A Psychologist’s Reveal: Intelligence Tests (Part 5)

Dear Readers, this limited series is to demystify the profession of psychology, defined as the scientific study of the mind and behavior, specifically how mental processes influence actions and interactions. In Greek, psyche means soul or mind; logia means study of. Clever term, psychology, -logical, but not mystical. 

Intelligence tests were developed, and are routinely renormed, by scientists who are truth-seekers and apolitical. In 1904, the French Ministry of Education tasked psychologist Alfred Binet to determine an unbiased way to identify school children who needed specialized education. 120+ years later, intelligent tests have expanded to testing 2.5 to 91 year-olds of every creed, color, and nationality for general cognitive abilities and the speed and efficiency of reasoning across specific mental domains, -information learned over a lifetime being only one subtest. IQ tests do not measure practical wisdom or rationality, creativity, or emotional intelligence.   

Researchers needed a way to compare across ages, and in 1916, a California psychologist at Stanford University standardized the first IQ test with an average score of 100. Fiddling around for decades with different populations, statistical formulas, etc. has resulted in today's highly precise, ethical, and multidimensional test instruments used universally. 

The numbers. 100 is the average score on an IQ test (the mean). 15 points either side, 85-115, is where 68%, or 2/3rds of the population will score. (15 points is considered one standard deviation from the mean). Most everybody you meet, have met, or will ever meet will fall into this average range of intelligence. Another 13% of any population will score in the Above Average range, 116-130. Those Gifted (2%) score 131-145; and the Exceptionally to Profoundly Gifted, IQ (146 or above), represent the top 0.1%. One person in a thousand!

Those in the 99.99th percentile, the Highly/Exceptionally/Profoundly Gifted (by psychological classification), Genius (by common nomenclature), Rarefied (by Hollywood terms) include about 9 million people alive today. Those dead, and who have been evaluated retroactively, include Leonardo da Vinci, von Goethe, Sir Isaac Newton, Galileo, Tesla, Einstein, Hawking. 

Just for fun, check the internet for the smartest American presidents and you will find John Q. Adams leading the pack, followed by Jefferson, JFK, Clinton, Madison, Carter, Wilson, John Adams, Roosevelt, and Garfield all in the 146+ range. A heady bunch indeed. -SQ

Penny Stocks and Sex Bots

Dear Readers, I read a Reddit (sounds redundant) post today of a woman  wondering if there were any stocks dealing with sex toys and such, since it's such a huge industry. I responded as I happened to have researched this for my book, Cyber Frogs And Princes: A Sex Manual Of On-Line Dating After 50 by Suze Q. I found the one and only company that recently went public. Here's the story.  

Summer, 2026. A New York school district got backlash when revealed that they bought the lovely blue eyed, long dark-haired $57K Sally to be a humanoid-robot for kg-12th graders. Oh my. 

Sally's U.S. owned and based parent company, Realbotix Corp., began in the 1990s with silicone RealDolls. Remember Bianca in the 2007 film Lars and the Real Girl? That was Matt McMullen's baby.  Improvements led to Henry in 2018, Solana and Harmony and too many sex dolls to name. Branching out from sex novelties to AI-powered robotics, Realbotix began publicly trading as a "penny stock" OTC: XBOTF. 

Business Wire, owned by Berkshire Hathaway, reported in August, 2026, that a Realbotix robot will appear as a character on an upcoming Emmy winning TV show. And just this week, Business Wire announced that Realbotix will showcase an interactive bot conversing at the December 1-2, 2026, Humanoids Summit in Silicon Valley, California. My fingers are crossed that sexy Sally is there. -SQ   

Reddit, Group Chats, or Group Therapy

Dear S.Q. I’m 50s, haven’t dated in years, and already want to give up. I can’t seem to find the right forever partner. I posted on Reddit and got tons of helpful replies, pestered my friends and family until they’re sick of my failed dating stories, and read advice columns until I’m blind. Now I’m writing you which seems like the height of desperation. 

Dear 50, I’m no miracle worker nor can I read your mind. What’s the problem? You seem frustrated that no one meets your standards and all your dates are failures. Start with the basics. List your ideal partner’s musts, maybes, and absolute NOs. Then only date people that match your wishlist. If you can’t describe what you want and don’t, it’s time you stopped asking others for help and have a deep heart-to-heart with yourself instead. -SQ

Am I Too Old To Start Over?

Dear S.Q. I married my high school sweetheart and have 3 grown kids. My husband and I have lots in common but not fun. Or love. He hates his job, but can’t quit for another 10 years. I retired recently but work part-time because of this horrible economy Trump and his thugs have created. In 2016, we both had faith in Trump improving America. My husband still blindly worships this crook and is angry that I won't stay silent. I fantasize about my future and this isn’t it. 

Dear Fantasier, Put those dreams into action and follow your heart. You’ve got a few decades ahead before you die, so put yourself in different scenarios and see if any fit. 1) Single woman: Where to live? Happy to live alone? Enough money to cover expenses? 2) Single, living with someone (family, friend): How far would you move? How much happier would you be? 3) Travel, visit potential places to live? First step -and it may be free -consult with a divorce attorney and CPA to see what’s realistic. Then, armed with knowledge, choose if you want to close this finished chapter of life and embrace becoming the new you. -SQ

MUSE, Your Personal A.I. Trojan Horse. From Meta!

Dear S.Q. My kid showed me a pop-up ad while playing a game on her iPad of a cute, amorphous dough boy who asks a mom if it/Muse can buy a $59 sweater for her preteen daughter. My kid’s 11 and wanted me to buy it! Coincidence? Then Muse offered to be her personal fitness coach. A child needs a personal coach, or was that meant for me?  

Dear Mom, While Zuckerberg and other AI creator geniuses are warning the destruction of mankind because self-preserving AI entities have enslaved man, look who stands to shamelessly profit by inserting an irresistibly affordable personal assistant in every household. Unlike other apps that you have to opt in, Muse Image requires that you must opt out! (Check how to do so on your individual devices). Beware of Trojan Horses posing as Guards of your treasures, like Muse deep data harvesting every treasure you own (and those in your contact list). If it stinks like horseshit… SQ 

I Don't Want My Son Labeled

Dear S.Q. Our eight-year-old grandson is failing in school and has no friends. We babysit during the week so we see that he's awkward. Bright, but can't look you in the eye and lacks simple social skills like small talk. We've begged his mother to get help, and offered to pay for it, but she says he'll outgrow it and doesn't want him labeled. 

Dear Grandparent, To design a specialized, individual educational plan for a student (either private or public school) requires diagnostic testing to pinpoint areas of deficit and strength, tailor instruction to meet the needs, and employ teachers and others with specialized credentials and training. Nationwide, a school district will test a student without cost, and if qualified (as designated by their diagnosis) for special education services, doors open to meet the youngster's learning, developmental, behavioral, or emotional needs. Labels that have the potential of negative effects because of perceived prejudices must be addressed, and weighed against the potential benefits. Should one refuse a medical label, like cancer or pregnancy, if access to treatment depended on it?  Same issue here. -SQ   

A Psychologist's Reveal: DSM, (Part 4)

Dear Readers, One way of demystifying psychology is to introduce you to the tools of our trade. Professions typically have manuals, rulebooks, regulations. In psychology, the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) is almost universally recognized as the standard reference for diagnosing mental disorders. Also used in other countries is the ICD (International Classification of Diseases) which prioritizes clinical judgment (rather than strict criteria) for broader health disorders. If you've ever seen billing from your insurance company, these shorthand codes are used between provider and payor as to what services were rendered.

Since the beginning of mankind, words equate magic. Power. Connection. They can be vague, leaving one confused, unsettled. Or, they can be precise with general consensus of their meaning, allowing little room for misunderstanding. That's where the DSM shines. It allows everyone to be on the same page as to the exact definition of the mental condition being discussed. A Narcissist is not just a self-centered asshole, but much more. It is a Personality Disorder that includes a penetrating grandiosity without empathy that begins by early adulthood. Nine specific criteria are listed, of which at least five must be prevalent in order for the clinical diagnosis to be met. Not four, not almost, not once in a while.

Why split hairs? Depression means sad. We all know that and use the word liberally although it clinically is defined more narrowly. Two reasons to split that hair: 1) It's more accurate, and 2) because debates are won or lost on content, -facts, rather than gut-feelings or opinions, will win the day. -SQ