SAUK Discussion Board

Go Back   SAUK Discussion Board > Social Anxiety Discussions > Room with a View
Join! Blogs FAQ Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Notices

Reply  Post New Thread
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 1st August 2015, 09:16
Ashtray88 Ashtray88 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: near london
Posts: 562

Mood
Crappy

Default Studies link Social Anxiety to empathetic ability, high IQ and threat detection

Not sure if this is the right place. Just was reading an interesting article about some studies that have found some positive aspects of anxiety.

http://www.idealistrevolution.org/st...-intelligence/

Basically, people who suffer from anxiety are also more likely to have a higher empathetic ability, higher verbal IQ and higher "sentential intelligence" which means that they can detect oncoming threats from the environment more quickly. I wouldn't go so far as to call social anxiety a "gift" like the article does at the end but just thought it was interesting to consider some of the positive aspects of suffering from an anxiety disorder, which aren't focused on so much.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 1st August 2015, 12:16
firemonkey firemonkey is offline
Banned at own request
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Calne,Wiltshire
Posts: 6,597

Mood
Doubtful

Default Re: Studies link Social Anxiety to empathetic ability, high IQ and threat detection

Is higher IQ in those with anxiety merely confined to the verbal area only though? I have both general anxiety and social anxiety. My verbal IQ is certainly high but my performance/visual spatial IQ is not. I score especially badly on tests of visual spatial ability.
My IQ profile is suggestive of non verbal learning disorder(though not diagnosed) and those with it tend to be more anxious than those who are not.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 1st August 2015, 12:40
firemonkey firemonkey is offline
Banned at own request
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Calne,Wiltshire
Posts: 6,597

Mood
Doubtful

Default Re: Studies link Social Anxiety to empathetic ability, high IQ and threat detection

I was tested at school decades ago but wasn't made aware of the results. I think it was a general IQ test. It is possible to be tested nowadays for various aspects of intelligence but it is not a routine part of psychiatric treatment. I did try explaining I had difficulties but was shut down rather quickly. Probably because my pdoc adheres to the old fashioned idea that high overall intelligence precludes a learning difficulty( pdocs have variously referred to me as highly/very intelligent).

My comments on my IQ stem from a range of online tests aimed at verbal and non verbal intelligence( yes some may be junk but many are not).
It also stems from doing tests through IQ books and noticing I got far more verbal questions right than the "which of these shapes goes with the others" type questions.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 2nd August 2015, 21:00
LonelyBoy LonelyBoy is offline
Banned
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 1,369
Default Re: Studies link Social Anxiety to empathetic ability, high IQ and threat detection

Are people who suffer from anxiety also more likely to believe flattering generalisations?
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 3rd August 2015, 02:11
tryinghard tryinghard is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,263
Default Re: Studies link Social Anxiety to empathetic ability, high IQ and threat detection

I question the validity of the results mainly because anxiety can be caused by so many things it's unlikely it is linked to traits like IQ, BUT I'm totally for anything that shows the positive side of MH because I personally believe it does have a positive side.

Some people find this to be empty positive thinking, but I really believe that everything I have struggled with - and especially issues I have overcome - have been character building. I think I'm a stronger person for having seen more pain, and I am genuinely more empathic post-MH than pre (but this might be because I was quite cold when I was young).

Edison didn't try and fail to create a lightbulb thousands of times because he was happy with the way things are. The man had an obsessive drive that is usually fuelled a deep insecurity (and a desperate need for achievement/fame/respect/adoration). Same goes for a lot of the people who gave the world a bit more spice - both our artists and our professors (believe me, I work with both...).

The way I see it, secure people make the world go round; insecure people make it interesting. There are positive sides to not having perfect mental health.

(Also, of interest: anorexia is often linked with both higher achievement and lower IQ...but they tend to do the IQ tests when someone is anorexic: read: suffering from starvation. The very impact of someone's mental health problem probably has an affect on results of tests like these too.)
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 3rd August 2015, 10:22
LonelyBoy LonelyBoy is offline
Banned
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 1,369
Default Re: Studies link Social Anxiety to empathetic ability, high IQ and threat detection

Quote:
Originally Posted by tryinghard
Edison didn't try and fail to create a lightbulb thousands of times because he was happy with the way things are. The man had an obsessive drive that is usually fuelled a deep insecurity (and a desperate need for achievement/fame/respect/adoration). Same goes for a lot of the people who gave the world a bit more spice - both our artists and our professors (believe me, I work with both...).
Or because it took thousands of attempts to get a working light bulb.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 3rd August 2015, 14:40
firemonkey firemonkey is offline
Banned at own request
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Calne,Wiltshire
Posts: 6,597

Mood
Doubtful

Default Re: Studies link Social Anxiety to empathetic ability, high IQ and threat detection

Quote:
Originally Posted by LonelyBoy
Are people who suffer from anxiety also more likely to believe flattering generalisations?
I would have thought the opposite. You are more likely to reject positive generalisations.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 3rd August 2015, 15:49
Ajax Amsterdam Ajax Amsterdam is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 4,830

Mood
Lurking

Default Re: Studies link Social Anxiety to empathetic ability, high IQ and threat detection

Quote:
Originally Posted by firemonkey
I would have thought the opposite. You are more likely to reject positive generalisations.
On the whole I'd agree with you there. In my experience, anxiety sufferers I have observed over the years reject positives quite readily. Having said that, there is one sweeping generalisation that I have seen embraced over many years and by plenty of anxiety sufferers. This generalisation being that they are more empathic, caring and intelligent than 'normals' who (by some) are seen as a bit thick as well as loud and lacking in empathic understanding.

So yes, I think the ''we are more intelligent and empathic'' generalisation is the one flattering generalisation that I have seen embraced by plenty of anxiety suffedrers over the years.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 3rd August 2015, 16:44
flumpsy flumpsy is offline
Banned at own request
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 4,299
Blog Entries: 11
Default Re: Studies link Social Anxiety to empathetic ability, high IQ and threat detection

Quote:
Originally Posted by LonelyBoy
Are people who suffer from anxiety also more likely to believe flattering generalisations?
Yes, they are great at most things. From my experience those who suffer from social anxiety turn out to be incredibly good in bed too.

Seriously I think the cause and indeed the effect of social issues are so varied it is impossible to generalise, and to be honest the standard IQ test isnt worth the paper it is written on, even the verbal one. It is a test of problem solving mainly, it even has some general knowledge questions in it. I mean, what does knowing the last prime minister have to do with intelligence ?
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 18th August 2015, 21:08
Utopia Utopia is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: London
Posts: 1,378
Blog Entries: 7
Default Re: Studies link Social Anxiety to empathetic ability, high IQ and threat detection

Personally I think there is something to this. Anxiety can stem from over thinking things. Also, if you look at drugs like alcohol or benzodiazepines, these tend to really help with anxiety, but make you really absent minded and quite stupid while under the influence.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 13:20.


SAUK Award
Logo designed by abc
Powered by vBulletin
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.