Do you believe asexuals have a higher average IQ?

[choose_abstinence]

I do, and from personal experience because asexuals' minds aren't preoccupied with thoughts of lustful recreational mating. I talk to sexuals and find most of them to be irrational, arguementive and disagreeable, some even perverse. The other day I was discussing facts about diseases and pregnancy and that person only listened to what he wanted to hear. He believes AIDS is the only thing you have to worry and that the other diseases don't matter. He then told me you can get the same diseases from cuddling! :lol: :roll: :lol: I was like wha? How? He said thru your cloth. If this is true, it's something I never heard before. Probably a myth made up by him to justify his excuse to recreationally mate. Then he goes talking about how wonderful porn is :roll:

Back in high school, my (hetero)sexual male friends would talk about mast***ation, porn, boobs, girls and *** while the asexuals would talk about science, theories, politics and useful facts. I have walked up to a (hetero)sexual male and said "what useful, scientific topic shall we discuss this fine day" and he said ***! :lol: :roll: so I said fine, lets talk about how *** can spread diseases and he :lol: and said I penetrate my girlfriend with a condom so I am protected. I :roll: and just walked away.

Not to offend the sexuals, some of them actually engage in intelluctual converstations, but alot of them can't stop thinking about getting laid with the next woman that walks :roll: Even those that can refrain for a minute usually don't have anything meaningful to discuss. So by personal experience, asexuals are the smarter ones and the ones I prefer to engage in long meaningful discussions. Oh and they also share my thoughts and beliefs. Great asexual minds think alike :D

[Busrider]

I can agree that people with less measurable intelligence maybe reproduce a bit more often and earlier, but I won't go any further.

To me there is a big difference between idleing intelligence and visible efficiency and society usually honors the last.

If you are capable of living a productiv scientific life, kudos to you. If you're spending time on challenges that have no benefit, like useless discussions, computer gaming, other time wasting hobbies, I see no difference between that and sexuality.

Maybe sexuality even encurages people to have more success in a "I wanna be a star to get groupies" way? - That's just a thought and not my personal cup of tea.

[Penumbra]

That's quite a popular question. I think that's the way intelligence is perceived in our society. Think of the archetypes in film and literature - the extremely nerdy intelligent kid in school who is also incredibly socially awkward; or the fluffy-haired genius scientist toiling away in his laboratory to the exclusion of all "normal" life, especially marriage.

And ... you don't necessarily measure the 'intelligence' of a conversation by the topic it's about. After all, masturbation, porn, boobs, girls and sex make up a good deal of the discussion that takes place here in these forums. Does that mean we're stupid?

[choose_abstinence]

That's quite a popular question. I think that's the way intelligence is perceived in our society. Think of the archetypes in film and literature - the extremely nerdy intelligent kid in school who is also incredibly socially awkward; or the fluffy-haired genius scientist toiling away in his laboratory to the exclusion of all "normal" life, especially marriage.

And ... you don't necessarily measure the 'intelligence' of a conversation by the topic it's about. After all, masturbation, porn, boobs, girls and sex make up a good deal of the discussion that takes place here in these forums. Does that mean we're stupid?

Thats what I thought too, had to ask the question here. It must get asked elsewhere frequently. I associate asexualness with intellegence based on society and also from personal experience.

You can make an intellegent discussion using those above words. If someone were to talk about boobs, I would say "the female's boobs which consist of mostly fat has mammary glands that store milk and release it when her infant is sucking/nursing on them to get his meal/drink"

[Kuroneko]

I don't think that asexuals necessarily have higher IQ's than sexuals. When I was completing my Philosophy Graduate work, the most intelligent people there are sexual who I know of. To say that asexuals don't talk about sex at all is completely false. We do talk about it (as evident on this board) but just not in the same way that sexuals may be talking about it. Both sexuals and asexuals have more in common than what you seem to believe - more or less want a stable and secure loving relationship, friends, family, fulfilling careers and simply be personally successful. Besides higher IQ' is not necessarily the most important factor in living a well-managed life - most people who are successful in their personal and professional lives do not have very high IQ's.

Then again, everyone I know is sexual (well, except maybe this one guy who I am acquinted with).

[sp0ntane0us]

Hmm. I've thought of that as well. Just from looking around and reading the posts on this forum, we definitely seem to quite an articulate bunch! :P

It seems a tad elistist to say "asexuals are smarter", though. And there doesn't seem to be a lot of evidence for it.

Theoretically though... I suppose intellectual people are more likely to get involved with intellectual ideas and activities, and thus never really have time/effort to develop an interest in sex. Or alternatively, being asexual means you don't think or worry about sex, so you fill in the empty gaps with other stuff. I'm just hypothesizing.

[jewel_box554]

It seems a tad elistist to say "asexuals are smarter", though. And there doesn't seem to be a lot of evidence for it.

I think so too. I really don't believe that average IQ or any other criteria of intelligence varies from one sexual orientation to the next. And it is true that we talk a lot about sex here on the boards. Although the conversations may not be as mundane as those voiced by your average, sex-obssessed sexual person who is greatly influenced, even conditioned by society/popular culture to view sex in such a simplistic way. If we were to not talk about sex, I think that would make us ignorant elitists. Sex is one of the many natural aspects of life that should in fact be discussed to some degree. We shouldn't shun the topic just because we aren't biologically interested in it.

While it is true that not being programmed to worry about getting laid helps us to focus on more meaningful subjects, I wouldn't go so far as to say that we're necessarily smarter than sexuals. I too know of many intelligent sexual people who don't let their hormones get in the way of them gaining knowledge.

[BunnyK.]

While it is true that not being programmed to worry about getting laid helps us to focus on more meaningful subjects

I often have to roll my eyes at how often I see this statement repeated....ON AN INTERNET MESSAGE BOARD. :lol:

To repeat my typical response: If you spend 1.5 hours or more a day watching TV, surfing the internet, reading crappy romance novels, talking about things that aren't science/philosophy, or chilling in front of a video game - congratulations, you've wasted more time than most sexuals "waste" on sex.

Plus, if we start measuring people's intelligence by what they talk about when they shoot the breeze, we're going to have to lower the national average IQ - it's not when most people shine. :roll:

[Parth]

I don't really know, but Anthony Bogaert's study into asexuality actually found that the 1% of people that claimed to not be interested in sex had on average a lower education than the other 99%. However, on an online forum like this, a decent education is practically a prerequisite to meaningful discussion. So you're unlikely to find many "stupid" people on AVEN.

[FISH']

IQ means nothing to me. I can safely say that my IQ is 0 because those tests are very unreliable.

P.S You don't have to censor any words here.

[cijay]

Do you believe asexuals have a higher average IQ?

No. Absolutely not and I think the very concept is an arrogant one (plus it illustrates the exact prejudices I try to stay away from - generalising.)

There are bazillions of sexuals who manage to set aside their "thoughts of lustful recreational mating." to engage in serious, intelligent conversations and I, for one am one asexual who does NOT have a higher average IQ. I can tell you that right now.

Having "thoughts of lustful recreational mating" is not a continual thing for many sexual people - it's not like it's on their mind 24/7 and nothing else can get through. (think about it...is an asexual's brain continually thinking about NOT having sex?)

Asexuals are just that. Asexual. They are not bigger or smaller, fatter or skinnier, smarter or dumber, happier, less happy, more or less sociable etc etc. They are not less likely to procreate (some by choice, some by mistakenly believing that they'll learn to like it or that their partner will always be there no matter what) many asexuals ARE sexually active, and they're not less likely to get AIDS (it's not just sexually transmitted), herpes (many asexuals still kiss) no more or less likely to make fools of themselves in a mixed crowd - we are a diverse community.

You can make an intellegent discussion using those above words. If someone were to talk about boobs, I would say "the female's boobs which consist of mostly fat has mammary glands that store milk and release it when her infant is sucking/nursing on them to get his meal/drink"

:shock: And THIS sounds like someone with a higher average IQ? :shock: I think it sounds like a 12 year old boy who is getting away with using the word 'boob' in a science report.

[KittyKat]

I think there's a small mild relation. Asexuals, not being (as) "distracted" by sexual thoughts would potentially have more opportunities to expand on their intelligence and make slightly more (or different) use of it. In high school, for example, in a few classes, people would be jealous of me for always doing well. I find it not much of a coincidence that most of these people were the ones who spent more time grooming themselves each day than they spent on their homework and study habits. Many of them had just as much potential to do just as well, but were to distracted by trying to make themselves appealing to apply themselves as much as they could.

I don't think it's "strong" enough to generalize it though. I'm quite sure there's genius sexuals and quite stupid asexuals out there. There's plenty of things out there that MAY distract someone from making the most of their intelligence, and sexuality is but one of them.

[Shooting Star]

All I can say is that I am probably hyposexual/borderline asexual and my IQ always tests at around 130.

[Wolf X Omega]

I believe that it's not because asexuals have higher IQ but mostly, it's because we have a lot more time on our hands to study than most sexuals because we don't have to care about relationships or sex

[retrophile]

I'm going to respond to this by copying one of my rants from another thread. w00t laziness :P

The IQ test was designed to identify struggling schoolchildren who needed extra help, never to determine and rank the absolute intelligence of adults. The intelligence quotient is simply your chronological age divided by your mental age, multiplied by 100. Mental age, apart from being extremely difficult to quantify, is pretty much useless as a criterion in adults after mental development has plateaued. If I'm 22 and my mental age is discovered to be 30, what does that mean? That I somehow have 8 more years of life experience than my peers? It says nothing about my innate abilities.

During World War I a team of scientists IQ tested army recruits and determined that the average mental age in the US is 13 and that approximately half of the population are "morons" or high-functioning mentally retarded. The results were heavily biased against African-Americans, immigrants, and working-class whites, men who had often come from extreme poverty and were often illiterate. Are upper and middle class white males therefore inherently smarter than these groups? Of course not, but at the time lawmakers used the test results as justification for restricting opportunities for the "less intelligent" groups.

Basically, IQ is one of the most fluid and easily manipulated criteria out there for ranking people (which in itself is flawed), and you can use it to prove anything. The only thing IQ tests can reliably quantify is how good you are at taking tests.

[maufry]

If you spend 1.5 hours or more a day watching TV, surfing the internet, reading crappy romance novels, talking about things that aren't science/philosophy, or chilling in front of a video game - congratulations, you've wasted more time than most sexuals "waste" on sex.

You seriously spend less than an hour and a half a day thinking about sex?? Isn't that really low for a sexual? Maybe it's b/c you're female...

I think there's a small mild relation. Asexuals, not being (as) "distracted" by sexual thoughts would potentially have more opportunities to expand on their intelligence and make slightly more (or different) use of it. In high school, for example, in a few classes, people would be jealous of me for always doing well. I find it not much of a coincidence that most of these people were the ones who spent more time grooming themselves each day than they spent on their homework and study habits. Many of them had just as much potential to do just as well, but were to distracted by trying to make themselves appealing to apply themselves as much as they could.

I agree. I don't think it's an issue of anyone being smarter or having a higher IQ than anyone else, it's just a matter of how much time gets spent on different things. For instance, I've always been jealous of my friends who can play the piano beautifully, but I recognize that the only reason I can't play as well as they do is not b/c I lack talent (which I don't), it's just b/c I lack the motivation to work at it. I get frustrated when I can't do something easily right away, so I spend my time doing other things that I can master right away, like crocheting. It's just a matter of where I choose to spend my time. Although I agree with Busrider, it depends on what you're (in the general sense of 'you,' not specific) spending your time on. If you're off smoking pot instead of having sex, well then that's not really going to be doing much for your intelligence level, now is it, lol.

[retrophile]

If you spend 1.5 hours or more a day watching TV, surfing the internet, reading crappy romance novels, talking about things that aren't science/philosophy, or chilling in front of a video game - congratulations, you've wasted more time than most sexuals "waste" on sex.

You seriously spend less than an hour and a half a day thinking about sex?? Isn't that really low for a sexual? Maybe it's b/c you're female...

I think there's a small mild relation. Asexuals, not being (as) "distracted" by sexual thoughts would potentially have more opportunities to expand on their intelligence and make slightly more (or different) use of it. In high school, for example, in a few classes, people would be jealous of me for always doing well. I find it not much of a coincidence that most of these people were the ones who spent more time grooming themselves each day than they spent on their homework and study habits. Many of them had just as much potential to do just as well, but were to distracted by trying to make themselves appealing to apply themselves as much as they could.

I agree. I don't think it's an issue of anyone being smarter or having a higher IQ than anyone else, it's just a matter of how much time gets spent on different things. For instance, I've always been jealous of my friends who can play the piano beautifully, but I recognize that the only reason I can't play as well as they do is not b/c I lack talent (which I don't), it's just b/c I lack the motivation to work at it. I get frustrated when I can't do something easily right away, so I spend my time doing other things that I can master right away, like crocheting. It's just a matter of where I choose to spend my time. Although I agree with Busrider, it depends on what you're (in the general sense of 'you,' not specific) spending your time on. If you're off smoking pot instead of having sex, well then that's not really going to be doing much for your intelligence level, now is it, lol.

I think A LOT about sex. Not about wanting to have it, but about it in general. I'm morbidly fascinated with other people's perversions and spend a lot of time researching the subject (this week: zoophilia). I'm also really interested in issues of gender identity and gender constructions, which may or may not count as sex-related. And I think about my identity as an asexual, what its implications are, and what my next move is going to be as far as coming out and living as an out asexual. On top of all that I spend a fair amount of time thinking about my fetish, which has the same effect as a graphic sex fantasy for a sexual.

I guess my point is, thinking about sex is not something only sexuals do, and also, sex as a subject does not mean your thoughts are wasted.

[Amcan]

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Noooooo

I don't think IQ is all that useful. I have a slightly higher thna avergae IQ but I am useless at understanding a lot of academic concpets unless they are in really simple terms.

But as someone higher up said you are going to tend to have intelligent people on a board like this by it's very nature.

But yes as far as I am concerned - no.

[ily]

My short answer is also "no". As far as I know, the only thing we can safely say about all asexuals is that we're not interested in having sex. Beyond that, I don't think there's any other trait we've all been shown to share.

[ghosts]

I absolutely disagree with the idea that asexuals have a higher IQ. There are intelligent sexual people, and there are unintelligent asexual people. I think a lot of people here tend to overestimate the amount of time that sexual people put into sex. Sexual people are not inherently less productive or creative or intelligent or anything than asexual people.

I believe that it's not because asexuals have higher IQ but mostly, it's because we have a lot more time on our hands to study than most sexuals because we don't have to care about relationships or sex

We don't care about relationships? I certainly do, and a lot of other asexual people do as well.

[Shooting Star]

I was a psychology major for some time, and part of our course overwiew inculded psychometric tests and thier validity. Much debate has fomented over whether the standard I.Q. test gives an unfair advantage to one group or another, like it has in the past where these tests were designed specifically to undermine those who were looked down upon by mainstream Ameican society, particularly blacks and newly arrived immigrants. (typical judgement question on turn-of-the-last-century IQ test:What is the difference between black and white?)

I am very ambivalent about IQ tests, but I do agree with my Intro to Psych instructor that they measure how well you do in the American school system. Unless the correlation between the test results and one's mental capacity is obvious, the IQ test is worthless.

[Dargon]

Nope. I would say AVEN has a more mature and open minded membership than many places, because one must be fairly mature and open minded to accept and discuss the issue of asexuality, but AVEN is probably a poor sample of both the asexual and the sexual world.

I'll also mention there are many people far smarter than me who are sexual.

[141822]

I'd go with a definite no. Just because I can study because I'm not having sex doesn't mean I am. Everyone has their own interests. Some sexuals study, some like knitting, some dont. Just like some sexuals may think about sex all the time, can I not be that interested in something else?

[malizmizer]

Unless there is some yet undiscovered link between low sexual drives/asexualism and measurable intelligence, I don't know why this question is being asked. I've never seen any scientific papers or theories suggesting that asexuals possess higher average intelligence. And, as others have stated, people who are drawn to message boards are usually more articulate and thoughtful than others, so it would be misleading to judge the overall intellect of asexuals based on one message board.

[Penumbra]

Back in high school, my (hetero)sexual male friends would talk about mast***ation, porn, boobs, girls and *** while the asexuals would talk about science, theories, politics and useful facts.

You should look in the Just For Fun forum, and see how useful and intelligent the asexuals' conversation is in there.

[thylacine]

Not to sound "disagreeable" -- but... I'd have to give this "asexual / slightly smarter thing" some deeper thought...

Why?

Personal experience. That's why...

Lookit, I don't know a lot of asexual people outside of the internet... Most of the people I know are sexual, and...

(Sorry to say this, but it's true... And it makes me so sad.)

Most of my friends don't read books, they just watch foolish soap operas, they don't watch the news, they aren't interested in what's going on in society or in the world in general, they don't know anything about art, literature, history, science, politics... etc.

I feel like, you know, are my friends as smart as a fifth grader??? NOPE! I actually work in an office with a person who says she can't read. She is like slightly functionally literate, but will not read through a paragraph and comprehend anything.

This other person I used to work with saw me reading a book about Karl Marx. (It was for a college research project -- so I'm not a Commie -- I am not now nor have I ever been a member of the Communist Party). She asked what it was about. I said, "It's about Karl Marx." She thought he was one of the Marx Brothers for Pete's sakes -- and I'm not making it up.

In another conversation, a group of people were discussing "types of animals," like fish, reptiles, mammals... one person goes, "Is an elephant a mammal?" I'm like, "Well, yeah, it's warm blooded and... " "Yeah, but they got no fur!" I'm like, "Look, it's warm blooded, it doesn't lay eggs, so it's a mammal, okay?" Then they go, "Well, people aren't mammals, are they?" "Well, yeah -- " Then they say, "Oh you just don't know what you're talking about! People aren't mammals!" Next, they go, "Bats are birds, aren't they?" "No, they're mammals -- " "Oh there you go again. You're just dumb." I got out of that conversation... last I heard, dolphins and seals were fish...

My friends won't go with me to museums, the ballet, any of that stuff -- they think it's boring.

Is it our education system in America, or what? Are European people & Canadians like this???

I'm sorry if I sound negative, but I really want some friends, asexual or not, who are actually interested in something beside mindless crap -- someone who can read a book and comprehend its meaning, someone who knows the difference between Monet and Degas, someone who can name a few world leaders that don't include Paris Hilton, Brad Pitt, or Jessica Simpson... !!!

Here is a sad story to end this little complaint of mine...

This mother realized her daughter was a little behind in school and started asking basic questions to figure out her daughter's basic knowledge level... one of the questions was, "Where does the Pope live?" The kids says, "Well, he must live in Hollywood 'cause he's famous." Scary, ain't it?

(And of course most of us realize he lives at the Vatican, which is in Rome, Italy, right... ?)

Lookit... I'm sorry to sound mean. I don't want to sound mean... but I love learning and I love knowledge... And I feel like nobody else does.

I don't know what the answer is, but we'd better do something about how we educate people in this society -- and soon!

[malizmizer]

thylacine...wow. You've got some dumbass friends. I've met some real idiots too, but I don't associate with them. You just have to sort the good from the stupid, it doesn't have much to do with sexual orientation though.

[feldspar]

No, I don't.

I could expand on that, but really, it's late and I don't feel like I have the heart to state the obvious right now. I don't mean to sound brusque, but, come on...

[thylacine]

"thylacine...wow. You've got some dumbass friends." Yeah... hey... they're my friends. I made them myself... :D

These are the ones I work with... My friends from college seem bright enough, though...

I just keep wondering... 1. Am I smart because I'm asexual, and is there a connection? 2. Or am I just both smart and asexual? Or, 3. Are a lot of people I associate with just plain dumbass?

[BunnyK.]

I just keep wondering... 1. Am I smart because I'm asexual, and is there a connection? 2. Or am I just both smart and asexual? Or, 3. Are a lot of people I associate with just plain dumbass?

I vote 2 and 3. I'm definitely sexual, been through college, have a higher IQ than most (though probably not anything special) - and most of my friends that I made in college are both highly sexual and smarter than I am.

You may be smart, but it sounds like you also hang out with idiots.