Girl With IQ Of 161: Lauren Marbe’s Mensa Test Means Nothing?

The girl with an IQ of 161 is making headlines. Lauren Marbes is a straight A student who decided on a lark to take a Mensa test and was shocked to see the results. But does having a high IQ mean anything?

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the girl with an IQ of 161 defies most stereotypes of what comprises someone who has a high IQ. The majority of those with a high IQ go on to be a success. Most people think of Mensa members as being geeks, or at least brunettes. Lauren Marbes even commented about that perception:

“I love my fake tan and fake nails as well so I guess I am a bit of an Essex girl in that sense. (But) I’m glad that I might be able to show people that we aren’t all ditzy and blonde.”

Lauren Marbe describes herself as “ditzy” and she was not expecting such a high IQ test result. Another interesting factor is that even a girl with an of 161 might suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADD. Psychology Today reports that even high IQ children can suffer from ADD:

“Results from [the study on high IQ children suffering from ADD] uncovered a pattern of vulnerabilities in executive functions, the management system of the brain, that caused these bright students to have chronic difficulty in focusing on their work, in getting their work done adequately, in keeping in mind what they had just heard or read, and in organizing and completing assignments. Some have been mystified as to how very bright students could suffer from ADD. They assume that being smart protects a person from the difficulties associated with ADD. This study shows that it doesn’t.”

Having an ulta-high IQ can also be a detriment. ” Terman’s study of the highest IQ group among his cohort revealed that more than one third grew up to be ‘maladjusted’ in some way: for example having significant problems of anxiety, depression, personality disorder or experience of ‘nervous breakdowns’.” William James Sidis supposedly had the highest recorded IQ of between 250 to 300, “yet he was certainly ‘maladjusted’, and had a chaotic, troubled and short life.” This research is summarized on one paragraph:

“In fact, there seems to be a consensus among psychometricians (and among the possessors of ultra-high IQ themselves) that – while an IQ of about 120-150 is mostly advantageous – extremely high IQ levels above this may prove to be as often of a curse as a benefit from the perspective of leading a happy and fulfilling life.”

According to Medical Daily, a study published in an upcoming issue of the journal Neuron confirms that IQ tests are not an accurate predictor of intelligence. Using 12 cognitive tests and MRI brain scans, they looked at the data from 100,000 participants. They discovered “that no single test explained the entire picture of intelligence,” “lifestyle and personal background also accounted for a wide variety of the differences found in the test results,” and “differences in performance could be attributed to a wide variety of factors, including short-term memory and reasoning.”

So the girl with an IQ 161 might actually have a tough time ahead in her future. Still, I wish Lauren Marbe well, and hopefully Mensa will have another wonderful member.

What do you think about the girl with an IQ of 161? Do you think IQ tests are a reliable method of determining the overall intelligence and performance of an individual?