By: Dr. Fabiano de Abreu Agrela Rodrigues,
Post-PhD in Neuroscience, Specialist in Behavioral Genomics and Intelligence.
In our society, the IQ test is often seen as the final arbiter of intellectual ability. For many, it defines potential, validates intelligence, and opens doors to high-IQ communities like Intertel or the Triple Nine Society. But what if this tool, instead of illuminating, is leaving some of the most brilliant intellects in the shadows? What if the key to truly measuring intelligence lies not only in the right answer, but in the time it takes, or not, to find it?
A recent case study I analyzed perfectly illustrates this complexity. It involves a successful physician, a professional whose career reflects superior cognitive ability. However, for years, she lived with profound dissonance. On the one hand, a “little voice within” and multiple biographical clues pointed to giftedness. On the other, “objective” evidence failed to confirm it. An admissions test yielded a modest IQ that led her to doubt herself, thinking she wasn’t “particularly intelligent.”
Where was the disconnect? The first clue emerged with a more detailed assessment, the WAIS IV test. Her profile showed high scores in all areas of cognitive ability, with one notable exception: a low score in processing speed. Time was, once again, her enemy.
This profile (high ability conflicting with processing speed) is a classic in the neuroscience of intelligence. What’s at play isn’t a flaw, but rather a specific cognitive architecture. This means she possesses fluid intelligence (Fg), the ability to reason and solve abstract problems at an exceptionally high level. However, this ability operates at a more deliberate pace than the brain’s processing speed (Gs) can keep up with in timed tasks.
This creates a cognitive “traffic jam.” Her mind perceives the depth and multiple variables of a problem, but the demand for a quick answer creates a conflict. This pressure becomes a trigger for anxiety, which in turn hijacks resources from the prefrontal cortex, degrading performance and creating a vicious cycle of underestimation.
Validation for this doctor came when, prompted by a discussion about the limitations of testing, she decided to take a different assessment: the CFT 20-R, a test designed to measure pure fluid intelligence, minimizing the influence of culture and, crucially, speed. The result was unequivocal and transformative: an IQ of 155. This wasn’t an “easier” test; it was the right tool. The result not only granted her access to a high-IQ society more suited to her profile (the TNS – Triple Nine Society), but also put an end to a lifetime of doubts, calming her internal system.
This case raises a fundamental question: how can we understand these differences at a deeper level? Psychometrics describes the “what.” Behavioral genomics, my area of expertise, is beginning to unravel the “why.”
Today, we have tools like the GIP (Genetic Intelligence Project), a report that analyzes an individual’s genetic predispositions for various cognitive traits, based on their DNA.
This report could reveal the biological reason for her results. In this professional’s case, a GIP would most likely reveal a genetic predisposition for exceptional fluid intelligence (FGI), in contrast to a predisposition for a naturally more moderate processing speed.
This approach is not deterministic; genetics is not destiny. However, it provides a biological basis for subjective experience. It moves the conversation from the realm of doubt (“Am I smart enough?”) to the realm of understanding (“This is my cognitive architecture”). It concretely shows that a different thinking pace is not a flaw, but a valid profile and, in many cases, indicative of deeper, more complex reasoning.
This doctor’s case is not an anomaly. It is a call for a more sophisticated view of human intelligence. We must go beyond a single number and understand that the brightest mind is not necessarily the fastest. It is time to use all the tools at our disposal, from advanced psychometrics to genomics, to ensure that no extraordinary potential is left behind simply because their pace doesn’t fit the clock.
Dr. Fabiano de Abreu Agrela Rodrigues MRSB holds a post-PhD in Neuroscience and is an elected member of Sigma Xi – The Scientific Research Honor Society (more than 200 members of Sigma Xi have received the Nobel Prize), as well as being a member of the Society for Neuroscience in the United States, the Royal Society of Biology and The Royal Society of Medicine in the United Kingdom, the European Society of Human Genetics in Vienna, Austria, and the APA – American Philosophical Association in the United States. He holds a Master’s degree in Psychology and a Bachelor’s degree in History and Biology. He is also a Technologist in Anthropology and Philosophy, with several national and international degrees in Neuroscience and Neuropsychology. Dr. Fabiano is a member of prestigious high IQ societies, including Mensa International, Intertel, ISPE High IQ Society, Triple Nine Society, ISI-Society, and HELLIQ Society High IQ. He is the author of more than 300 scientific studies and 30 books. He is currently a visiting professor at PUCRS in Brazil, UNIFRANZ in Bolivia and Santander in Mexico. He also serves as Director of CPAH – Centro de Pesquisa e Análises Heráclito and is the creator of the GIP project, which estimates IQ through the analysis of genetic intelligence. Dr. Fabiano is also a registered journalist, having his name included in the book of records for achieving four records, one of which is for being the greatest creator of characters in the history of the press.