First of all, hello. I’ve never taken any IQ test or been officially assessed, I'm just posting this here because the way my mind works seemed similar to what's discussed here.

I’ve always known I was somewhat different and sharper than the norm, but lately, the mental load has gotten really heavy. Ever since I turned 18, I feel like I've become much more aware of my own thoughts from the outside. I’ve always been someone who thinks a lot and has an inner monologue, but the level of it has definitely increased.

In my thought process, there are always 3 separate streams going on:

One of them is constantly and only occupied with monitoring what I do and think in real-time.

The other two allow me to do a task while at the same time thinking about different or related things.

The only time this changes is when I get extremely focused on something—then I can lock onto just one thing, and my streams drop down to 2.

How does this thinking process normally work for people, and is this even normal? Even when I'm not doing much physically, my mind stays wide open, constantly thinking about random things and breaking them down, so by the evenings I'm completely burned out and it's exhausting. If anyone else experiences this, what methods do they use to not wear themselves out so much?

As a side note, the things I think about aren't anxiety or worry loops; it's purely about how things are structured.

What’s on your holiday wish list?? Need some ideas.

My mom & I are gifted adults. She taught Gifted & Talented (aka Accelerated Ed, etc) for 30 years for middle schoolers and had the best time.

She likes puzzles but has solved all of them. Written, physical, variety of shapes, sudoku, etc. All the puzzles. I’ve made her custom puzzles before which she loves but then doesn’t want to redo it.

Other things she loves: fiction books that surprise her. She can guess the end of most books no matter what the twist. Not a ton of blood & gore, and no child abuse. She likes YA novels too. She loves art that plays with beauty, trees, and light.

I am more outgoing. I like experiences. I do cooking classes, comedy shows, book clubs. I used to help my mom write the murder mysteries for her classes where everyone role plays a character. Creative writing and play writing is fun for me. I’ve had a birthday where I did a play reading of a new play I wrote. I had a backyard birthday musical improv show - super fun. I lead trainings, and wrote curriculum around developing self awareness and becoming aware of internal biases. I’ve spoken at an international association conference before.

What do I want for the holidays (other than coffee gift cards)? What would YOU like to get that would make you feel seen?

I'm currently getting tested for giftedness, and it is extremely likely that I do have it. I didn't do it earlier because my therapist still had to get the materials, so I spent the summer waiting.

During an hang out at the beach with my 2 childhood best friends, one of them joked around saying "Oh it's my ADHD" or something of that sort. It kinda put me off, but she followed it by saying she actually thought she had it, and that she was trying to convince her parents to get tested for it. We engaged in conversation about that, she talked about her symptoms and we agreed and asked questions.

Once the conversation was over, I told them «That's cool, I'm probably also getting tested for Giftedness». I felt them staring at me and slightly nodding, so I asked them if they were familiar with the term and they said yeah yet again. The atmosphere became REALLL awkward, as we were all silent. I tried to start something, but since I'm not big on talking I stumbled on my words and ended up apologizing (yes... I know...) for saying that.

Long story short, I haven't told anyone from that moment on. Why is it that ADHD or Autism are seen as just burdens and mental issues and Giftedness is just Einstein level genius to their eyes? It made me feel like an attention seeker, like I was bragging and almost implicitly insulting another neurodivergence. They're called that because neurodivergent people's brains are simply built differently, not because they're better or worse.

I was at a family lunch a couple weeks ago, and my mum mentioned the test I had to do (she's very outspoken...). The way she described it sounded ridiculous: a condition for kids with an higher IQ than the norm, which is technically correct, but then she started bringing up my achievements, skills, grades and everything. I had to jump in and say something bad like "It negatively affects your social relationships and emotional sphere" just so it wouldn't sound like heaven to have.

I am not talking about social wise and how it feels to be around with average people but how exactly does your brain work? What kind of things does your mental image look like?

Context, again, in case anyone wants it: I'm AuDHD and bipolar, with a clinical diagnosis of PTSD. I'm currently taking 18mg Concerta, 10mg Lexapro, and 1.5mg Rexulti, though I've been offered sulpiride for my psychosis and mania.

Someone else mentioned the Positive Disintegration podcast, and I became inspired by Chris Wells after listening to their experience weaning off meds and achieving a higher level of PD. How safe would it be for me to wean off meds, and what are the signs that I shouldn't?

(M22)Firstly, for an extremely long time i genuinely never believed anybody growing up telling me 24/7 I’m smart and i was put in the g&t program before 1st grade. The glaze even started before I was even conscious, my test to get into pre-k was allegedly exceptionally high, the proctor screamed when I finished (according to my mother at least).

But now after a relatively recent OCD diagnosis and a pending audhd diagnosis (pretty confident it’s one of the two), I am for better or for worse more “aware” of my intelligence.

Anyways, my whole life I’ve been told I “sound/talk smart” and I’m aware plentyyy people get told this but for me it’s a little different, I have a clinically diagnosed stutter, it’s not awful but definitely present. On top of what I assume is already my unusual speech pattern at times, I also speak in certain ways sometimes because of my stutter. However, when I’m relaxed most times, I sound like your average 20 something Gen z just with a stutter.

Despite even being in my most relaxed states at times (drunk at a frat), random people I just met STILL immediately have to tell me they think I’m smart 😭. wtf is up with that?

EDIT: I will add that I’m now aware I’m extremely funny (as people also tell me even having just met). And I know that funny people tend to be smart, so that could be it. My vocabulary is decent, I admittedly don’t read, at all, but I can do a little razzle dazzle and pull out an AP English word

When people want to talk to me about studying or learning, especially when they're trying to compare themselves to me, I usually tell them right away that I'm not a good benchmark. People are often taken aback by the number of practice questions I can do in a single day, by the way I learn, or when I tell them that I rarely forget something I've learned, especially complex ideas that fit together and form a bigger picture.

I'm currently studying for a competitive civil service exam in a study room, and I feel a little left out when the other students gather to talk about their studies. Most of them use AI to explain basic concepts, or they feel incredibly productive when they ask AI to summarize a 200-page PDF into 10 pages or do 50 practice questions a day.

I usually read several of those PDFs in their entirety, study the actual legal texts, and still manage to do around 200 practice questions a day. On top of that, I'm pursuing an undergraduate degree and two postgraduate degrees, and I also keep up with a weekly political magazine. Balancing all of this alongside my exam preparation is simply part of my routine.

When people ask me about my routine, I never quite know how to answer without sounding arrogant, so I avoid telling them everything I do and usually add a little self-deprecating remark, like, "Maybe there's something a little off about my brain!"

Deep down, though, I find myself thinking that these people will never pass a competitive exam if they keep studying in such a superficial way.

hello, i have a question for extremely intelligent people or friends/family of people who are. as someone with above average, but relatively normal intelligence, i often find myself getting annoyed at people’s stupidity. particularly, on the internet, it’s common to find unfiltered opinions, conceptions of things, beliefs, thoughts, etc that are frustratingly stupid. read enough of them, and you may start to feel alone, unseen, unheard, and not understood. obviously, on the other hand, i’m sure there are many people who would be quick to point out stupidity, apathy, and refusal to learn. and so, i guess where i was going with this was… if i get frustrated at seeing thoughtless, misinformed, and apathetic human behavior… and this experience is isolating to someone who’s intelligence is merely a bit above average… what the hell could the hyper intelligence folk be going through? and this thought made me laugh. but i’m serious, i thought about those people who can score “genius” on iq tests like 140, 150, 160 etc…. and i suppose i just thought about how isolating that sort of experience would be. i think if i could recognize patterns that well, that i would be angry a lot and probably would avoid binge reading strangers’ posts. i think id also find it very difficult to get close to someone in an emotionally intimate way… but yea, that’s my question. i’d love to hear someone’s take on this.

When looking at someone's face, there's sometimes a certain mood or smell invoked in my brain that gets translated into a phase of life I've experienced before, and it's as if I can smell their whole personality and life right now. I can also imagine vivid memories of that person.

So when I walk around in the mall, all by myself, and feel a silent peace in my head, I look at people and think, "Oh yes, I remember when I used to be like that". Smells like these don't smell like 'something'; they are distinct in their own right. I call it "empathy" because I feel so deeply in the person's life.

For instance, I was playing on a public piano, and some very oddly well-dressed man came along and played something I could never imagine playing myself. His whole vibe was a bit ancient, green, and very forest-ish. The tone he spoke in was confident but quiet. At that moment, a certain unique smell overwhelmed me, and his whole life flashed in front of my eyes (which may be taken figuratively since I didn't actually have a mini-story in my head of him, although I'm not sure how else to put it).

I'm sharing this because it may or may not be related to giftedness, and I hope to find someone who can relate. I've talked about this to others, and some believe it's "personality-smell synesthesia", but I don't experience it in the same way a lot of people describe their experience with it.

I often read in this sub that gifted people experience seeing patterns very easily in day to day life. I was wondering if you could give me detailed examples of these?

It's weird when you suddenly realize you taught yourself something that most people assume you must have been taught. I'm slowly realizing that I learned English almost entirely on my own.

Growing up in India, I remember learning basic English by the age of 9. The interesting part is that nobody around me spoke English, and nobody actually taught me the language. I started watching English content on YouTube only after I had already learned it.

Looking back, I find it pretty fascinating that I managed to pick it up on my own. I never really thought much about it until recently, but now I wonder how I learned so much without anyone guiding me.

I think of Dr. Stephen Maturin in the Patrick O'Brian books (Master and Commander), who is a true polymath. He's a doctor of medicine and natural science, as well as a linguist, cellist, author, expert dueler, spy and naval surgeon. He's also well read on many topics. He's extremely eccentric but his quirks are tolerated and his giftedness is widely admired by all the other characters in the book.

It's interesting because in his personal journal entries, he does get frustrated with others because his mind is miles ahead of everyone else. And he's also a morphine addict because, well, it hurts to be on that level.

Where I think the fiction lies is that in real life, such a gifted person would not be recognized by most of society. We need to hide ourselves and mask because our multiple abilities are not understood at best, and are viewed with envy and suspicion at worst. I can't even imagine what it must be like to be fully seen and appreciated by the world, as he is.

Is anyone else having this? This whole AI race has me very concerned. Yesterday, I watched a video of a Japanese robot that did martial arts and jumped a great distance. They basically married Bruce Lee and Robocop. Imagine AI taking control of that. This is literally the plot of The Terminator.

Every day, I seem to be seeing news stories about rogue AI. "Oh, we didn't know it could do that." You should. AI people are telling us that what they're creating will end mankind, and they're so casual about it, like we're all NPCs in the AI version of Grand Theft Auto. Don't be flippant with our lives, man.

Add all the tariff crap. I can't get Adderall right now.

This semi-dystopian existence is draining. It's messing with my head. I can't talk to my friends about this because they don't see what I do. They don't look that far ahead.

So Im 15, and everone who hears my story says im gifted so i think gifted people could really help

So i have combined ADHD and my personality type is ENTP, just for context.

So why i think im gifted is because i didnt study in a very long time, since my mom stopped helping me study. And guess what? My grades are absouloutly ridicioulous

In 3rd grade, i was 2nd on my school and in the rest of the grades until 6th i was in top 5 every single year, by just attending the lecture and winging it.

In middle school? I swithced to a different countries education, so my first year wasnt that good.

But my second year? And all the years after it, i always got perfect or near perfect grades in maths, no studying still and in most subjects like history is still didnt study i just relied on exam nights

And then highschool

My first year i got 99/100 on maths in the both semesters and got 87 in history, mostly due to ignorance on the work over the school year but the actual exam i was getting a perfect score

And as a 13 year old i started learning to code on khan academy, then as a 14 year old i made a fully scientific calculater using the shunting yard algorithm to translate from postfix to prefix (i dont really remember what it was called i watched a yt tutorial 4 times and it took me 4 days but at the end it could do sin cos tan pi log etc) (and the calculator was made over 2 weeks) (it was definitly harder to understand than a 3x3 matrix😭😭)

And rn? Im suffering, my parents refuse to get me a diagnosis bcs adhd is just a minor inconvinience or whatever and im not really studying and i neither have maths nor physics this year only next year and im freaking terrified i wanna go into mechatronjcs but like this i might not make it, and also my grades are still very ridiculous i keep losing points over silly mistakes but other than that im doing good somehow😭😭

Many years ago I realized that my natural state was too intense for people for the most part. I tried to adjust some after that but haven't done a great job of it. Occasionally when I get a chance to say something interesting to someone word vomit just happens. It's really hard to stay on that 'normal' level consistently.

That said I'm curious which strategies and ideas you've used to deal with this problem?

Thank you!

Hi everyone! I’d be delighted to hear from child psychologists, professionals with experience in assessing young children, or parents who have undergone similar tests.

How do you actually evaluate the IQ of a 5-year-old child with expressive language delay? Is it generally possible to obtain an accurate and reliable IQ score when a child has difficulty expressing their thoughts verbally?

Do you use nonverbal IQ tests or other assessment methods to measure their cognitive abilities independently of their language difficulties?

I’d really appreciate your professional insights and recommendations. Thank you!

I'm AuDHD. Sorry if this is rambly. Got on vyvanse a couple years ago which helped and still helps a lot, but I've had a lot of major life changes since then and am finding myself in a bit of a rut and finding myself becoming disorganized and scattered again. Even with meds, during uni lectures I have to use one hand to take notes and another hand to doodle while I listen to the lecture, it works but it still just feels like going through the motions and I feel full of dread.

I'm in uni getting a bachelors, eventually want a masters or even a PhD but I mostly want to do school as a form of mental stimulation, not really because I want a specific job or anything. I get fulfillment from hobbies. My main ones are drawing and reading, but I've been drawing so long and can draw almost anything that I feel like I've reached a ceiling and don't know how to explore it further. I do other types of mediums and arts and crafts less frequently. I do writing (journaling, poems) calisthenics, and see my friends occasionally. I don't like video games anymore, I like the hobbies I have to be constructive. I'm not interested in romantic relationships or having kids. I have tried many times to go out and meet more people because I feel like I'm supposed to but I just don't enjoy it. People are put off or intimidated by me no matter how friendly I am or they envy me and try to drag me down or I get frustrated and bored. I'm very happy with the few friends I do have and don't feel like I'm missing out on much in that regard.

On paper everything looks fine but I just don't know what is missing. Is it money? I've always been very good with making infrequent, intentional purchases, learning to be happy with what I already have or to create instead of buy, and live below my means. I treat my credit card like a debit card which feels intuitive but apparently most people don't do this? I don't feel pressure to monetize my hobbies because the money is just going to sit in my bank account, I get enough from working summer jobs anyways. I feel like I differ a lot from my peers in this way, money isn't just numbers to me, I can feel it spatially and its very easy to talk myself out of buying almost anything if I don't need it. It feels like everyone else is doing their side hustles and buying stuff but my brain decided to spend as little as possible and cultivate a mindset where I had to make my own happiness instead of buy it. I don't think there's anything morally wrong with those other people but I do feel alienated from them and society because so many systems and advice are predicated on buying lots of stuff frequently (other than essentials). This didn't even start as a political thing as a kid, it was simply because my strong spatial abilities made money feel like a physical thing instead of an abstract social thing and so its not easy to rationalize myself into buying things...I know people who think that being in a little bit of credit card debt all the time is a good thing and that seems weird to me?

I don't know where to go from here. I feel this general pressure to monetize my art but I've tried before and find it boring and repetitive and a bit soul sucking. I don't know what to make my art for, other than myself, but its just not enough challenge. I'm not really motivated by pleasure, I tried it and was bored out of my mind. I can't really do it for my emotions because I get bored of my own emotions. I like going on adventures and exploring the city but can't do that often because of school. Idk I'm just rambling at this point. Thanks for listening!

My eleven year old learned Spanish all by herself. When she was six or seven I noticed that she could identify some words just by listening and I was shocked but now I tried teaching her and to my surprise she reads very well and could translate almost anything.

She does have some mistakes but in general she has pretty good skills. The only tool she has had in the past is Duolingo... And she stopped a while ago.

My question is what can I do to help her achieve the most academically? She likes math and is a pretty good reader.

Is it common to have a love and hate relationship with, say, math? I used to love solving math problems but then i'd get bored when a teacher didn't really explain its purpose or practical applications. My brain craves the "whys" behind everything and honestly it's exhausting.

*Not claiming to be gifted, but rather trying to understand it. This is only one of the many things that makes me feel weird. 😅🤣

I was trying to find information how gifted minds work upon waking up and if its different from average people. There didn't seem to be any research upon this topic either so I decided to make a poll for everyone who has been tested to have high intelligence.

I have a 135IQ and when I wake up I tend to think of weird theories or why humans do the things they do. Mind this is not even my field of profession. But my brain automaticaly goes to this mode.

Im curious to know how others mind works when waking up. And do you also get questions on why on earth are you thinking complex stuff when most can barely make coffee to have a functional brain.

even with an average iq, I’m the most successful guy from my childhood friend group

Though I had 90%+ in everything out of sheer hard work, I was always jealous of them. The originality and accuracy of their insights were on people, trends… scared me

learning methods and doing the same types of exam questions on repeat till you’re the best is one thing, but having that kind of speed, deductive ability and logic thinking is something I wanted for myself

you can’t always ‘practise’ for every situation in life. this is where I wish I had a better brain

I think I’m only good at things I’ve done repeatedly rather than have the intelligence to adapt to a new situation

What’s it like to have a high IQ for those tested?

So I think I am not an displined kid , and I was tested iq 138 at 14 with adhd , i am 17 now

And iq has helped me very much like 1 month from now an organisation came to my school to give scholarship ( the test was same like an iq test like some puzzles, visual and etc)

All students from class 10 to 12 were given this

For reference i don't study good like I land sometimes on top 10 in my section C ,so people think I am just upper average but in the test I scored 108/112

Highest in the whole school , I got money like if I convert to dollars and use ppp it's like 4900 dollars

I also got huge scholarships

Even the class topper got only 81

I felt so bad for ones who actually deserved it , cuz I don't think a person like me who waste his time should have this thing

( Ik my english is bad sorry for that I am not native )

M22 Anche se sono molto giovane, do dei contributi molto rilevanti nel settore della salute. Per privacy non scenderò molto in dettaglio. Ci sono tante persone riconoscenti, alcune affermazioni di gratitudine sfociano anche nel campanilismo per la mia regione lol quando fanno notizia ma non mi importa più di tanto. Sono sempre stato sin da piccolo gifted, ho sempre raggiunto risultati molto importanti sia in età scolastica sia oggi. Il punto è che io ho anche dei miei problemi personali emotivamente per cui sto molto giù di morale. Ovviamente mi sforzo di continuare in quello che faccio ma alcune volte il mio morale tocca il fondo. Per tanti motivi. Per come mi vedo, per sentirmi solo, per non essere amato. Spesso quando finalmente mi sento felice in un periodo poi finisce. Ho un po' di difficoltà nelle relazioni interpersonali.

Non saprei, mi viene anche abbastanza difficile esprimermi, sento di star soffrendo molto :(

Sometimes, I notice that people around me go quiet when I speak, and even after I finish, nobody really responds. I've noticed this happens more often when I get really deep into a topic.

For context, I've never taken an IQ test, so I have no idea where I would fall in that regard. I do have a friend who scored 132 on an IQ test, and he's one of the few people I can relate to across a wide range of topics. That could simply be because we share similar interests, though, so I'm not drawing any conclusions from it.

I figured I'd ask here since this community might have people who've experienced something similar.

For those of you who identify as gifted, have you ever noticed people disengaging or going quiet when you get into the details of something you're interested in? If so, how do you interpret it? Is it usually a difference in interests, the depth or pace of the conversation, difficulty communicating your thoughts, or something else entirely?

I'm genuinely curious about your experiences. I'm not trying to self-diagnose or imply that I'm gifted; I just want to understand whether this is something others can relate to.