Episode 20 - William Sidis & Intelligence
Geniuses have it made, right? With enough smarts, you can just sit back, relax, and get paid to ponder life’s big problems. Well, as our research shows, that’s not exactly the case.
If TV shows about geniuses like Sherlock Holmes, Big Bang Theory, and House are telling the truth, then having hyper-intelligence is like having a hack for life. All you have to do is make clever references, solve other people’s problems, and cash your check at the end of the day. So that’s what today’s podcast is all about; hyper intelligence, and the myths surrounding it. How much of a life-hack is genius intelligence, really? Do people with genius-level IQ make more money throughout their lifetime? Do they worry as much as the rest of us? And is it easier for geniuses to score a date compared to us dummies? We’ll also look at a hyper-intelligent man named William Sidis, who might have been the smartest, and most miserable person of his generation.
History Links:
https://www.npr.org/2011/01/23/132737060/meet-william-james-sidis-the-smartest-guy-ever#:~:text=Born%20in%20Boston%20in%201898,Times%20before%20he%20was%202.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James_Sidis
https://www.sidis.net/TransfersContents.htm
Science Links:
https://www.mensa.org/mensa/about-us
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bad-news-for-the-highly-intelligent/
https://hbr.org/2015/08/research-technology-is-only-making-social-skills-more-important
https://www.forbes.com/sites/vanessamcgrady/2018/02/23/social/#65a5be9e108c