Does intelligence cause attraction? Only if you do not pass this IQ level.

Being smarter is usually an advantage in seduction, but not past a certain IQ level.

It is usually said that any excess is detrimental, but? does this principle apply to people's level of intelligence?

In most aspects of life, the answer to the above question has been proven to be "no". Intelligence is the ability to adapt to new problems using the means available at any given time, and this is advantageous in virtually any situation.

Thus, although there are certain myths about people with very high intelligence, the truth is that they are more likely to find a well-paid job and to stay healthy and live longer. In general, they neither have significant difficulties in connecting with others, nor are they unhappy.

However, there is one area of life in which being highly intelligent does not seem to bring significant advantages: the possibility of arousing sexual attraction in others..

Testing the concept of sapiosexuality

In recent years, the concept of sapiosexuality, associated with people who are often called sapiosexuals, has become very popular. Simply put, sapiosexuals are individuals who, when assessing the attractiveness of someone, take into account their level of intelligence, to the point where it is very important for them to be attractive.to the point where it is the personal trait to which they attach most importance.

All this, however, does not cease to occur in theory, since until very recently this subject had not yet been studied. However, a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Western Australia has set out to test whether sapiosexuality is really a psychological concept that explains something real, or whether it is just a label that some people use to appear more interesting.

The results have shown that this phenomenon does have some empirical basis, but only to a certain extent. When it comes to the attraction generated by high intelligenceThere comes a point at which intelligence almost doesn't matter. That is, a high IQ usually goes hand in hand with greater attraction, but not if it is so high that it borders on genius and intellectual giftedness.

If you are not a genius with a very high IQ, intelligence attracts

In this research we have worked both with the IQ data of different people and with those that refer to the sexual attractiveness given to them, and to the interest in having a long-term relationship with these people. The results show, on the one hand, that intelligence has a greater effect on interest in having a relationship than on sexual attractiveness. In addition, among the 13 personal traits to be rated, intelligence was the second most valued when judging people's attractiveness, just behind "kind and understanding".

However, the results showed something strange. Intelligence significantly raises people's attractiveness, but only up to an IQ of 120 (an intelligence score that only one person in 10 matches or exceeds). Once this IQ level is passed, the importance of intelligence in attractiveness plummets.. That is, the mental ability of people to solve problems through intellect is not something that adds attractiveness in extremely intelligent people. Why?

A relationship of equals

It is clear that intelligence brings with it many advantages, and that those advantages are usually taken advantage of both by the intelligent and by those with whom the high IQ person has a positive relationship. However, it is also true that in relationships, whether fleeting or stable, symmetry is important.

Perhaps because of this, intelligence can become something that distances people who are very different in this aspect. The results of this study show that sapiosexuality may indeed have an empirical basis.On the other hand, the conclusions reinforce the idea that an excess of attractive or highly valued traits in most situations can have a negative effect.

And the fact is that intelligence is expressed in many ways in everyday life: in the type of conversations, in hobbies, in the type of humor, etc. All these elements are a way to create harmony between two people, but if this does not appear and it is difficult to connect, frustration appears.

The most intelligent people may not normally have problems when it comes to socializing simply because they are intelligent, but this does not mean that they connect with everyone. that doesn't mean that they connect with everyone.; it may also mean that they have more resources to find those people with whom they fit better and who provide more interesting mental stimuli.

Bibliographical references:

• Gignac, G. E., Darbyshire, J., Ooi, Michelle (2017). Some people are attracted sexually to intelligence: A psychometric evaluation of sapiosexuality. Intelligence, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2017.11.009