing.

You’ve probably heard the claim that alcohol kills brain cells. A new study makes this a little more concrete: long-time alcoholics’ brains (even those who are now sober) are not good at recognizing facial expressions. Specifically, their brain’s limbic system (which supports emotion, long-term memory and the ability to smell things) does not register facial expressions of joy, sadness or disappointment as intensely for them.

Making sure that the two test groups were matched in IQ, socioeconomic status and education, researchers showed 15 now-sober alcoholics and 15 nonalcoholics pictures of faces asking, “How intelligent do you think this person is?” The pictures represented a face that was positive, negative or neutral. Using an MRI to check out how the respective groups’ limbic systems were operating, they saw strong activity in the nonalcoholics’ brains in response to the emotion-expressing photos, but for the abstaining alcoholics - it was all the same to them.

Without being able to read a person’s expressions, even the recovering alcoholic (to say nothing of a practicing alcoholic), will have more difficulty with interpersonal situations - with coworkers, significant others and family members. They may misread what's happening and overreact or underreact. All this may cause more strife for them, which could lead to more drinking. What researchers aren’t clear about it is which came first - emotional insensitivity and hence alcoholism, or alcohol-induced emotional insensitivity?

10 Lefty Ladies

TresSugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Since today is officially Left-Handers' Day, I decided to dig up a list of famous women who belong to the lefty minority. My research led me to some pretty awesome people and I must admit that I'm feeling pretty left out for being a righty.

The disproportionate amount of awesome lefties might not be a coincidence. Studies have found that there are more left-handed people with IQs over 140 (that's genius material). This might explain why there are more lefties in the creative professions and why so many past American presidents were left-hand dominant, including recent presidents like Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. To celebrated Left-Handers' Day 2009, let's take a look at 10 lefty ladies!

View Slideshow ›

eBay Find of the Day: Advice From a Teen Genius

GiggleSugar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:28:47 -0800

Who needs friends, Dr. Phil, or Dear Abby when you can get advice from a teen genius? This handsome fellow will answer the winning bidder's five questions, as he says, "truthfully and to the best of my knowledge." Answers will be given to such burning inquiries as "how to make something, good sweet tea, pumpkin pie, amazing omelet . . ." But his teen genius doesn't stop there. He claims he can also tell you when he thinks you'll die and why. (Eek!) I didn't know that "a proven IQ of 165 which is considered a superior genius" gave you insight into the beyond. You learn something every day. Thanks, Teen Genius!

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Are You There God? Bill Maher Sells Doubt in Religulous

CitizenSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:00:06 -0700

A wordplay on ridiculous, Bill Maher's new docu-comedy Religulous found its calling this weekend when it opened across the country. It grossed a modest $3.5 million and ranked number 10 at the box office, but I suspect many people will have an opinion regardless of whether they see it.

Directed by Larry Charles of Borat and Curb Your Enthusiasm, Religulous will remind you of everyone's favorite Kazakhstani roaming around America, exposing isms and making enemies. It adopts the same wanderlust quality and lets Maher loose in the US, Europe, and Middle East to humiliate unsuspecting people.

I decided to check out the movie this weekend so I could report back to you today. To find out what I thought, read more.

I keep hearing that Maher can't expect to appeal to religious people by belittling them, but I don't think that's his goal. He's not talking to them. He's talking to the 16 percent of Americans that consider themselves nonreligious - challenging them to talk openly about doubt.

In the doc, Maher interviews Christians, Jews, and Muslims, most of whom are easy targets for comedy. Here are a few that stood out.

Senator Mark Pryor (AK-D): This senator may never live down saying, "You don't need to pass an IQ test to be in the Senate." Guess not!
José Luis de Jesús Miranda (Messiah in Miami): José believes Jesus's lineage moved through Europe until it reached Spain and then made the voyage to Puerto Rico, where he was born. People should follow him over Jesus, he says, because Jesus was Jewish and he is Christian.
Roman Catholic Priest (Vatican): I could have watched this man for the whole movie. He laughs. And laughs. And genuinely seems amused by illogical teachings and contradictions in the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, Maher does not dig enough to learn how he rationalizes the two. The priest does leave us these words: People are going to believe what they want, and then they'll die. Amen.

I wish we heard more from the skeptical devout like the Vatican priest. In fact, I had hoped Maher would interview Stephen Colbert (real-life Stephen, though fake would do). Colbert's a practicing Catholic (he even teaches Sunday School) who would appreciate the irreverent humor and, unlike most of Maher's victims, be savvy enough to keep up. But when it was over, I was really only fixated on one fact. Did you know there's a theme park in Orlando called The Holy Land? There you can experience the "wonder of ancient Israel."

Did anyone else see it? Who's going? Who would you like to see Bill Maher interview?

Photos courtesy of Lionsgate