Help How to live a happy life with a low IQ

[subhuman metalhead]

Back when I lived with my mom, she told me a lot that I have an IQ of 90, she said that it's been confirmed by doctors and I believe her completely on this despite the fact that she is the person I hate the most. She says I have the mental capacity of a 13 year old and I honestly believe her. I never did well in school, ideas that regular people can understand are hard for me to grasp, and I just am not at the same level developmentally as a 20 year old should be.

My question is: how can I be happy if I have a low IQ? My goal in life is to make my own animated series and to have it be successful but because of my low intelligence, I can't do that. What can I do in life if I'm this dumb? How can I live a fulfilling life if I'm stupid? But most importantly–how can I be happy?

Is there anyone else here who has a low IQ?

 

[justcallmeJ]

Your mom could just be like mine, a manipulating gaslighter. She is what caused all my mental issues and especially severe insecurity.
In any case, you dont need a high IQ to make an animated series, but some creativity and passion. Maybe you can band together with someone for the other aspects like stories, the business and finances? If you really want to persuit this life goal, its entirely possible.
And I doubt you have a mentally of a 13 year old. Some moms dont like to their kids grow up.
I never was the best in school too, especially the subjects that requires numbers like math and economics I was horrible at. I gotta read peoples messages multiple times to understand what is being said. I am 25 btw. But I am very skilled with computers and electronics.
Forget all the BS your mom said. You will reach your goal, no worries. Everyone is bright in thier own way. <3

 

[ben_]

Not sure what to suggest, just wanted to tell you some hard facts. If you indeed have IQ 90 (and honestly, I wouldn't be that sure):

• it's generally considered "average",
• and you're smarter than about one quarter of the population.

Btw, I'm not surprised that you hate your mom - this sounds awful.

 

[DeadHead]

Test it yourself and go from there.

 

[cali22♡]

Your mom could just be like mine, a manipulating gaslighter. She is what caused all my mental issues and especially severe insecurity.
In any case, you dont need a high IQ to make an animated series, but some creativity and passion. Maybe you can band together with someone for the other aspects like stories, the business and finances? If you really want to persuit this life goal, its entirely possible.
And I doubt you have a mentally of a 13 year old. Some moms dont like to their kids grow up.
I never was the best in school too, especially the subjects that requires numbers like math and economics I was horrible at. I gotta read peoples messages multiple times to understand what is being said. I am 25 btw. But I am very skilled with computers and electronics.
Forget all the BS your mom said. You will reach your goal, no worries. Everyone is bright in thier own way. <3

You are just like me i am very skilled with computers and networks but i'm not skilled in math and people think i lie to them cause everyone thinks you are only skilled in computers when you are an genius in Math . . .

 

[Bodydysmorphia34]

An IQ of 90 is still within the standard deviation of 15 (85-100-115), meaning you dispose of average intelligence.

Also, you shouldn't take the results of an IQ test too seriously if your result isn't an extreme deviation. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, some are maybe really good at these test and obtain above average results but perform poorly academically. Did you know you can improve your results by simply practicing these tests?

Being diligent is way more important for your academic results than simply being "smart" (you can be as smart as Einstein but if you don't study for the exam, you'll likely fail). Try to explore your strengths and make the best out of them.

Also, if you really had an extremely low intelligence (which would translate to being mentally challenged), you probably wouldn't be on this forum since mentally challenged people for the most part can't recognize (deeper) problems and issues and therefore can be compared to children (kids usually don't know about/can't understand the "dark sides" of life).

 

[ConcreteCake]

Do you believe it just because your mother said so? She could be lying or humiliating you for fun.

 

[just_a_guy]

I'm not sure I would trust what your mom told you about your IQ, maybe try to check it out yourself. Aside from that, regardless of what your IQ is, I think it's possible to achieve a moderate level of happiness. I've known unhappy people with varying IQ levels as well as happy people who have very different levels of IQ.

 

[IckyGun]

I did my comp sci degree with depression and don't have a job and am not willing to work. I don't know my IQ but I believe it hindered growth.

The smartest people never have to study and use intelligence to get by but once they need to work hard most falter.

Hard work in this case is really the only indicator to some success in my opinion

 

[Spiritual survivor]

I think your mother may be a lying cruel woman. I'm sorry u have had to be told you're low IQ and can't succeed in life. I'll bet it's not even true. Your mother sounds like a toxic narcissist possibly. Don't believe her. Even if u are not the most intelligent person, it is not an ultimate determinant of wether u can succeed and have a fullfilled life. Hope u can get away from your mother and cut contact. So u can begin to heal. In our society very high IQ can also lead to failure because there's not much support for people who have high IQ, and need different type of educating style to be able to realize their potential. Our system actually caters or rewards average IQ or below individuals the most.

 

[ForgottenAgain]

I agree with the other comments about your mom may be lying to you and also that 90 is within the normal range.
Regarding the animated series, you don't need a high IQ, just dedication, creativity and technique.

You also may do poorly academically because of other factors. I was mediocre at school for several years, then got excellent once I got to uni, then got worse again and so it goes.

You also don't have to accept that you're "dumb", the brain can adapt, learn new things, develop. Neuroplasticity is the name for that if I recall correctly.

I was always called dumb in school, especially for being good at art but bad at math and other logical fields. Several years later I wanted to give programming a try out of spite to prove people wrong - I was able to learn it and be great at it, even a tiny bit of math too.

You can improve a lot if you put your effort into that, dont listen to your mom. All of that speech just screams cruelty towards you...

 

[penguinl0v3s]

I won't talk about your mother, because it seems like people have already covered that. But here's some food for thought: I was a straight A student until one day my parent told me that they thought I would never amount to anything and would fail out of college, and then I was so distressed and doubtful of myself that I scored an F on my next exam, which is so unlike me. Mindset really matters.

Secondly, jobs that require a lot of thinking are going out of fashion right now. Less and less people believe that college is useful, and they are switching to trade schools. You can learn like woodworking and a variety of other different trades and make more money than someone who graduated with an A+ in chemistry. Academia and research is imploding as we speak, it's not as good as it was in the past. Pharmacists use to make 6 figures, now technology is replacing them. Y'know what AI can't replace though? Make a custom table. Landscaping. Plumbing. Furniture flipping. There's plenty of work to be found if you think a bit outside of the box. I believe that animation and art doesn't require a high IQ anyways.

Third, IQ is a made up measure that is under debate and being replaced by a metric that adresses that there are different types of intelligence.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

My dumb question is how did you even figure out your IQ? Are there ways to do it for free????

 

[viljalauss]

yea i would second getting your iq tested if you can and want to; also i really don't know how reliable the mental age thing is but according to wikipedia you can get a rough estimate, and putting the numbers through there if you do indeed have an iq of 90 the mental age would be 18, rather than 20. idk if that helps at all, honestly the main point is i would be very sceptical of your mother.

also you can still learn so, so much, even if it takes longer - as long as you're diligent and do a lot of practice to learn the skills you need, which honestly goes for anyone. and if you have trouble remembering things, especially concepts that may be hard to grasp, take lots of notes and refer back to them. any form you find helpful - written, visual - is good. if it helps at all i have a relatively high iq and also a terrible memory, and need to read people's messages multiple times, etc.; getting to understand both skills and theory requires a lot of rereading and retrying for me, but i tend to eventually see improvements. i also agree that the key things you need are dedication and creativity; technique will come with time and dedication. and looking for other people to sort out/help with things like business, finances, getting your art out into the world is absolutely fine and i would argue advisable. also just people to bounce ideas off of

so yea, you can absolutely work towards and fulfil your goals - which i think will at least in part help you feel fulfilled and purposeful in life in general. especially if you can heal from feeling like you're dumb or stuck at this intermediate stage in development - though i'm sure it isn't easy. <3

 

[CuriosityAndCat]

You'd probably remember a paper test where you're solving shapes, blocks, numbers, etc. However, It most likely isn't true if it was said often. People often say and use hurtful language to justify their own actions in their mind. If it bothers you, just get tested by a therapist or psychologist.

As far as being happy, it isn't related at all to intelligence or your ability to process information. It's about embracing and experiencing people and moments around you. Basically enjoy the journey, not just the destination. :) You can find examples online of smart people committing suicide and dumb people achieving happiness and success.

 

[ThatStateOfMind]

Back when I lived with my mom, she told me a lot that I have an IQ of 90, she said that it's been confirmed by doctors and I believe her completely on this despite the fact that she is the person I hate the most. She says I have the mental capacity of a 13 year old and I honestly believe her. I never did well in school, ideas that regular people can understand are hard for me to grasp, and I just am not at the same level developmentally as a 20 year old should be.

My question is: how can I be happy if I have a low IQ? My goal in life is to make my own animated series and to have it be successful but because of my low intelligence, I can't do that. What can I do in life if I'm this dumb? How can I live a fulfilling life if I'm stupid? But most importantly–how can I be happy?

Is there anyone else here who has a low IQ?

IQ, in my opinion, doesn't matter at all. It's simply one measure of intelligence, not exactly the end-all-be-all. I have no clue what my IQ is and I don't think it matters.

I think the larger issue here is your mom. She's gaslit you to question your intelligence and believe you're stupid. Even if you struggle academically or feel like you're developmentally behind, it doesn't mean you have to feel bad or beat yourself up.

It sounds like you have low self-esteem from being put down throughout your life, a lot of it seeming to be from your own mother. I think if you put your mind to making the animated series and brainstorm about it, i honestly believe you can do it!

 

[FLYMOUTH]

honestly, as someone with an above average iq, iq tests are bs and absolutely should not dictate how you live your life. if it would make you happy/fulfilled/satisfied/vaguely content to make that animated show, absolutely do it. if you want to become a fuckin neurosurgeon, do that. don't let some weirdly formulated test define you, your goals, or what you do for the rest of your life. focus on the individual things you find difficult {ex. if math is a struggle that you find day to day limits your quality of life, target that, if it's science, target that, and so forth) and enjoy the things that you enjoy. besides, there's a million different ways to be smart; you don't have to be sheldon cooper to be a worthwhile human being.