Brendan Kelly Ph.D.

Brendan Kelly is Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto. He is author of over 50 books including the recent "Intelligence, IQ & Perception", and "Intelligence: Where we Were, Where we Are & Where we’re Going." He holds two doctorate degrees: a Ph.D. in Mathematics (Number Theory) from U. of T. and an Ed.D. in Computer Applications from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and he curates his site on Quora titled, “IQ & Intelligence.”

What long-term perspectives do intelligent people typically have that others might miss?

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The ancient Romans had an adage: Mens sana in corpore sano—“a sound mind in a sound body.” Some philosophers of the Roman Empire held this up as an ideal for developing a balanced and fulfilling life. In modern research we often see a similar pattern. On average, more intelligent people are somewhat more likely to …

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Is having an IQ of 130 really an advantage in everyday life, or can it sometimes be more of a burden?

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A great advantage of an IQ in the gifted range (≥ 125) is that it enables you to pursue almost any career you choose with a high chance of success if you combine it with hard work, commitment and intense curiosity. In your voyage through life, you have the opportunity to make groundbreaking discoveries that …

Is having an IQ of 130 really an advantage in everyday life, or can it sometimes be more of a burden? Read More »

What is an example of a formula from one field that has found an unexpected but highly impactful application in a completely different discipline?

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Our five senses are the only tools we have for perceiving the vast chaotic universe well enough to survive. Processing an infinite variety of stimuli through these senses and storing them as perceptions required significant compression and distortion of information. Gustav Fechner, a German physicist and experimental psychologist in the 1850’s explored the connection between …

What is an example of a formula from one field that has found an unexpected but highly impactful application in a completely different discipline? Read More »

How should we really think about IQ scores when it comes to measuring intelligence and achievement?

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Of course, the answer to this question depends upon the area of achievement is sought. The most important factor in achievement of any kind is intensity of purpose. This is a passionate commitment to a goal that is so strong that it drives a person to work intensely toward achieving a particular ambition. Michael Jordan …

How should we really think about IQ scores when it comes to measuring intelligence and achievement? Read More »

Can learning from the routines of geniuses like Newton and Michelangelo help today’s 20-year-olds enhance their intelligence and potential?

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Learning about the struggles and triumphs of the great geniuses of the past can help young people harness rather than enhance their intelligence and potential. Many young people imagine that geniuses were recognized early, nurtured by their parents, sent to the best universities and then produced their masterpieces. However, this path to fame and glory …

Can learning from the routines of geniuses like Newton and Michelangelo help today’s 20-year-olds enhance their intelligence and potential? Read More »

What happens during the pruning process in the brain, and why does it make adults less efficient at learning compared to children?

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The human brain is remarkably adaptive, especially during its early formation and into the adolescent years. About three weeks after conception, a thin sheet of cells forms in the embryo and folds into what will become the brain and spinal cord. In the weeks that follow, brain cells multiply, specialize, and move into position, laying …

What happens during the pruning process in the brain, and why does it make adults less efficient at learning compared to children? Read More »

Why do some areas have more people with genius-level IQs, and how does this relate to universities and education?

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In areas where a culture is rich in the sciences and the arts, and where intelligence is valued, people of highest intelligence and intensity of purpose thrive and make “genius-level” contributions. Most important is an environment of high personal autonomy, in which individuals are encouraged to create and are rewarded and celebrated for their achievements. …

Why do some areas have more people with genius-level IQs, and how does this relate to universities and education? Read More »

Why do mathematicians like John Nash seek out the hardest problems to solve, despite the difficulties involved?

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John Nash, like most of the most brilliant and highest achievers in mathematics and physics, was hooked on the Eureka! sensation. This is the shot of dopamine that comes when you solve a difficult problem. It’s what drove Archimedes down the street, naked, yelling eureka! [I have solved it!], when he discovered the first law …

Why do mathematicians like John Nash seek out the hardest problems to solve, despite the difficulties involved? Read More »

Is it true that all intelligent people must be good at math?

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Our best measures of intelligence are lifetime achievements (as per Tesla, Einstein, etc.) and IQ tests. Among the most popular IQ tests is the WAIS IV which consists of various components that measure several dimensions of cognitive processing: The test items measuring of each of the four scales (or indices) of WAIS IV are given …

Is it true that all intelligent people must be good at math? Read More »

Why do scientists and physicists seem to connect well with each other despite competitive environments, and what can other intelligent people learn from this?

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In A Beautiful Mind, the biography of mathematician John Nash Jr., Sylvia Nasar states: (p. 94) Valleius, the Roman philosopher, was the first to offer a theory for why geniuses often appeared, not as lonely giants, but in clusters in particular fields in particular cities. He was thinking of Plato and Aristotle, Pythagoras and Archimedes, …

Why do scientists and physicists seem to connect well with each other despite competitive environments, and what can other intelligent people learn from this? Read More »

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