This is going to be another one of these studies that everyone argues about because they simply do/don’t like the results:
Academics in the UK claim their research shows that men are more intelligent than women.
A study to be published later this year in the British Journal of Psychology says that men are on average five points ahead on IQ tests.
Paul Irwing and Professor Richard Lynn claim the difference grows when the highest IQ levels are considered.
Their research was based on IQ tests given to 80,000 people and a further study of 20,000 students.
Then again, there is always the possibility that Amanda Marcotte was one of the subjects, and she just dragged down the female scores.
I should probably note that I don’t have any opinion on the study, as I haven’t read it. I am sure, however, that people on both sides of this debate will be a hootin’ and a hollerin’, as is always the case with stuff like this. And, I am absolutely convinced that some idiot feminist somewhere (probably Amanda, even) will claim that my linking to this story is proof positive I believe it and that I hate women.
*** Update ***
As predicted, the village idiot delivers:
Boy, it didn’t take long for the gleeful fucktards who pray that science will make them believe they’re smarter than women when anecdotal evidence falls so heavily against them to eat crow today.
Like I said. Dumbest persyn on the Intertrons, and a pathological liar, to boot.
KC
I think dkos has an interesting post respecting this study. But, it is one study. As with any study, until it is critically reviewed or repeated by scholars in the field, acceptance of the results must be taken tentatively at best.
tBone
I printed out a copy of this study and waved it vigorously in my wife’s face, shouting “HA HA HA!! How does it feel to be a genetically inferior cretin??” at the top of my lungs.
As it turned out, that wasn’t a very intelligent thing to do, so I’m starting to doubt the study’s validity.
Matt
As many around the blogosphere have already noted, Lynn’s past statements reek of eugenics, and lead me to question the methodology and motivation of anything he’s associated with.
I wouldn’t automatically dismiss the findings of the study–it’s perfectly possible that biological sex difference could impact performance in life, but Lynn’s pretty suspect.
capelza
Very funny. I laughed so hard it scared my cat. You have given me an idea on how to test this at home. I, too, will print it out and show it to my husband. If he is truly that smart he will immediately refute the findings. :P
Shygetz
Questioning a person’s motivations is not a good reason to dismiss a study–questioning a person’s methodology is. I’m not a social scientist, so I won’t comment on the methodology of the study, but I will say this:
Higher IQ does not equal smarter
IQ tests measure only one quantity with great accuracy–how well you do on IQ tests. It shows some correlation with a person’s ability to do certain mental tasks, but it is not a 1:1 certainty, and 5 IQ points is not something to cry home about.
My wife is a social scientist, so I’ll ask her what she thinks about this study. Although, according to this study, she may be too stupid to understand it. Doh!
Defense Guy
tBone
In an attempt to lend more weight to the study, I plan on learning from your mistake and shelving my similiar original idea.
tBone
“Honey, does this study make me look stupid?”
Shinobi
Gee, my IQ is so low I can’t figure out how to get all these heavy boxes from my old house to my new one, are there any big strong men that could help me? I’m just so dumb.
sean
apparently the did not include Jessica Simpson. her mother told Vanity Fair she has an IQ of 160.
Otto Man
I think she meant Jessica scored a 60 on one IQ test. The other tests were much lower.
Mike S
I’m going the other direction. “Check out this rediculous study.” That should give me some points for any future comments that piss her off.
Of course the “future points” thing has never been successfull before.
tBone
That would be an interesting study – correlate long-term memory storage in women with the degree to which a particular event pissed them off/pleased them.
Then you could do a study with men to see if there’s a correlation between retention of arcane trivia (relating to sports, cars, guns, or “That one time DJ got totally wasted and we drew dirty pictures on his face in permanent marker”) and forgetting to put the toilet seat down.
Gary Farber
“everyone”
I do not think this word means what you think it means.
Mike S
That would be a tough one. My wife gets pissed at me all day if she has a dream that I have done something wrong. Even she knows how rediculous that is but that doesn’t stop her.
salvage
Intelligence can’t even be accurately defined how can it be measured? IQ tests give a sliver of an insight sure but that’d be like weighing someone’s left shin bone and from that figure alone declaring them to be over/under weight.
This study (and any other than hang on IQ scores) is not enough to declare any findings beyond men seem to do slightly better on IQ tests in that region.
Katherine
I’m not a huge fan of Marcotte, but that was pretty dickish.
Standardized tests are not especially reliable measures of intelligence. We use them because they give you a number to deal with, based on the answers to the same questions–we don’t have a better way. But even if they’ve done the IQ tests as scrupulously as possible, it flatly does not prove that men are more intelligent than women.
I think that “Ask Marilyn” lady in PARADE magazine scored higher on IQ tests than Albert Einstein. Case closed.
And I have a freakish ability to take standarized tests well, so my ego does not ride on them not being accurate measures of intelligence.
tBone
Well, obviously. Your super-intelligent male brain is sending out thought vibes during sleep and influencing the dreams in her weaker female mind, so it’s your fault.
(I kid, I kid . . . )
Defense Guy
In my newly married opinion, it is wise to accept responsibility for everything and then show due dilligance at avoiding any sort of punishment or learning.
Mike S
Eurica! That explains a lot.
The makings of a long and somewhat happy marriage.
ppGaz
Hey, Congrats! To you, and Mister Defense Guy, too.
(Sorry, I had to. But only because you argue like a woman. No offense, eh?)
tBone
Yep. By learning the Yes-Dear principle, you’ve done all the learning you need to do.
ppGaz
Unless “dear” ever asks a direct question. If that happens, DG could be in for a long weekend.
Mike S
I forgot to congratulate Defence Guy. I don’t know how long “newly married” entails but I have to say these have been the best six years of my life. I hope you don’t miss all of the stuff you had to throw away. If you are anything like me you only have a picture or two and your entertainment center.
tBone
Do milk crates count as an entertainment center? Man I was pissed when she made me throw those away.
Oh, and ditto on the congratulations Defense Guy.
Lauren
For what it’s worth, the comment thread on this post is belly-laugh inducing.
Amanda Marcotte
Damn, getting bested by a girl really pisses you off, doesn’t it? Do you have to be rocked to sleep every night while muttering, “But boys are better, boys are better, everyone thinks boys are better.”
Geek, Esq.
Case also closed on the value of IQ tests. Higher IQ than Einstein, and she writes for Parade?
Makes you wonder what kind of superhuman intellects write for People.
John Cole
Marilyn vos Savant, and I read her every week. These people aren’t as impressed with her as I am, though. I thnk she is a genius.
TallDave
The second part has been accepted for a while I think. Men have more outliers on intelligence.
Interestingly, another study found scientists do their best work in their 30s, and that the primary reason was to impress women. The study did not say why they thought science would impress women.
ppGaz
No matter how many people bitched at her, she was right about that Monty Hall game show thing. A few of us tested her hypothesis (about 15 years ago) and found that her analysis exactly predicted our results.
Amanda Marcotte
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being pissed, you sexist twit. It’s only in your mind that the emotion of anger is damning to a woman’s entire being. That said, I’m not angry. This entire thing was silly to begin with, your hang-up with me is peculiar but amusing, and your simpering attempt to distance yourself from Lynn is awesome in its weakness. A real man would come out swinging and not give a shit that he was caught being willing to believe the exact same theory as long as it was sexist and not racist. Damn the torpedos! Declare yourself the genetic superior to everyone! Fuck it all, you’re a blogger! It’s not like anyone gives a damn what we bloggers have to say.
Amanda Marcotte
Honestly, if you’re so excited about pissing people off, why waste your time on this stuff that’s fashionable to accept? If you really want to tee people, be a racist. It’s got a lot more mileage than garden variety sexism.
TallDave
I see John has been proved right.
Of course, predicting angry rhetoric in the comments on a study like this is a bit like predicting rain in Seattle.
My opinion, if anyone cares: Intelligence tests primarily test the ability to take intelligence tests. A five-point difference probably doesn’t mean much, if anything. Jared Diamond pointed out some excellent examples of why this is the case in Guns, Germs, and Steel.
Mandos
“I see John has been proved right.
Of course, predicting angry rhetoric in the comments on a study like this is a bit like predicting rain in Seattle.”
wow TailDave I didn’t know you got brownie points for trying to annoy people by predicting they’d be annoyed…
tBone
Can we get some clarification here? Are we all gleeful fucktards, or just John? Because I don’t want to go around bragging about my new status unless I really earned it.
ppGaz
The Committee meets every quarter and will consider your request.
The good news for you, Dave, is that I don’t serve on the Committee.
:-)
Katherine
Oh please John. If you gratuitously insult someone based on a fight you had weeks ago don’t be surprised when she insults you right back. I hope you’re this ornery with male bloggers too.
MM
Katherine
John rips into both sexes and both parties when he disagrees. Yes he took a shot at Amanda, but I’ve seen him shoot at other, more penile bloggers as well.
I just assume he’s setting up for Friday Night Blogger Fights, where he and Amanda square off in the Arena of their choosing while DougJ and his “coworkers” blame libruhhhhhls.
Besides, we all know it’s hyperbole to call Amanda the dumbest persyn on the Intertrons. After all, “Kaye” Grogan is still alive and kicking.
Jeff T.
Oh please John. If you gratuitously insult someone based on a fight you had weeks ago don’t be surprised when she insults you right back. I hope you’re this ornery with male bloggers too.
Oh, how sweet. One mindless skank tries to defend another. Give it a rest. L’il ol’ Texas gal Amanda is merely a man-hating piece of shit.
Veeshir
John didn’t predict that she would be upset, he predicted that she would say that since he linked to the study that means he believes it. That’s not quite the same thing. And she delivered not once but twice.
That’s funny.
jayanne
“The second part has been accepted for a while I think. Men have more outliers on intelligence.”
(On IQ tests!) yes. The Lynn and Irwing study is a bit unusual in claiming also that men’s mean intelligence is higher. It’s a meta-study, I don’t know how they selected the studies they’ve aggregated.
Lynn has an agenda. Paul Irwing, who seems to be a protege of his, may not. He isn’t any kind of expert in this field and I have a feeling he is not very, uh, intelligent.
and what Katharine said except
“And I have a freakish ability to take standarized tests well,”
I have a freakish ability to score very differently on different tests…
Amanda
John gets angry at men and that proves he’s not sexist? Does he do so by arguing that anger in and of itself is unbecoming of men? Since that would, you know, make him an enormous hypocrite. Not that this post isn’t a stellar example of that if you witness the adorable backpedaling the second he found out the same type of evidence that was used to prove something he wants to hears–womenz is born dumb–was used in the past to “prove” something he doesn’t want to be associated with, which is the racist version of the same argument.
Another Jeff
I used to go to Pandagon quite a bit, but now that Ezra is gone, it’s unreadable.
Jesse is way too in love with himself, and Amanda is even worse.
Defense Guy
Mike S
At the time of the writing of that comment it had been 6 days. Freshly minted might be more accurate. Thanks.
carpeicthus
Jeff T.: To be polite, fuck off and die. If that Katherine is the one I’m thinking of, she’s about a billion times more intelligent than you present yourself to be. Moreover, though I’m not Amanda’s biggest fan, she has a point. Publicly insulting someone and then predicting they’ll respond doesn’t really take Nostradamus.
John Cole
Actually- the only person I insulted was Amanda. I also predicted that people on both sides of the aisles, who do or do not like the results of this test, will then be screaming about it.
Will there be some knuckleheads who think this is proof men are ‘smarter.’ Sure. Will there be some knuckleheads who attack the others simply because they don’t like the results? You betcha.
And will some idiot feminist claim that just because I linked to this story, I believe it and that I hate women?
You have already seen the results to that question, haven’t you?
Personally, until I read the study, I will stick to the opinion that the only thing iq tests are good at measuring is IQ, which is not the same thing as ‘intelligence.’
scs
If that study is true, then why is it so hard to find a smart guy out there? Where are they all hiding? Probably in Sillicon Valley. I think the problem is, is that there tends to be a higher correlation with geekiness in guys at higher IQ levels than in girls with the same levels. Someone should do a study on that.
scs
And by the way John Cole, I think you are a little on the chauvinistic side. I just can tell by all your scorn towards feminists, frequently pairing “idiot” with feminist” in your writing and your dislike of strong women like Nancy Grace and Wendy Murphy (who are alos women’s advocates) and your disregard of most women’s issues. But that’s just my opinion.
John Cole
LOL. Yes, my distaste for Nancy Grace is a clear sign I am a chavuvinist…
Bruce From Missouri
Jeez, John…
The way you act towards Amanda makes me wonder if she turned you down for a date, or if she laughed at the size of your pee-pee.
Maybe next you can throw rocks at her.
I have to say, It’s amusing how she seems to be able to make you act like an ass with very little effort on her part.
Very amused,
Bruce
Ilkka Kokkarinen
Amanda: “Damn, getting bested by a girl really pisses you off, doesn’t it? Do you have to be rocked to sleep every night while muttering, “But boys are better, boys are better, everyone thinks boys are better.””
Well, at least John hasn’t yet banned you from posting comments in his site for humorously pointing out silly inconsistencies in his thinking. Some other, more small-minded bloggers might have done something like that.
Amanda
Ilkka, you were banned for turning every single thread, no matter what the topic, into a symposium on why feminists want to force you to fuck a fat girl. As usual, you are free not to fuck a fat girl. I got tired of saying that and I want people to talk about other things that Ilkka’s fear that he may find himself stroking the flesh of a woman one day who can sit down without bruising herself with her own ass cheeks. You really need to start a blog called, “God, I Am Scared Shitless of Fat Women”.
Amanda
That said, I didn’t want to ban you really. I resisted for a long time, until the emails complaining about you got to be a huge pain in the ass. I always liked your novel and flattering argument that I get away with being a feminist because men, who in your world apparently have the final word on whether someone gets to be a feminist, indulge me because of my looks. It was a completely nonsensical argument, of course, but it was different from the usual “you must be bitter because you must be ugly” argument, one which sounds really stupid if you don’t fact check first. And well, it was flattering to have someone hanging out telling me I’m so hot that people will overrule their own belief systems to indulge me. Total bullshit, of course, but I love being flattered.
goonie bird
This is sure to stir up the bunch from NOW or the femianazis SQUAWK SQUAWK
Catsy
Amanda, don’t get me wrong here, because I don’t know you from the next person other than what you’ve posted here. I don’t really read your blog and couldn’t care less what the source of your dispute with John is.
But for the record: while the jab at you in John’s post was childish, you walked right into it by failing to exercise even an elementary level of reading comprehension in responding. Somehow you managed to take an observation that the study in question would “piss everyone off” and twist it into an implication that John is using the test to prove that men are smarter than women. That’s a stretch no amount of yoga could enable me to make.
John’s joke may have been juvenile, but you made yourself the punch line.
Hey, do what you want. I’m not your keeper. Just keep in mind that your public spats with John are just giving him visibility, especially with your new position. But if you just like arguing on the internet, knock yourself out.