Smart People Need Love Too

Even smart people need to find love. In fact, some might say that smart people need more help, since the stereotype states they spend more time with their minds doing other things than looking for connections. Enter Intelligent People, a new dating service that requires you to pass an IQ test to to be considered appropriate dating material to join.

I suppose if eHarmony can use an algorithm that discriminates against certain people for temperament or orientation, and Match can use… no discrimination against weirdness whatsoever, as far as we can tell, then it is only fair a site appears that leans toward one demographic. The key questions then become: does it work, and is it easy to use?

First you have to pass a standard online IQ test. It is a simplified, shorter version of the IQ test administered offline. The site claims it is adjusted for social and cultural differences, but it looked like every other short cut IQ test I've taken to me. If you don't pass the test the first time, never fear, you get to try once more before you are locked out forever.

The first problem with the site is that a truly smart person can game the test. You can either screenshot your first attempt to learn the correct answers, or you can just take it once to see what it entails then study just about any online IQ test to see how to answer the image association questions (you are given several series of images and asked to find the missing images). The second problem with the site is that it may fill up with people who game the test – in short the exact kind of person the "smart people" are seeking to avoid.

As one of many dating sites, Intelligent People is nothing special. Personally, I think the concept of dating smart people puts undue pressure on the dating couple. It invites a variety of worries about the quality of your conversation and intelligence level that a first date just doesn't need. If that added stress is what you want, by all means – go take the test at Intelligent People and leap into the deep end of the gene pool. Otherwise, steer clear.