I joined, read a couple issues of their magazine without having time to go to a meeting, and realized that if the meetings were like the magazine they weren’t worth the time. There was far less original thought in Mensa then I had expected.
Saying this about Mensa is a much better way to signal intelligence to other intelligent people than actually being a Mensa member.
Well, it’s worth being a little careful here. Saying dismissive things about an outgroup is an effective way to present myself as a higher-status member of the ingroup; that works as well for “us intelligent people” and “those Mensa dweebs” as any other ingroup/outgroup pairing. Which makes it hard to tell whether I’m really signalling intelligence at all.
Saying this about Mensa is a much better way to signal intelligence to other intelligent people than actually being a Mensa member.
Well, it’s worth being a little careful here. Saying dismissive things about an outgroup is an effective way to present myself as a higher-status member of the ingroup; that works as well for “us intelligent people” and “those Mensa dweebs” as any other ingroup/outgroup pairing. Which makes it hard to tell whether I’m really signalling intelligence at all.
Yes, and I knew that when I said it. But it’s also true.