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Curse of the High IQ
Society, by statistical necessity, needs to focus on the majority. It needs to be built and designed for "the average." Society, by moral necessity, also needs to focus on the disadvantaged and disabled. Helping those who cannot help themselves. But while the majority of society's resources, attention, and infrastructure is dedicated to average or below-average intelligent people, little-to-none of it is paid to the abnormally intelligent. And while having a high IQ is an overall net benefit in life, being an statistical intellectual freak is not without its drawbacks. Welcome to the "Curse of the High IQ." Whether you fall asleep during class, constantly ram heads with your boss, can't understand why people watch the Oscars, are an alcoholic, or are accused of having "ADD," having a high IQ can be a maddening experience. What you see as the obvious solution is what the "normies" will fight against tooth and nail. Your D-'s you keep getting in English? Your superior mind being held hostage by the boring and inferior mind of your teacher. And you'd like to start a family? Good luck finding an intellectual-equal for a spouse. And so while the world obsesses with their own problems or (rightly so) the problems of the disadvantaged, no one is paying attention to the problems of the abnormally intelligent. However, that all changes now with "Curse of the High IQ." "Curse of the High IQ" is the first book specifically written for abnormally intelligent people. It identifies and addresses a litany of problems intelligent people face, as well as analyzes them and provides solutions. But more importantly it aims to bring sanity to those who struggle with abnormal intelligence, especially those who are unaware they have it. So if you're constantly at odds with society, are suffering from depression or ennui, can't find any reason or agency in life, or just plain can't find any friends, consider purchasing "Curse of the High IQ." It's guaranteed to make your life a little easier.
154 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 3, 2016
161 people are currently reading
811 people want to read
About the author
Aaron Clarey
28 books169 followersAaron Clarey is an American blogger, author, and financial consultant.
A self-described "asshole", he is known for his critical view of the U.S. system of higher education, as well as his disdain for feminism.
A self-described "asshole", he is known for his critical view of the U.S. system of higher education, as well as his disdain for feminism.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
August 4, 2019
In his book David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, author Malcolm Gladwell describes the Tversky Intelligence Test, named for the revolutionary psychologist Amos Tversky: "The faster you realized Tversky was smarter than you, the smarter you were." Tversky died in 1996, taking with him any further opportunities to administer the IQ test named for him.
After reading Curse of the High IQ , I propose an alternative -- the Clarey Intelligence Test: "The faster you realize Aaron Clarey is an insufferable asshole whose presence should be evaded at all costs, the smarter you are."
Given that Clarey apparently named his business "Asshole Consulting" -- according to the book, those words actually form his consultancy's web address (though I haven't checked it myself) -- he might take a kind of perverse pride in being the standard for such a test. (I suppose one might give him some credit for self-awareness....)
Be that as it may, based on this book, I would say he vastly misunderstands the relative importance, benefits, and challenges of having a high IQ as you navigate life.
I speak from a credible position: my I.Q. ranks in the 99th percentile (on either the Wechsler or the Stanford-Binet scale), and I'm a graduate of a university that consistently ranks among the top 5 in the U.S. My I.Q. alone would qualify me as Clarey's intellectual peer, yet after plowing through this book I'm certain I'd rather never meet the guy, and that there is far more pleasant (and intellectually-stimulating) company to be found among the people Clarey dismisses because they don't share his affliction: an abnormally high I.Q.
The book illustrates the dangers of self-publishing: stylistically, his prose is mundane; the text is sorely in need of a good editor; and the layout suggests the late-1980s word processing skills used by a college student to cheat the margins and line spacing to expand a term paper to the minimum required length.
The book is rife with ill-informed generalizations and poorly drawn conclusions, among them:
• that an abnormally-high I.Q. person can only be intellectually satisfied by other abnormally-high I.Q. people. (As if intelligence, creativity, and innovation were only found in people with I.Q.s over, say, 130, or that there is only one kind of intelligence.)
• no one intelligent goes into fields like psychology, or studies the liberal arts -- the truly intelligent only tackle majors like Economics, Computer Programming, the hard sciences, etc.
• Wyoming is dumb. Clarey actually writes this shit: "If you ever visit, live, or do work in Wyoming you will quickly realize the general population is slower, dumber, and just not as smart as the average population. My experiences there let me to develop the rule of 'The Wyoming Three', where you have to ask people three times to get something done right once." (Again, note the uninspired prose; maybe Clarey is abnormally intelligent, but nothing about his writing skills says so. No one will ever confuse him with Truman Capote re: style & proficiency, in any case.)
I could point out more condescending & dismissive assholery, but I hope you get the point. It's the kind of Ayn Rand claptrap that most (actually intelligent) people eventually recognize for the nonsensical bullshit it is, however enamored they were of it as teenagers or Young Republicans / Libertarians.
The book is a quick read, primarily because it isn't much more than a glorified magazine article (or webpage screed) expanded to (almost) book length. I would have quit reading midway through as it was becoming clear that the return-on-investment (time) would be minimal if I kept reading. But since I can be a bit OCD about finishing books I've started, I read it in its entirety. (My suspicions halfway through reading it were confirmed.) The only upside was that, given that it's such a short book, it didn't take me much time to finish.
I'll grant that Clarey made a few interesting observations, but they're so outnumbered by the volume of the aforementioned ill-considered generalizations and poorly drawn conclusions that I don't recommend anyone take the time to pan for gold here. Consequently, I'd give this book only 1.5 stars if half-stars were possible; as Goodreads doesn't allow them, he benefits from my grudgingly rounding up to 2 stars.
High I.Q. isn't necessarily the curse his title would have you take it for. My guess is that Clarey got ostracized as a kid -- then in high school & college, and ultimately in the workforce -- not because he's abnormally-intelligent, but rather because he's an unlikeable, disdainful shithead. Emotional intelligence is a real thing, and it *can* be learned. Clarey would serve himself well by doing so, instead of rationalizing his failure at it as one of life's "unsolvable problems."
After reading Curse of the High IQ , I propose an alternative -- the Clarey Intelligence Test: "The faster you realize Aaron Clarey is an insufferable asshole whose presence should be evaded at all costs, the smarter you are."
Given that Clarey apparently named his business "Asshole Consulting" -- according to the book, those words actually form his consultancy's web address (though I haven't checked it myself) -- he might take a kind of perverse pride in being the standard for such a test. (I suppose one might give him some credit for self-awareness....)
Be that as it may, based on this book, I would say he vastly misunderstands the relative importance, benefits, and challenges of having a high IQ as you navigate life.
I speak from a credible position: my I.Q. ranks in the 99th percentile (on either the Wechsler or the Stanford-Binet scale), and I'm a graduate of a university that consistently ranks among the top 5 in the U.S. My I.Q. alone would qualify me as Clarey's intellectual peer, yet after plowing through this book I'm certain I'd rather never meet the guy, and that there is far more pleasant (and intellectually-stimulating) company to be found among the people Clarey dismisses because they don't share his affliction: an abnormally high I.Q.
The book illustrates the dangers of self-publishing: stylistically, his prose is mundane; the text is sorely in need of a good editor; and the layout suggests the late-1980s word processing skills used by a college student to cheat the margins and line spacing to expand a term paper to the minimum required length.
The book is rife with ill-informed generalizations and poorly drawn conclusions, among them:
• that an abnormally-high I.Q. person can only be intellectually satisfied by other abnormally-high I.Q. people. (As if intelligence, creativity, and innovation were only found in people with I.Q.s over, say, 130, or that there is only one kind of intelligence.)
• no one intelligent goes into fields like psychology, or studies the liberal arts -- the truly intelligent only tackle majors like Economics, Computer Programming, the hard sciences, etc.
• Wyoming is dumb. Clarey actually writes this shit: "If you ever visit, live, or do work in Wyoming you will quickly realize the general population is slower, dumber, and just not as smart as the average population. My experiences there let me to develop the rule of 'The Wyoming Three', where you have to ask people three times to get something done right once." (Again, note the uninspired prose; maybe Clarey is abnormally intelligent, but nothing about his writing skills says so. No one will ever confuse him with Truman Capote re: style & proficiency, in any case.)
I could point out more condescending & dismissive assholery, but I hope you get the point. It's the kind of Ayn Rand claptrap that most (actually intelligent) people eventually recognize for the nonsensical bullshit it is, however enamored they were of it as teenagers or Young Republicans / Libertarians.
The book is a quick read, primarily because it isn't much more than a glorified magazine article (or webpage screed) expanded to (almost) book length. I would have quit reading midway through as it was becoming clear that the return-on-investment (time) would be minimal if I kept reading. But since I can be a bit OCD about finishing books I've started, I read it in its entirety. (My suspicions halfway through reading it were confirmed.) The only upside was that, given that it's such a short book, it didn't take me much time to finish.
I'll grant that Clarey made a few interesting observations, but they're so outnumbered by the volume of the aforementioned ill-considered generalizations and poorly drawn conclusions that I don't recommend anyone take the time to pan for gold here. Consequently, I'd give this book only 1.5 stars if half-stars were possible; as Goodreads doesn't allow them, he benefits from my grudgingly rounding up to 2 stars.
High I.Q. isn't necessarily the curse his title would have you take it for. My guess is that Clarey got ostracized as a kid -- then in high school & college, and ultimately in the workforce -- not because he's abnormally-intelligent, but rather because he's an unlikeable, disdainful shithead. Emotional intelligence is a real thing, and it *can* be learned. Clarey would serve himself well by doing so, instead of rationalizing his failure at it as one of life's "unsolvable problems."
April 19, 2018
TLDR; Guy who hasn't amounted to much wants to think of himself as a genius really bad, but is glaringly ignorant. Long whiny rant against the world ensues. Oh the irony.
For such a "genius," the writer of this extended blog post comes across as horribly ignorant. He cites absolutely no sources for his chagrins other than the enormous chip on his shoulder. For example, he demeans and attempts to discredit the field of psychology in one breath, only to use Maslow's hierarchy of needs to "prove" his point in the next. He throws in random percentages when talking about "economics," to slander certain segments of the population; which reveal his heavily biased and uninformed political view. As an Economics graduate I was appalled at the fallacies he tried to pass for "Economics." They were nothing more than tired political tropes and dog whistles. All the while exalting what a genius he is and how the world has cheated him.
I had to laugh when he aligned himself by proxy with the "1%," and whined about how the rest of the country wanted a cut of his money; even if the rest of the... book (if you can call it that) was filled to the brim with him sniveling about working in the corporate world and how bothered he was to answer to his bosses. Um... The wealthiest 1% in the United States don't have bosses. They have shareholders. They don't WORK for anybody, they are the OWNERS of the means of production. Over and over again his ignorance of multiple topics and fields shines through. In this case taxation laws, policies, regulations, and apparently entire income groups and the lines between social classes.
He has a fixation with STEM degrees although gathering from his work experience he himself does not have one, and consequently craps on all other majors. He writes as if he speaks for the high IQ community, asserting that they fit the very narrow profile he perscribes, which include things such as using drugs because of boredom (... because "normal" people don't do that...riiiiight).
He is obsessed with the concept of achieving greatness and has a grudge against anyone and anything that supposedly impeded it for him and for high IQ holders everywhere. He has gripes against the school system, Oprah, and even a sandwich server in Wyoming; because it is the world's fault he was not able to achieve "greatness." I'm not kidding. This is no book, and this is no author. It's the continuous rant of a self aggrandizing loser. The guy needs a therapist, there's some serious cognitive dissonance going on. You wouldn't be able to have an intelligent conversation with him without fact checking his every third statement. Insisting he's a genius and belittling the rest of the world make him feel better to the point that he's adopted flawed generalizations and dogmas to fit this world view.
For such a "genius," the writer of this extended blog post comes across as horribly ignorant. He cites absolutely no sources for his chagrins other than the enormous chip on his shoulder. For example, he demeans and attempts to discredit the field of psychology in one breath, only to use Maslow's hierarchy of needs to "prove" his point in the next. He throws in random percentages when talking about "economics," to slander certain segments of the population; which reveal his heavily biased and uninformed political view. As an Economics graduate I was appalled at the fallacies he tried to pass for "Economics." They were nothing more than tired political tropes and dog whistles. All the while exalting what a genius he is and how the world has cheated him.
I had to laugh when he aligned himself by proxy with the "1%," and whined about how the rest of the country wanted a cut of his money; even if the rest of the... book (if you can call it that) was filled to the brim with him sniveling about working in the corporate world and how bothered he was to answer to his bosses. Um... The wealthiest 1% in the United States don't have bosses. They have shareholders. They don't WORK for anybody, they are the OWNERS of the means of production. Over and over again his ignorance of multiple topics and fields shines through. In this case taxation laws, policies, regulations, and apparently entire income groups and the lines between social classes.
He has a fixation with STEM degrees although gathering from his work experience he himself does not have one, and consequently craps on all other majors. He writes as if he speaks for the high IQ community, asserting that they fit the very narrow profile he perscribes, which include things such as using drugs because of boredom (... because "normal" people don't do that...riiiiight).
He is obsessed with the concept of achieving greatness and has a grudge against anyone and anything that supposedly impeded it for him and for high IQ holders everywhere. He has gripes against the school system, Oprah, and even a sandwich server in Wyoming; because it is the world's fault he was not able to achieve "greatness." I'm not kidding. This is no book, and this is no author. It's the continuous rant of a self aggrandizing loser. The guy needs a therapist, there's some serious cognitive dissonance going on. You wouldn't be able to have an intelligent conversation with him without fact checking his every third statement. Insisting he's a genius and belittling the rest of the world make him feel better to the point that he's adopted flawed generalizations and dogmas to fit this world view.
July 10, 2016
Although the author has solid points and ideas, the book is written as one long rant against the world in a blog post that just keeps going. I'd love to see a more capable author with a more positive worldview tackle the topic.
February 27, 2019
Elliot Rodger meets "The Bell Curve." This is basically Elliot Rodger's manifesto if it were written by a middle-aged, libertarian, adjunct Austrian School adjunct economics professor. Wait. I take that back. Elliot Rodger's manifesto was better organized.
If you like cringing at unironically calling people "normies," calling average intelligence people "relative retards," and using the term "sports-ball" every few pages this might be a good read. It's clear that Aaron is in the state of arrested development of a maladjusted 13 year-old school shooter, and instead of looking inward and seeking any kind of personal development, this is him lashing out at the whole world in a manifesto about how hard it is to be big brained, because he seriously believed his parents when they told him that his "tormentors" were just "jealous."
Sad.
If you like cringing at unironically calling people "normies," calling average intelligence people "relative retards," and using the term "sports-ball" every few pages this might be a good read. It's clear that Aaron is in the state of arrested development of a maladjusted 13 year-old school shooter, and instead of looking inward and seeking any kind of personal development, this is him lashing out at the whole world in a manifesto about how hard it is to be big brained, because he seriously believed his parents when they told him that his "tormentors" were just "jealous."
Sad.
December 1, 2017
Ok I have i high IQ but i didn’t agree much with this book. It is not objective at all. The guy is angry, very angry, and he’s just ranting about how unfair life is for HIM, generalizing to all high IQ people like we were him. As much as I can understand his anger, I find it very immature for his age. I used to be, and still am sometimes like him, but I’m just 25. And I already understand that the kind of black and white view he seems to have, and I used to have back when I was 17, is in fact very stupid and simplistic. He separates clearly « smart » and « stupid » people in his book, like if there was a clear line between them. I agree that most people tend to be stupid but it’s not that simple. First of, the line is very blurry. There is a large grey area of people who can be very dumb in some aspect but very smart in other. There’s not just one type of intelligence out there. Second thing, high IQ people, following this same rule, can be very stupid in many area, they aren’t as superior as the author seems to think.
For that reason it doesn’t require a high IQ person to stimulate another. Most of my friends are « normal » people and we still have a lot to share. On the contrary it happens that I met high IQ people that I didn’t like at all. Same IQ doesn’t equate instant compatibility. I think he brushes of normal people as plain « stupid » way too easily. And maybe that’s why his social life is such a failure.
Now don’t get me wrong, a lot of what he said in the book is true, and I’m quite of a misanthrope myself. So I understand where he’s coming from. I really do. Yet what he said is too biased and not suitable for a book that young gifted people might read and that will paint such a disgusted view of the world. This book should have been a long blog post but not a book. In my opinion a book requires a certain amount of objectivity. It should be detached from one self experience and it should solely be based on hard scientific facts. And this book is definitely not. I give it two stars for the half truths you find all over the book and that a smart person can separate from all the bullshit and therefore get to learn something anyways, but otherwise this book is not worth it.
For that reason it doesn’t require a high IQ person to stimulate another. Most of my friends are « normal » people and we still have a lot to share. On the contrary it happens that I met high IQ people that I didn’t like at all. Same IQ doesn’t equate instant compatibility. I think he brushes of normal people as plain « stupid » way too easily. And maybe that’s why his social life is such a failure.
Now don’t get me wrong, a lot of what he said in the book is true, and I’m quite of a misanthrope myself. So I understand where he’s coming from. I really do. Yet what he said is too biased and not suitable for a book that young gifted people might read and that will paint such a disgusted view of the world. This book should have been a long blog post but not a book. In my opinion a book requires a certain amount of objectivity. It should be detached from one self experience and it should solely be based on hard scientific facts. And this book is definitely not. I give it two stars for the half truths you find all over the book and that a smart person can separate from all the bullshit and therefore get to learn something anyways, but otherwise this book is not worth it.
September 22, 2016
WOW! This book is a necessity to read for anyone with a high IQ or parents whose child has a high IQ. The author is very frank. Some people will likely be offended by the author's condescending attitude in some parts of the book, but I saw them as getting straight to the point without any political correctness. The book has answered so many questions I have had about myself that I never quite understood. For one, I have been an adrenaline junky for quite a while and the author discusses how some people with high IQs desire adrenaline sports to give them that satisfaction they don't get from normal everyday activities that just bore them. It also explains my constant desire to build new things, such as the house I am building. Surprisingly, the author has a great deal of the same views as myself, which are often considered weird in the typical social atmosphere due to the fact that they do not conform to any one group. I am likely going to read the book a second time in the near future. It is that good!
September 25, 2017
* Nope. Don't even bother.
The book, as the title presupposes, touches on the woes of living with a high IQ. Prompted by the title, I set to reading this prolonged blog post (that's what it felt like), which could've used a final edit before publication. Quite ironic when writing a piece about not being able to live up to your full potential. However, these were only minor annoyances and gave no cause for a lower rating.
Recommended by goodreads after reading Outliers: The Story of Success, the title piqued my interest. It started off in a similar manner, touching on the basis of statistics in describing what outliers high IQ people are. The book then continued with a summary of how the smart are disadvantaged and held back from their true potential by the general populace in education, their careers and whilst dating, while also mentioning the potential correlation between high IQ and mental illness. However, none of his claims were supported by some much-needed evidence, of which the author showed some capability only in the mental illness chapter.
The end of the book lifted the spirits a little by offering insights in how to deal with the addressed points, but all that stuck with me were the three options offered: drowning your sorrows in alcohol, doing drugs or become an adrenaline junkie looking for your next novelty fix. The final premise remaining that there's no 'fix' for the bored kind of depression you're feeling. The whole read felt like a prolonged blog post, which could've used a final edit before publication. Quite ironic when writing a piece about not being able to live up to your full potential. However, these were only minor annoyances and gave no cause for a lower rating.
Now on to my opinion. Whilst cleverly written, the author takes you on a train of thought set out from the beginning, slowly building up to his premise that a high IQ is something one just has to accept and that the mediocrity of society is what it is. He even states that you might come to resent people and could just live on wellfare when you're done with society. Every negative remark he makes towards those of lesser IQ is preceded by an apologetic sentence, as a way of saying sorry before you be mean. It doesn't really make you less mean.
At some points the author attempts to insert certain ways of dealing with a high IQ, all based on intrinsic motivation in your work and any other intellectual pursuits (although you'd have to read the intrinsic motivation between the lines, he basically says to stop giving a shit about the rest of society). These feel like half an attempt at making the grey, depressed picture he paints a little brighter.
The bottom line is that this book offers some anecdotal insights which everyone has to deal with at some point, albeit written from the point of view of someone with a high IQ. The author makes very little attempt in keeping his neutrality and bulldozes with brute force over things called respect and compassion, something which an actual society is built on. This strikes with his confession of being a libertarian halfway through the book, which opened my eyes to the depressed, almost nihilistic story it is: someone who has to come to terms with himself on the fact that he has a high IQ and that the world isn't fair. If you're interested in the topic, do give it a read, as it was of some interest and it's not that long, but all I wanted to say when I turned the final page was: get over yourself.
The book, as the title presupposes, touches on the woes of living with a high IQ. Prompted by the title, I set to reading this prolonged blog post (that's what it felt like), which could've used a final edit before publication. Quite ironic when writing a piece about not being able to live up to your full potential. However, these were only minor annoyances and gave no cause for a lower rating.
Recommended by goodreads after reading Outliers: The Story of Success, the title piqued my interest. It started off in a similar manner, touching on the basis of statistics in describing what outliers high IQ people are. The book then continued with a summary of how the smart are disadvantaged and held back from their true potential by the general populace in education, their careers and whilst dating, while also mentioning the potential correlation between high IQ and mental illness. However, none of his claims were supported by some much-needed evidence, of which the author showed some capability only in the mental illness chapter.
The end of the book lifted the spirits a little by offering insights in how to deal with the addressed points, but all that stuck with me were the three options offered: drowning your sorrows in alcohol, doing drugs or become an adrenaline junkie looking for your next novelty fix. The final premise remaining that there's no 'fix' for the bored kind of depression you're feeling. The whole read felt like a prolonged blog post, which could've used a final edit before publication. Quite ironic when writing a piece about not being able to live up to your full potential. However, these were only minor annoyances and gave no cause for a lower rating.
Now on to my opinion. Whilst cleverly written, the author takes you on a train of thought set out from the beginning, slowly building up to his premise that a high IQ is something one just has to accept and that the mediocrity of society is what it is. He even states that you might come to resent people and could just live on wellfare when you're done with society. Every negative remark he makes towards those of lesser IQ is preceded by an apologetic sentence, as a way of saying sorry before you be mean. It doesn't really make you less mean.
At some points the author attempts to insert certain ways of dealing with a high IQ, all based on intrinsic motivation in your work and any other intellectual pursuits (although you'd have to read the intrinsic motivation between the lines, he basically says to stop giving a shit about the rest of society). These feel like half an attempt at making the grey, depressed picture he paints a little brighter.
The bottom line is that this book offers some anecdotal insights which everyone has to deal with at some point, albeit written from the point of view of someone with a high IQ. The author makes very little attempt in keeping his neutrality and bulldozes with brute force over things called respect and compassion, something which an actual society is built on. This strikes with his confession of being a libertarian halfway through the book, which opened my eyes to the depressed, almost nihilistic story it is: someone who has to come to terms with himself on the fact that he has a high IQ and that the world isn't fair. If you're interested in the topic, do give it a read, as it was of some interest and it's not that long, but all I wanted to say when I turned the final page was: get over yourself.
May 12, 2018
3.5 stars. This book is ok. I’ve had an interest in IQ for a while, so I’ve spent time reading, researching and listening to podcasts by those considered experts in the field.
This author is not one of those experts. He comes across as arrogant and sarcastic and the book is largely a rant, as other reviews have noted. However, I wasn’t bothered by that because it’s relatable and somewhat entertaining.
His recommendations weren’t bad but I wasn’t overly impressed because they seemed like no-brainers and anyone that’s intelligent would eventually figure them out. But in saying that, a younger person might find the recommendations helpful.
I didn’t necessarily agree with his view that those with high IQs have a proclivity to turn to drugs and alcohol. Perhaps some do, but research suggests that intelligent people are more inclined to follow smart health practices and have a longer life expectancy.
I saw the book as more a mildly entertaining rant, rather than learning anything new, but I still enjoyed it overall and would recommend it for a quick, entertaining read or Audible listen, as long as you’re not expecting a book containing credible scientific research.
This author is not one of those experts. He comes across as arrogant and sarcastic and the book is largely a rant, as other reviews have noted. However, I wasn’t bothered by that because it’s relatable and somewhat entertaining.
His recommendations weren’t bad but I wasn’t overly impressed because they seemed like no-brainers and anyone that’s intelligent would eventually figure them out. But in saying that, a younger person might find the recommendations helpful.
I didn’t necessarily agree with his view that those with high IQs have a proclivity to turn to drugs and alcohol. Perhaps some do, but research suggests that intelligent people are more inclined to follow smart health practices and have a longer life expectancy.
I saw the book as more a mildly entertaining rant, rather than learning anything new, but I still enjoyed it overall and would recommend it for a quick, entertaining read or Audible listen, as long as you’re not expecting a book containing credible scientific research.
April 18, 2020
An important book that points to the disaster area that is the western education system. A system decided to provide a safe-house, income and pension for dullards (teachers and professors) at the huge expense of the children (some of whom are geniuses destined to never fulfil their potential). The book covers many more areas of concern (eg the feels of isolation and desolation that come from working in a corporation if you are smart; and, the destruction wrought by the low average IQ of the HR department)but it is the points made on education that are the most important IMHO.
June 7, 2016
This was an interesting book.
Part of me was frustrated by it for two reasons:
1. It described a lot of my life experiences (my IQ is allegedly high)
2. It struck me as a really angry 180 page quasi nihilistic rant.
I think that this book really does need to be read by parents who suspect their children are above average. And maybe, when they get a bit older, the children themselves. The last two chapters on limiting greatness and solutions are very good.
Throughout the book, the author makes interesting observations about the broader economy (if more people were allowed to do computer jobs from home then the world would be a more efficient place in terms of fossil fuel use, employee happiness, and family stability).
The major negative to the book is the author's anger at people he perceives to be stupider than himself, but he admits that he's not religious. So if IQ, personal greatness, or economic impact are your heuristics for judging people, it makes sense to be frustrated at people you feel can't keep up with you.
The book can, I fear, engender some cynicism or nihilistic feelings because of the rhetoric used. But many young people of high intelligence already feel trapped but they don't think it's because they're being held back. They think it's because they're stupid or too easily bored or some other nonsense.
The book does utilize foul language, watch out for that if that sort of thing offends you.
Part of me was frustrated by it for two reasons:
1. It described a lot of my life experiences (my IQ is allegedly high)
2. It struck me as a really angry 180 page quasi nihilistic rant.
I think that this book really does need to be read by parents who suspect their children are above average. And maybe, when they get a bit older, the children themselves. The last two chapters on limiting greatness and solutions are very good.
Throughout the book, the author makes interesting observations about the broader economy (if more people were allowed to do computer jobs from home then the world would be a more efficient place in terms of fossil fuel use, employee happiness, and family stability).
The major negative to the book is the author's anger at people he perceives to be stupider than himself, but he admits that he's not religious. So if IQ, personal greatness, or economic impact are your heuristics for judging people, it makes sense to be frustrated at people you feel can't keep up with you.
The book can, I fear, engender some cynicism or nihilistic feelings because of the rhetoric used. But many young people of high intelligence already feel trapped but they don't think it's because they're being held back. They think it's because they're stupid or too easily bored or some other nonsense.
The book does utilize foul language, watch out for that if that sort of thing offends you.
June 19, 2020
Aaron Clarey is clearly an intelligent man. Perhaps not as intelligent as he seems to think he is, but highly intelligent nevertheless. And he's absolutely right that high general intelligence (for which we can use IQ as a reasonable if imperfect shorthand) can often feel like a "curse," if for no other reason than outliers in a statistical distribution inevitably experience some social isolation. And of course there are plenty of other reasons intelligent people sometimes (often) suffer through life.
I was intrigued by the book's title and interested in its message. After reading it, I have to say the author is right about most of his points. His condemnation of the educational system in particular, if extraordinarily overstated in some regards, alone justifies reading the book. And on matters about which I wasn't already educated, I did a bit of research while reading, and found that his arguments usually do hold water; his statistics are correct and his interpretations, if not self-evident, are at least arguably justifiable in most cases. The book, then, presents a succinct summary of the problems intelligent people face in life.
However, the book also desperately needed an editor. While the author may be highly intelligent, he's merely a competent writer, and errors abound. Worse, it's clear that the author has a 140 IQ-sized chip on his shoulder, and a good editor could have easily toned done the unnecessarily combative passages (including an inexplicable screed against the intelligence of the entire state of Wyoming). The result would have been both a more persuasive book and a more enjoyable read.
Despite the book's final chapter being called "Solutions," furthermore, the book is painfully short on actionable advice. The author runs a consulting company; I would have thought he'd be more willing or more able to offer actual solutions to the problems he raises. Sure, some of them are beyond individual control, but even a cursory examination of the psychological literature reveals plenty of good ideas. Perhaps the author's dislike of the social sciences blinds him, but for just one example, he might have found in the literature on Viktor Frankl's logotherapy some ideas directly related to the problems discussed in the book.
Ultimately, it's a very quick read (indeed, its formatting seems designed to have padded its length just enough to cross the 200 page mark), and there are some useful insights here for those who want to understand why intelligent people might be suffering depression or any number of other adverse conditions. However, it's not nearly as good a read as it could (and should) have been, and will annoy as often as it enlightens.
I was intrigued by the book's title and interested in its message. After reading it, I have to say the author is right about most of his points. His condemnation of the educational system in particular, if extraordinarily overstated in some regards, alone justifies reading the book. And on matters about which I wasn't already educated, I did a bit of research while reading, and found that his arguments usually do hold water; his statistics are correct and his interpretations, if not self-evident, are at least arguably justifiable in most cases. The book, then, presents a succinct summary of the problems intelligent people face in life.
However, the book also desperately needed an editor. While the author may be highly intelligent, he's merely a competent writer, and errors abound. Worse, it's clear that the author has a 140 IQ-sized chip on his shoulder, and a good editor could have easily toned done the unnecessarily combative passages (including an inexplicable screed against the intelligence of the entire state of Wyoming). The result would have been both a more persuasive book and a more enjoyable read.
Despite the book's final chapter being called "Solutions," furthermore, the book is painfully short on actionable advice. The author runs a consulting company; I would have thought he'd be more willing or more able to offer actual solutions to the problems he raises. Sure, some of them are beyond individual control, but even a cursory examination of the psychological literature reveals plenty of good ideas. Perhaps the author's dislike of the social sciences blinds him, but for just one example, he might have found in the literature on Viktor Frankl's logotherapy some ideas directly related to the problems discussed in the book.
Ultimately, it's a very quick read (indeed, its formatting seems designed to have padded its length just enough to cross the 200 page mark), and there are some useful insights here for those who want to understand why intelligent people might be suffering depression or any number of other adverse conditions. However, it's not nearly as good a read as it could (and should) have been, and will annoy as often as it enlightens.
April 12, 2020
I knew most of the information before reading this book.
The things Aaron states people with high IQ's go through, I had already observed and sussed out, though he does have a few extra points I hadn't realised which have stuck with me since.
Some consider this book elitist or condescending. It isn't. Some people are 7'9". Some people are 2'11". As a species we vary, and our brains are not a special organ that is a duplicate blank canvas. They vary - greatly. Imagine everyday, waking up and nobody knows how to do their basic times tables, people cannot read and write, and you have to point out obvious things that are plain as day. Now imagine living like that for years. Now decades. You would feel isolated. You would feel alone. You would struggle.
Quick crash course on IQ. A 15 point increase from the norm (115 vs 100) means you are most likely capable of intermediate calculus with practise. Someone with an IQ of 100 will struggle with basic algebra. Someone with an IQ of 85 will struggle to follow basic commands such as fetching a tool. 15 points makes a big difference. An IQ of 115 means you are in the top 13-15% of the population.
An IQ of 130 is top 2%, and someone with an IQ of 130 sees those with an IQ of 115 like the 115 sees the 100, and the 100 sees the 85 and so on.
I have a tested IQ ranging from 145-155 - top 0.1 to 0.03% of the population. This covers now 7 official tests. The majority of people I meet will be between 90-110. That is a 40-60 IQ point difference. An average person with an IQ of 100 meeting someone with an IQ of 40-60 difference downwards is meeting someone with profound mental retardation. Barely verbal, and cannot dress themselves. I am surrounded by people with that IQ difference...
I do not mean this in any horrible way, but 98-99% of the people I meet are mind-numbingly annoying to be around. They lack the ability to see even 2 variables in front of them, and just go on this linear path 1 by 1 variable like a toddler picking up easter eggs dot to fucking dot. When shit hits the fan for them and I state "Well if you looked at all the variables..." they look at me weird and say "I can't tell the future". Their brains literally cannot see variables higher IQ individuals can. This isn't an education or practise issue. It is a fundamental raw processing power issue. It is like asking a toddler to compose an orchestral piece. They won't have a clue what you're talking about or what you're asking of them.
The one chapter that stuck with me the most is about asshole bosses. I have recently got a new boss, who has at least recognised my intellect, and I was specially chosen for my "outside the box thinking" as I had previously made "impossible" experiments successfully work (Scientific field).
But he isn't as smart as I am, and thus whenever I do experiments he claims "This is scatter-brained nonsense" and wants me to work "bit by bit as the evidence leads". I tell him I am following evidence and that I simply skip multiple steps because I understand the theory behind things and can get straight to the experiment that gives us the result - and I do, every time. It infuriates him that I pick very specific seemingly random experiments that work without all the boring shit legwork the others do. But it isn't random. It isn't scatter brained. He just doesn't have the raw processing power to understand why those steps can be put to one side.
Worse still he steals. During a rollout of new technology presentations he stole my mathematical model of high energy material manipulations and how to sort them to perform chemical analysis using low energy processes. Every meeting he would not understand it, and kept telling me to stop mentioning my "hair-brained" nonsense. He even once put his hand up and said "Enough, this is just bullshit"
Then he made an offhand comment about it during the presentations, forcing me to leave the model out of my presentation, as if he thought of it, and got all the praise and how it was a really outside the box discovery and the maths was very advanced stuff. It was all correct, and he knew it, but he just didn't understand it.
It is lonely, It is frustrating, and it is painful. The worst part is due to my workplace, I know a few colleagues of IQ 165-175 (officially tested). I must seem rather dim and basic in comparison. Hell the maths I used as explained above I got a colleague to double check. Took me weeks to figure it out, and they reviewed it in 20 minutes. True reviewing work is easier than discovering from scratch...But still... There is always a bigger fish.
The things Aaron states people with high IQ's go through, I had already observed and sussed out, though he does have a few extra points I hadn't realised which have stuck with me since.
Some consider this book elitist or condescending. It isn't. Some people are 7'9". Some people are 2'11". As a species we vary, and our brains are not a special organ that is a duplicate blank canvas. They vary - greatly. Imagine everyday, waking up and nobody knows how to do their basic times tables, people cannot read and write, and you have to point out obvious things that are plain as day. Now imagine living like that for years. Now decades. You would feel isolated. You would feel alone. You would struggle.
Quick crash course on IQ. A 15 point increase from the norm (115 vs 100) means you are most likely capable of intermediate calculus with practise. Someone with an IQ of 100 will struggle with basic algebra. Someone with an IQ of 85 will struggle to follow basic commands such as fetching a tool. 15 points makes a big difference. An IQ of 115 means you are in the top 13-15% of the population.
An IQ of 130 is top 2%, and someone with an IQ of 130 sees those with an IQ of 115 like the 115 sees the 100, and the 100 sees the 85 and so on.
I have a tested IQ ranging from 145-155 - top 0.1 to 0.03% of the population. This covers now 7 official tests. The majority of people I meet will be between 90-110. That is a 40-60 IQ point difference. An average person with an IQ of 100 meeting someone with an IQ of 40-60 difference downwards is meeting someone with profound mental retardation. Barely verbal, and cannot dress themselves. I am surrounded by people with that IQ difference...
I do not mean this in any horrible way, but 98-99% of the people I meet are mind-numbingly annoying to be around. They lack the ability to see even 2 variables in front of them, and just go on this linear path 1 by 1 variable like a toddler picking up easter eggs dot to fucking dot. When shit hits the fan for them and I state "Well if you looked at all the variables..." they look at me weird and say "I can't tell the future". Their brains literally cannot see variables higher IQ individuals can. This isn't an education or practise issue. It is a fundamental raw processing power issue. It is like asking a toddler to compose an orchestral piece. They won't have a clue what you're talking about or what you're asking of them.
The one chapter that stuck with me the most is about asshole bosses. I have recently got a new boss, who has at least recognised my intellect, and I was specially chosen for my "outside the box thinking" as I had previously made "impossible" experiments successfully work (Scientific field).
But he isn't as smart as I am, and thus whenever I do experiments he claims "This is scatter-brained nonsense" and wants me to work "bit by bit as the evidence leads". I tell him I am following evidence and that I simply skip multiple steps because I understand the theory behind things and can get straight to the experiment that gives us the result - and I do, every time. It infuriates him that I pick very specific seemingly random experiments that work without all the boring shit legwork the others do. But it isn't random. It isn't scatter brained. He just doesn't have the raw processing power to understand why those steps can be put to one side.
Worse still he steals. During a rollout of new technology presentations he stole my mathematical model of high energy material manipulations and how to sort them to perform chemical analysis using low energy processes. Every meeting he would not understand it, and kept telling me to stop mentioning my "hair-brained" nonsense. He even once put his hand up and said "Enough, this is just bullshit"
Then he made an offhand comment about it during the presentations, forcing me to leave the model out of my presentation, as if he thought of it, and got all the praise and how it was a really outside the box discovery and the maths was very advanced stuff. It was all correct, and he knew it, but he just didn't understand it.
It is lonely, It is frustrating, and it is painful. The worst part is due to my workplace, I know a few colleagues of IQ 165-175 (officially tested). I must seem rather dim and basic in comparison. Hell the maths I used as explained above I got a colleague to double check. Took me weeks to figure it out, and they reviewed it in 20 minutes. True reviewing work is easier than discovering from scratch...But still... There is always a bigger fish.
July 15, 2020
This book was terrible. I want these couple hours of my life back and publishers should strongly consider blacklisting any future efforts from Clarey, simply based on the abysmal quality of this work. For those who are familiar with the Dunning-Kreuger effect (if you're not, please go look it up, it's a crucial phenomenon to understand as a human being) Clarey is sitting firmly on the peak of Mount Stupid. I could produce more text criticizing this book than is contained in the book itself because of the fractal nature of the dumpster fire that is this book, but I will try to pick just a few of my biggest issues to present here since nobody wants to read anywhere near that long of a book review.
To start with, Clarey ADMITS IN WRITING that he doesn't have a particularly high IQ himself! His admitted IQ doesn't even qualify him for MENSA, the high-IQ organization with the lowest bar for membership! I will not dive down the rabbit hole regarding the value (or lack thereof) of IQ as a metric for intelligence and in my opinion, having lower intelligence than others does not devalue someone as a person. I bring up Clarey's IQ only because he brought it up first and because one might think that a book such as this should be written by someone who is ACTUALLY highly intelligent. As is obvious from reading this book, he is not.
Clarey apparently has decided that the only fields of study with any value are the STEM fields, and only a subset of those at that. Although he does not discuss it in the book, a number of allusions and comments he makes about his own career lead me to believe that he does not have a STEM degree himself. Interesting. Also, if all non-STEM fields are worthless, as in the black-white dichotomy he uses to present them, he should be internally consistent by rejecting all art, culture, music, film, literature, etc. because none of those things are the product of STEM disciplines.
Clarey's ignorance of power structures and economic systems is glaring every time he brings up the class structure of the United States. He spends a great deal of time railing against poor bosses and even suggests that highly intelligent people might find that they increase their overall happiness by working menial jobs such as custodial work. Whether or not this is a fair point is irrelevant; the issue I take with this is that the wealthy elites in this country, with whom he groups himself, are generally NOT BEHOLDEN TO BOSSES! They tend not to be workers, they are owners, shareholders, executives, a fact which seems to have completely escaped Clarey.
Clary seems incapable of any sort of nuanced thinking; he presents most of his arguments as black and white dichotomies with no room for shades of gray or different interpretations of subjective ideas. He presents himself as a pillar of intellect and rational thought, far beyond anyone else except the super-intelligent with whom he aligns himself (falsely; he self-admittedly doesn't even qualify for MENSA) but falls flat on his face, coming across instead as a whiny, self-aggrandizing, entitled asshole who is incapable of seeing value outside of his subjective thoughts and opinions and who is utterly unable to imagine that he might be wrong about a thing or two and that ideas that differ from his own may have merit, even far greater merit than his own.
Clarey strikes me as someone who has compensated for his somewhat, but not remarkably above-average IQ by incorporating numerous flawed heuristics and logical fallacies into his everyday thinking. He seems to be controlled primarily by his overinflated ego and utter lack of empathy for anyone other than himself. He rejects any thoughts or life experiences other than his own, except those of people far more intelligent than he, with whom he desperately tries to associate. He seems to be quite unhappy with his admitted lack of success in life and tries to blame that lack of success on the unfairness with which the world treats geniuses, even though he (undoubtedly unintentionally) admits that he is not one himself. This book was a waste of time, but if you enjoy angsty rantings by 13-year-olds who have just discovered social media, here is 222 pages of that for your enjoyment*.
*Read with caution if you have hypertension or are predisposed to a brain aneurysm.
To start with, Clarey ADMITS IN WRITING that he doesn't have a particularly high IQ himself! His admitted IQ doesn't even qualify him for MENSA, the high-IQ organization with the lowest bar for membership! I will not dive down the rabbit hole regarding the value (or lack thereof) of IQ as a metric for intelligence and in my opinion, having lower intelligence than others does not devalue someone as a person. I bring up Clarey's IQ only because he brought it up first and because one might think that a book such as this should be written by someone who is ACTUALLY highly intelligent. As is obvious from reading this book, he is not.
Clarey apparently has decided that the only fields of study with any value are the STEM fields, and only a subset of those at that. Although he does not discuss it in the book, a number of allusions and comments he makes about his own career lead me to believe that he does not have a STEM degree himself. Interesting. Also, if all non-STEM fields are worthless, as in the black-white dichotomy he uses to present them, he should be internally consistent by rejecting all art, culture, music, film, literature, etc. because none of those things are the product of STEM disciplines.
Clarey's ignorance of power structures and economic systems is glaring every time he brings up the class structure of the United States. He spends a great deal of time railing against poor bosses and even suggests that highly intelligent people might find that they increase their overall happiness by working menial jobs such as custodial work. Whether or not this is a fair point is irrelevant; the issue I take with this is that the wealthy elites in this country, with whom he groups himself, are generally NOT BEHOLDEN TO BOSSES! They tend not to be workers, they are owners, shareholders, executives, a fact which seems to have completely escaped Clarey.
Clary seems incapable of any sort of nuanced thinking; he presents most of his arguments as black and white dichotomies with no room for shades of gray or different interpretations of subjective ideas. He presents himself as a pillar of intellect and rational thought, far beyond anyone else except the super-intelligent with whom he aligns himself (falsely; he self-admittedly doesn't even qualify for MENSA) but falls flat on his face, coming across instead as a whiny, self-aggrandizing, entitled asshole who is incapable of seeing value outside of his subjective thoughts and opinions and who is utterly unable to imagine that he might be wrong about a thing or two and that ideas that differ from his own may have merit, even far greater merit than his own.
Clarey strikes me as someone who has compensated for his somewhat, but not remarkably above-average IQ by incorporating numerous flawed heuristics and logical fallacies into his everyday thinking. He seems to be controlled primarily by his overinflated ego and utter lack of empathy for anyone other than himself. He rejects any thoughts or life experiences other than his own, except those of people far more intelligent than he, with whom he desperately tries to associate. He seems to be quite unhappy with his admitted lack of success in life and tries to blame that lack of success on the unfairness with which the world treats geniuses, even though he (undoubtedly unintentionally) admits that he is not one himself. This book was a waste of time, but if you enjoy angsty rantings by 13-year-olds who have just discovered social media, here is 222 pages of that for your enjoyment*.
*Read with caution if you have hypertension or are predisposed to a brain aneurysm.
March 20, 2017
Goofy Book by Arrogant Man
I took an IQ test once at 14 years old in CA before everyone was obsessed with social media, like MySpace and Facebook. It was long and boring, but I received 141. At the time, I was not a person interested in those things. To be honest, I am still not. I spent all my time on chat rooms and roleplaying sites for people who liked to learn to write. This book only had two female so called "geniuses" in the beginning.
Come 15, my mom's abuse led me to believe I was retarded. I was normally a person with average self esteem and I knew I was atypical, like Daria. I am a feminist, not some weird SJW or MRA. I don't really get these so called trending groups all over social media these days. I was too depressed to even search up my region, as the book suggested! I live on the border or OR and WA. I can only imagine how many people must be 90 here, but I highly doubt being in the mid 40s or 50s range is really some impressive miracle.
My friends usually come off the internet, as I had a hard time socializing with people when I dropped out at 15. One friend who is very dear to me was diagnosed with bipolar at only 9 years old. Her parents are both engineers with similar IQ. She told me by only the next grade, her IQ dropped five points. She is my age now and has difficulty feeling any emotions. We had an obnoxious friend who was cocky, assuming he had it so rough because he was a pedophile and in jail five years. My friend thought he was an idiot, but he swears by the Google's top IQ test that he is 135! He doubts we were any more intelligent than he was, but whatever. Some peopel are just gullible. Everyone removes him on Skype, because he adds us all to a group and complains about suicide ideations. He's just someone who wants attention.
I could not finish the book. All it reminded me was of how all boys think they're going to grow up, become James Bond or George Clooney, their favorite actor and have a key to the playboy mansion or marry Beyonce. It was ridiculous. Well, maybe I'll fit in better in Portland. Go to a mosh pit at Darcell's or something.
I took an IQ test once at 14 years old in CA before everyone was obsessed with social media, like MySpace and Facebook. It was long and boring, but I received 141. At the time, I was not a person interested in those things. To be honest, I am still not. I spent all my time on chat rooms and roleplaying sites for people who liked to learn to write. This book only had two female so called "geniuses" in the beginning.
Come 15, my mom's abuse led me to believe I was retarded. I was normally a person with average self esteem and I knew I was atypical, like Daria. I am a feminist, not some weird SJW or MRA. I don't really get these so called trending groups all over social media these days. I was too depressed to even search up my region, as the book suggested! I live on the border or OR and WA. I can only imagine how many people must be 90 here, but I highly doubt being in the mid 40s or 50s range is really some impressive miracle.
My friends usually come off the internet, as I had a hard time socializing with people when I dropped out at 15. One friend who is very dear to me was diagnosed with bipolar at only 9 years old. Her parents are both engineers with similar IQ. She told me by only the next grade, her IQ dropped five points. She is my age now and has difficulty feeling any emotions. We had an obnoxious friend who was cocky, assuming he had it so rough because he was a pedophile and in jail five years. My friend thought he was an idiot, but he swears by the Google's top IQ test that he is 135! He doubts we were any more intelligent than he was, but whatever. Some peopel are just gullible. Everyone removes him on Skype, because he adds us all to a group and complains about suicide ideations. He's just someone who wants attention.
I could not finish the book. All it reminded me was of how all boys think they're going to grow up, become James Bond or George Clooney, their favorite actor and have a key to the playboy mansion or marry Beyonce. It was ridiculous. Well, maybe I'll fit in better in Portland. Go to a mosh pit at Darcell's or something.
May 8, 2019
Entertaining in parts, observant in others, yet overall too short to really dive into the premise of "changing things for High IQ people with this book", a bit too anecdotal and the tone can be downright generalising and demeaning.
I personally take a more fluid approach to intelligence - that ultimately, outside of predisposition, neuroplasticity reins supreme and that therefore intelligence is more fluid than might be coded for directly in genes; epigenetic effects are very real, and also can be heritable.
The conclusion then, is that a lot of people, most in fact, are under achieving their potential due to social/economic factors that ensured poor genetic expression, and more linear neural pathways; it is in this understanding that I'm a proponent of shirking all elitist viewpoints on intellect because the cost is too high in any Us VS Them style of thinking.
Also the value of information is entirely on how it is delivered; the most profound thought is forever a prisoner of the mind that can't express it in a way appealing to others, thus losing all theoretical values, and, in this, the tone of the book undermines it's proposed goals.
It's a very short book, so if you're trying to hit a reading challenge based on book count, and are mildly interested in this stuff, then you can add a notch to your belt quite easily.
I wouldn't spend much money on this, though.
I personally take a more fluid approach to intelligence - that ultimately, outside of predisposition, neuroplasticity reins supreme and that therefore intelligence is more fluid than might be coded for directly in genes; epigenetic effects are very real, and also can be heritable.
The conclusion then, is that a lot of people, most in fact, are under achieving their potential due to social/economic factors that ensured poor genetic expression, and more linear neural pathways; it is in this understanding that I'm a proponent of shirking all elitist viewpoints on intellect because the cost is too high in any Us VS Them style of thinking.
Also the value of information is entirely on how it is delivered; the most profound thought is forever a prisoner of the mind that can't express it in a way appealing to others, thus losing all theoretical values, and, in this, the tone of the book undermines it's proposed goals.
It's a very short book, so if you're trying to hit a reading challenge based on book count, and are mildly interested in this stuff, then you can add a notch to your belt quite easily.
I wouldn't spend much money on this, though.
July 16, 2022
This ‘book’ is so awful, I’m embarrassed to admit that I wasted the time to read it. At least it was a quick read.
The author seems to have experienced a frustrating (and frustrated) life, and blames it on his high IQ, but it’s probably more because he’s a total douche and rather ignorant. I’m aware that a person can be both intelligent and ignorant, but I’m not convinced that’s the case here. If this man actually scored anywhere near 140 on an IQ test, there was some very lucky guessing happening.
There were no sources cited, even when direct ‘quotes’ were used. The bell curve he used to show a gendered comparison of IQ scores didn’t even have numbers on it, it was completely useless, like most of this book… I mean, somewhere in Minnesota, there is a middle school named Oak Grove that is not surrounded by trees, so obviously it follows that all schools are prisons, right? Shoddy work, at best. Deliberately misleading, at worst.
If you’re a man of completely average intelligence who feels superior to everyone else based on nothing but your own ego, this book is for you and you’ll love it, especially if you love being deliberately hurtful toward people and then claiming you were just telling it like it is and people are just too sensitive. If your IQ is anywhere above average, don’t waste your time.
The author seems to have experienced a frustrating (and frustrated) life, and blames it on his high IQ, but it’s probably more because he’s a total douche and rather ignorant. I’m aware that a person can be both intelligent and ignorant, but I’m not convinced that’s the case here. If this man actually scored anywhere near 140 on an IQ test, there was some very lucky guessing happening.
There were no sources cited, even when direct ‘quotes’ were used. The bell curve he used to show a gendered comparison of IQ scores didn’t even have numbers on it, it was completely useless, like most of this book… I mean, somewhere in Minnesota, there is a middle school named Oak Grove that is not surrounded by trees, so obviously it follows that all schools are prisons, right? Shoddy work, at best. Deliberately misleading, at worst.
If you’re a man of completely average intelligence who feels superior to everyone else based on nothing but your own ego, this book is for you and you’ll love it, especially if you love being deliberately hurtful toward people and then claiming you were just telling it like it is and people are just too sensitive. If your IQ is anywhere above average, don’t waste your time.
May 13, 2019
As if I were listening to some arrogant narcissists complaining about how ordinary people are "retarded"... Don't like this, SORRY.
Not sure if the author did have a point. The way he delivers all this just cannot get me to keep reading.
I was expecting something more professional, objective and serious than just this.
Not sure if the author did have a point. The way he delivers all this just cannot get me to keep reading.
I was expecting something more professional, objective and serious than just this.
December 15, 2022
Ignoramous writer and white. Very very white, that is.
August 14, 2020
Most of the book reads like an angry, smug rant which would have been a lot more impactful if it was written in a more calm and humble manner. Then again, with a title like 'Curse of the High IQ' I suppose the content and writing style isn't really a surprise. The book gets a 3 star rating solely for Chapters 5 and 6 which I found to hold a lot of truth, but I don't think the rest of the book is worth reading.
April 27, 2017
Meh.
I agree with most of 1-3 star reviews of this book. Had I read those before purchasing this book, I would have borrowed it from my local library, instead. Overall a disappointing read because it was poorly written, provided few solutions, backed up by mainly anecdotal data, and can be summarized as one long diatribe about being smarter than the general population. I expected more from a self-proclaimed incredibly intelligent individual. My challenge to the author is to change the system (perhaps, starting with the k-12 education system). Clearly, he has the smarts to do so.
I agree with most of 1-3 star reviews of this book. Had I read those before purchasing this book, I would have borrowed it from my local library, instead. Overall a disappointing read because it was poorly written, provided few solutions, backed up by mainly anecdotal data, and can be summarized as one long diatribe about being smarter than the general population. I expected more from a self-proclaimed incredibly intelligent individual. My challenge to the author is to change the system (perhaps, starting with the k-12 education system). Clearly, he has the smarts to do so.
July 23, 2023
I don’t usually write reviews here, but I was so utterly disappointed by the Curse of the High IQ that I had to get my thoughts out. I knew going into the book that Aaron Clarey is a crass guy who holds libertarian politics and a disdain for the masses. While I can’t say I agree with Clarey on these positions, I was willing to hear him out about his thoughts on life for highly intelligent people. I have often suffered throughout my life from various problems that were imposed upon me due to me being perceived as intelligent, so I was excited to read about someone else’s experiences with this phenomenon.
However, by the time I got into the thick of the book, it was readily apparent to me that this was not a well-researched narrative with citations corroborated by extensive research and novel solutions designed to ameliorate the misery of high-IQ folks. No, this book was part libertarian screed, part invective against approximately 95% of the American public, and the rest contained occasional assertions that seemed sensible enough but were unfortunately diminished by the seething anger Clarey displays throughout this book.
Frankly, there is so little actionable advice and genuinely novel insight in this book that someone could probably distill it into a few paragraphs at most. That is ultimately the most disappointing part of the Curse of the High IQ for me; I could look past the Ayn Rand-worshipping and cheap shots at various institutions (seriously, why conflate the good intentions of underpaid teachers and educators with the cruelness of the education system?) if Clarey offered tangible solutions for brilliant people to live more fruitful and rewarding lives. But indeed. all he could muster was “make some friends on the internet”, “do exciting things”, and “stand up to your boss”. People with a high IQ have probably already figured this shit out - they don’t need some lackluster “economist” to tell them this. All in all, an extremely underwhelming, poorly edited, and pathetic excuse for a book. I’m returning this on Amazon tomorrow since this is the only book that I haven’t been able to get at my library, and I’m currently miffed that some of my dollars will have entered Clarey’s pockets.
However, by the time I got into the thick of the book, it was readily apparent to me that this was not a well-researched narrative with citations corroborated by extensive research and novel solutions designed to ameliorate the misery of high-IQ folks. No, this book was part libertarian screed, part invective against approximately 95% of the American public, and the rest contained occasional assertions that seemed sensible enough but were unfortunately diminished by the seething anger Clarey displays throughout this book.
Frankly, there is so little actionable advice and genuinely novel insight in this book that someone could probably distill it into a few paragraphs at most. That is ultimately the most disappointing part of the Curse of the High IQ for me; I could look past the Ayn Rand-worshipping and cheap shots at various institutions (seriously, why conflate the good intentions of underpaid teachers and educators with the cruelness of the education system?) if Clarey offered tangible solutions for brilliant people to live more fruitful and rewarding lives. But indeed. all he could muster was “make some friends on the internet”, “do exciting things”, and “stand up to your boss”. People with a high IQ have probably already figured this shit out - they don’t need some lackluster “economist” to tell them this. All in all, an extremely underwhelming, poorly edited, and pathetic excuse for a book. I’m returning this on Amazon tomorrow since this is the only book that I haven’t been able to get at my library, and I’m currently miffed that some of my dollars will have entered Clarey’s pockets.
August 1, 2019
Not particularly well written for a guy who claims to have a high iq, the points he makes, for the most part, are well-taken, even if they are unpopular by definition. No real new revelations here, but it’s good to know there are others who see the same kinds of things you see. People who haven’t lived the experiences described in the book will likely view it as a load of self-important proselytizing by an obnoxious asshole who’s posing as a high intellect. Indeed, most readers likely will feel that way. But the book is unapologetic in its POV - it’s simply and expressly not intended for most people. If you are one of the vanishingly small group of people for whom this book is written, you will find some validation here and take some heart in the fact that you are not alone, even if you don’t agree with all of the conclusions ultimately drawn by the author.
And, even if you’re not a 99th percentiler, and assuming you can read the book without taking it as a personal affront, perhaps it will give you some insight into how painful the navigation of seemingly innocuous, ordinary day to day experiences can actually be for someone in your life who is.
It’s a quick read and I enjoyed it. Recommended.
And, even if you’re not a 99th percentiler, and assuming you can read the book without taking it as a personal affront, perhaps it will give you some insight into how painful the navigation of seemingly innocuous, ordinary day to day experiences can actually be for someone in your life who is.
It’s a quick read and I enjoyed it. Recommended.
April 24, 2021
A very disappointing book.
Maybe Clarey doesn't have the talent for writing, but for someone who (loudly) professes to have a high IQ score, the book they made is poorly written, with awkward sentence construction and a logical progression of ideas and train of thought that is all over the place.
There's also really no ideas here that a highly intelligent person hasn't already stumbled upon elsewhere.
The book is mostly notable for Clarey going on tangents about his Libertarian ideas about economics and his personal hatred of his boss.
Would not recommend.
Maybe Clarey doesn't have the talent for writing, but for someone who (loudly) professes to have a high IQ score, the book they made is poorly written, with awkward sentence construction and a logical progression of ideas and train of thought that is all over the place.
There's also really no ideas here that a highly intelligent person hasn't already stumbled upon elsewhere.
The book is mostly notable for Clarey going on tangents about his Libertarian ideas about economics and his personal hatred of his boss.
Would not recommend.
February 8, 2019
Мрънкаческа, претенциозна и иронично, доста посредствено написана книга относно трудностите, които срещат по-интелигентните хора в живота си. През цялото време се набива в очи отношението тип "толкова съм по-умен от всички останали червеи" доста характерно за един определен тип neckbeards които се заблуждават, че останалите хора "ги мразят, защото са умни". докато всъщност неуспехите им в социалната сфера се дължат на интровертността и аутизма им. Вервайте, знам от опит.
June 4, 2020
I just finished this terrible book/essay, and I do NOT recommend it.
The synopsis on Amazon/Goodreads was appealing to me. But during Chapter 1, I realized I had made a bad purchase. And yet I persisted. It's a resentment-filled, Libertarian Incel rant that was not adequately proof-read. The author has massive blind spots and apparently lacks the self-awareness to realize it.
This book/essay would make a good case study in the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
The synopsis on Amazon/Goodreads was appealing to me. But during Chapter 1, I realized I had made a bad purchase. And yet I persisted. It's a resentment-filled, Libertarian Incel rant that was not adequately proof-read. The author has massive blind spots and apparently lacks the self-awareness to realize it.
This book/essay would make a good case study in the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
June 14, 2020
seems a poor business strategy for a book publisher when the target audience is such a small percentage of the population, but hey, if you fit the demographic, the book is a pretty funny rant. the guy is kind of an ahole, but he hits on a few good points that make the book a worthwhile read. if you dont fit the demographic (id say approximately about a 145-150 iq and up), well, youll probably be pretty annoyed. see disgruntled reviews for details.
May 7, 2021
This book is the one true definition of r/iamverysmart. Yes, the issues in here are real issues, but the book itself is utterly useless. He just tells you how your life sucks without giving any solution. If you wanna feel depressed, just read Kafka. You don’t need this in your life. Hours of my life were wasted and I am angry.
September 11, 2022
The problems the author thinks only apply to high IQ people actually apply to most. He is way off on women and he sounds angry. It makes me feel sorry for him. It also seems like he can't see the whole picture. He seems to view intuitive and creatives like idiots, completely unable to understand their point of view. Pretty strange since he is so smart. Other than that the book was entertaining.
December 2, 2019
He claims the book is written for high iq people but it is written more like 90 iq level. Not many new ideas and the solutions are very inadequate. It didnt add or inspire me for anything. Probably waste of time...
May 31, 2020
We get it... you have a high IQ...
I was “Rick rolled” into reading this thinking I was going to read about social or behavioral issues that people with high IQs are struggling but instead I got a lesson in how seemingly amazing the author is.
I was “Rick rolled” into reading this thinking I was going to read about social or behavioral issues that people with high IQs are struggling but instead I got a lesson in how seemingly amazing the author is.
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