The only thing we’ve really learned about the “average American” here is… they’re maybe a bit too confident.
A new poll asked people how they think their own intelligence compares to other people’s, and the results are pure statistical comedy.
Just 6% of people think they have a below-average I.Q.
Which is… not how averages work. Statistically speaking, half of any group are below average, and half are above. (Or, maybe more like 49.9% on either side to account for those Average Joes who really do land smack dab in the middle.)
We’re much more likely to think we’re “about average”
39% think they’re right around average, which might be true depending on how you define it. The average I.Q. is (by design) exactly 100, and just over two-thirds of us fall somewhere between 85 and 115. So if you want to include anything in that window as “average,” hey… whatever helps you sleep at night.
We’re even more likely to think we have a high I.Q.
A whopping 46% think they’re smarter than most folks – including 8% who said way above average… presumably while nodding smugly after they got that one “Jeopardy” question right. (Sure, yeah, you’re a genius… the category was “Pop Culture.”)
Another 10% of respondents didn’t even take a guess. They went with “not sure,” which might be the most self-aware response of the bunch.
Why such hubris?
So what’s going on here? Are Americans wildly overconfident? Or is it that we just have a seriously bleak view of the “average American”? If you think you’re the smartest person in the room, is it because you think everyone else is a few fries short of a Happy Meal?
Regardless, one thing’s clear: I.Q. tests may measure intelligence… but they don’t measure humility.
