The puzzle: do we distinguish men as being smarter???

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by Megalife, Dec 15, 2011.

  1. Megalife

    Megalife Platinum IL'ite

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    Men might be better at spatial awareness, fixing an appliance, reading maps, or navigating, but does that mean men are smarter than women? May be no. But some sure think they are. Also children (of both sexes) believe that their fathers are Albert Einstein ( …currently they have the Steve Jobs fever going on!) and grandfathers are Issac Newton!
    Across the world, women score higher in terms of language development and emotional intelligence. From my personal experience I do not see too much overall difference when it comes to gender and intelligence. But I have noticed that in many situations women, across the world, tend to underplay their intelligence, while men exaggerate it. While I do not want to spark a controversy in here, was curious of your take on gender differences and intelligence. Have you noticed anything interesting!
    This topic might vouch strongest feelings among my IL friends:bonk (like what happened to the former president Larry something of Harvard who was criticized for suggesting that women are underrepresented at senior levels of sciences partly due to inborn differences in intellectual ability blah blah ….) …but then I am not suggesting anything, want to hear your view.
    I once read somewhere that more men occupy both the ends of the intelligence graph (severe duffers and extremely intelligent) and more women end up in the middle of the graph. It doesn't indicate that women aren't majorly retarded or exceptionally intelligent, just that more men end up at the ends and women in the middle.
    While I hate controversies, I like to meet them half way :hide:
     
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  2. Aspire

    Aspire Gold IL'ite

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    Woman and men have significantly different reactions to the same emotions, which in turn could be thought as a different level of intelligence.

    Is a person emotional not intelligent? even though many will agree that we make better decisions when we put our feelings aside.

    Is a person educated more intelligent than an un-educated person?

    Just because one is good in communication and in language skills is the person considered more intelligent?

    Boy, what a heated debate this one is going to be! :)
     
  3. rkgurbani

    rkgurbani IL Hall of Fame

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    Women are equally smart!!!

    Both men and women have intelligent genes only the areas may differ...but that does not mean men are necessarily always smarter than women.

    Women are known to handle stress far better than men and are better performers where multi-tasking is concerned (house, kids, work,etc etc) Women also have stronger reactions and stronger views.

    This would surely be a never-ending debate!!! would love to see the views....
     
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  4. Shanvy

    Shanvy IL Hall of Fame

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    I strongly object megalife.

    I am known to wield a spanner,screw driver better and fixing an appliance than my dh. I believe, both are equally smart.

    There was not much of a need for a woman to wield the spanner,earlier as the menfolk were available to do it..today with the fast moving life and necessity i am sure many here can equally fix a appliance, navigate better and read maps too.

    It is all about an opportunity and the optimal utilization of that opportunity.

    Let us revamp the dictionary of assumptions please.

    On the side note : My kids consider mom is better equipped to handle situations..
     
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  5. Megalife

    Megalife Platinum IL'ite

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    Hi Aspire
    ...exactly what I was looking for...open debate...like back in school days!
    Mega
     
  6. Megalife

    Megalife Platinum IL'ite

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    Hi rkgurbani
    ...i would give woman 99/100 for that and man 80/100!...good views!
    Mega
     
  7. Aspire

    Aspire Gold IL'ite

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    Multi-tasking can be learned and may sound better to handle. In reality many researchers have come out saying multi-tasking bottlenecks your brain. If you google the net you will understand better. So, ladies who take pride in multi-tasking, please remember on the long run, it creates more stress...so watch out!

    Just curious, so, if somebody is multi-tasking, are they more intelligent? :)

    One can chat with a passenger and still drive a car without problems? What do you think? Is the driver more intelligent?
     
  8. satchitananda

    satchitananda IL Hall of Fame

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    Hi Megalife,

    Very interesting topic. We really need to define "intelligence", don't we? While I am not intelligent/smart enough to have the definition or purview of the term at my finger tips, I am intelligent enough to have Wikipedia - the artificial intelligence - at the very same finger tips. Well, this is what dear old Wiki has to say:

    I shall take an example of male intelligence and female intelligence from day to day experiences with individuals with whom I relate.

    So start off with BH. He is very technically savvy - bordering on brilliant (intention not being to boast, but just to be objective with myself as the reference point - any intelligent person could very well challenge this reference point :biglaugh). He is financially savvy. That is where it ends. Ask him to separate a thick layer of cream from previously boiled and cooled milk, he is seriously challenged. Ask him stuff pertaining to languages, he is equally flummoxed. He gets on with his life - he got a wife who takes care of these things for him. So now that is intelligence. He has managed to take care of his weak areas by finding someone to compensate for them. Quick decision making and he are alien to each other. Even the littlest of decisions is a five year plan. :rant

    Me on the other hand am incapable of abstract thinking as evidenced by the fact that calculus, coordinate geometry, physics and chemistry had me totally lost. (Even today I have nightmares that I am going for my maths exam and have not even bought the book!!!!!) But I have figured out how to handle this guy and his quirks. I am smart enough to do things like ferret away his old clothes which he hates discarding and he won't even know they are missing :rotfl

    So both are intelligent in different ways. But on the whole (now please understand, I am just being totally objective and not sexist) if one has to consider that throughout history, life and society has been tuned to favour males, women having to battle it out with lesser muscular strength, and then if one considers the fact that there are so many women who are still here to tell us their tale, then I guess women have a higher degree of intelligence (as measured by survival quotient). :hide:
     
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  9. Megalife

    Megalife Platinum IL'ite

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    Dear Satchi
    When I started off this discussion, I wasn't too sure of how it would be received out here, but the ILs out here have come out with very casual yet worthy examples to explain their thoughts. Thank you for that!
    ...you can include my DH to this package as well!
    We have some cool inputs from our IL friends ...please go thru!
    Megalife
     
  10. iyerviji

    iyerviji Finest Post Winner

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    In present age women can handle any situation and I agree with what RKG has said about women. When a wife expires the man feels lonely but when the husband expires the wife manages everything alone.
     

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