this post was submitted on 29 Dec 2025
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:

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    • If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
    • A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
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[–] ceenote@lemmy.world 67 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (5 children)

I would think a room temperature IQ in °C would mean virtually unable to function, much less take an IQ test.

Edit: looked it up and an IQ below 50 means you probably can't ever live independently, and below 25 means you're pretty much a vegetable.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 22 points 1 day ago

looked it up and an IQ below 50 means you probably can’t ever live independently, and below 25 means you’re pretty much a vegetable.

Nah man, not even close...

Besides, at the extremes if either side of the scale the overall number becomes pretty meaningless because the individual scores are going to have high variance.

I did an internship working with people with learning disabilities from "passable" to me having to change adult diapers for clients who were completely nonverbal and thought it was game.

I don't know where you looked it up, but you're way off.

But for this:

much less take an IQ test.

A normal test only covers 3 standard deviations. So if you're over 145 or below 65, on a normal you take a specialized test if you want to actually know. There's just not enough outliers to make the normal test able to cover everyone

[–] angrystego@lemmy.world 13 points 18 hours ago

Which s perfect for an insult. Insult is better when it's caricature like.

[–] vrek@programming.dev 11 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I sometimes wonder what the kids iq would be... He is 12 physically but I would put at 3 max mentally. Not saying anything negative but being honest.

He can use the bathroom but can't put his underwear on. He knocks on the door till someone comes put his underwear back on.

Eating a bowl of cereal is 50/50 if he can do it himself.

He likes watching blues clues, Thomas and friends, paw patrol. He yells the answer to most questions but I don't know if he knows the answer or just knows they say this so I should say that.

He is severely autistic and epileptic among other problems. He is sweet and loving but how to measure what his actual intelligence I have no idea.

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[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 4 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

It seems to me like if you got 25, you were able to answer some questions at all, some of which you actually got correct

So not vegetative, I don't think.

But I suppose I'm not exactly an expert on how the tests are administered, so maybe just showing up is enough to get 25.

[–] JohnnyCanuck@lemmy.ca 8 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

IQ tests don't define IQ, they're a tool to measure IQ. Standard tests have a "floor" (say 70 or 50) below which they don't give an accurate number, just a general "below the floor" indication. Similarly, they would have a ceiling.

A professionally administered test can maybe identify a more specific IQ at low levels, and would be used for someone who maybe can't function at the level of taking a standard test.

[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 3 points 18 hours ago

I mean that if you participated in a test at all, even if your result wasn't accurate, then you're not vegetative, even if you required assistance.

I know that the test score isn't your IQ, because the IQ is relative to the scores of the other participants.
But surely to score at all you need to be responsive, even if you need a special test with special assistance. So surely an IQ of 25 couldn't be vegetative? Although I truly have no idea how such an IQ would present itself.

[–] SapphironZA@sh.itjust.works 3 points 12 hours ago

So you are saying you have a future in goverment.

[–] Quilotoa@lemmy.ca 50 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

More than just Europe. 99 % of the world's countries use Celcius.

[–] RickyRigatoni@retrolemmy.com 33 points 12 hours ago (3 children)

if you ain't american you're european that's just how it is.

[–] dontfearthereaper123@ani.social 5 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

The only reason that is is because of racism nej. By only seeing the world as the places that are filled w white people while I don't think u mean to at all and its not your fault its the rich peoples fault but the language creates a world view where black and Asian and brown people aren't people only white people are.

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[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 41 points 1 day ago

Casuals, I measure in K.

300 iq moment!

[–] FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io 22 points 1 day ago (1 children)

"You've got a room temperature IQ."

"Yeah, so do you, but mine is in Kelvin and yours is in Celsius."

[–] lividweasel@lemmy.world 4 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

“I don’t think an IQ approaching absolute zero is the brag you think it is”

[–] FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io 7 points 21 hours ago

"You might want to look up what room temperature actually is in Kelvin bud, couple dozen standard deviations above average when you translate it to IQ scoring on something like a WISC test. What do I know though? I use Fahrenheit."

[–] EvilHankVenture@lemmy.world 4 points 12 hours ago (1 children)
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[–] Cevilia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 20 points 21 hours ago (4 children)

IQ has been discredited as a measure of capacity for intelligence anyway. The real insult is having a serious belief in that pseudoscientific bullcrap (as opposed to just the colloquial use).

Sincerely, A >175 IQ former MENSA member from England.

[–] Apytele@sh.itjust.works 17 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (1 children)

My mother told me the murder of the intelligentsia is one of the first steps of a fascist regime and that the Mensa roster is a hit list. Then ten years later she voted for trump.

Edit: Hint for the low EQs out there: they're not getting downvoted because they're wrong; they're getting downvoted because they're exactly the kind of pompous ass Mensa is famous for.

[–] Cevilia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (1 children)

Given that IQ is profoundly racist and white people score much higher than any other race (not because white people are smarter but because the tests are racist), I very much doubt it'd ever be used as a hit list.

Maybe a shit list.

[–] shneancy@lemmy.world 3 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

to those downvoting this comment -

your IQ test results might as well be your zip code

for a proper explanation, check out Bell Curve by Shaun

for a personal interpretation & in large part summary of the above material:

IQ tests are not a general smartness tests, that is impossible to measure. IQ testes measure your ability to solve logic puzzles, and that supposedly measures your logic itself (at least the tests that have no cultural bits, the ones that include cultures also have some testing of your memory based largely on your country's school curriculum. more on why that's a problem later)

can someone be naturally amazing at logic? of course, they can, but that skill needs to be nurtured, or at least allowed to flurish. and this is supposed to happen in schools.

now what happens when a person with the potential to score high in an IQ test doesn't enjoy the privilege of peaceful learning? what happens when their family life is difficult? what happens when during their schooling years they have to focus on surviving, instead of learning and nurturing their skills? well, they score lower, of course. their potential doesn't disappear, but it gets used in a different direction, to help them survive in life. and logic puzzles don't play a big role in survival so that particular skill is not tended to and therefore doesn't develop as well as it could in ideal circumstances.

now let's look at racism. we're not talking about day to day racism, though that also plays a part, but institutionalised racism - the one that keeps pushing minorities into poverty, and keeps them there harder than white people, because as we know, poverty is a trap that's difficult to get out of even for those not pushed into it with institutional racism.

add the two together - IQ tests measure your logic puzzle solving skills, which develop only if you have access to decent schools & you're allowed to learn without interruptions, without having to worry for yourself or your family. institutionalised racism pushes minorities into poverty, which means they lose access to good schooling, and have to worry for themselves and their families from an early age.

this in turn results in minorities scoring lower on those tests, but not because they are stupid, but because their intelligence has to be used for surviving, and they are not allowed to comfortably indulge in solving logic puzzles to develop the skills that IQ tests look at to "measure intelligence"

[–] DupaCycki@lemmy.world 4 points 8 hours ago

A lot of what you're describing isn't related to IQ or IQ tests. What I think you may be referring to are some IQ test scams from facebook. Not exactly sure.

First of all, while I personally can't definitely judge whether IQ is a perfectly accurate measure of intelligence or not, it is one of the best documented and fundamental parts of psychology. It's covered in great detail in any psychology textbook or class.

There are different types of intelligence, meaning five people with the exact same IQ score may or may not have similar capabilities. Some are great at 'logic puzzles', while others excel at more literary puzzles such as debates. Fundamentally pretty much the same concept, but for one reason or another there's a divide there. It does not appear to be directly influenced by personal background or upbringing.

(at least the tests that have no cultural bits, the ones that include cultures also have some testing of your memory based largely on your country's school curriculum. more on why that's a problem later)

IQ tests are supposed to be designed in a way that is accessible to everyone, regardless of ethnicity or culture. That's why they usually consist of very simple concepts, such as general shapes. A square is a square, whether you're from Europe or Africa, and doesn't require any significant knowledge to be distinguished from a circle. If a test relies on any outside knowledge (e.g., you need to know what a cat is vs what a dog is) - it's not an IQ test, or it's a very poor one.

what happens when during their schooling years they have to focus on surviving, instead of learning and nurturing their skills? well, they score lower, of course.

The core issue here is not about 'nurturing skills', because as countless studies have shown, it does not appear at all possible to raise your IQ (i.e. become more intelligent). All attempts at training people to get more intelligent either brought no results, or turned out to be false.

What's happening in the situation you described is mostly access to healthy food, healthcare, etc. The biggest predictors of IQ are general health and nourishment. This is basically why poor people score lower. A brain can only utilize all of its capabilities when it's supplied with sufficient nutrients and is not significantly impaired by sickness.

Of course, as many different traits, IQ can and is being used for eugenics. Basically what you said about poorer groups. It's nothing inherently to do with IQ itself, but the result is the same.

Also, as already mentioned by some commenters, Mensa is just a degenerate group of soft, wannabe Nazis.

[–] Cevilia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

People can downvote my posts all they like, I can't see them because my instance doesn't have downvotes. My post's on +6, and yours is +1 (+2 now)

[–] shneancy@lemmy.world 3 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

it was at -1 when i saw it, which is what prompted me to attempt to give a step by step process leading to the conclusion you gave as it seemed to me folks just lacked context

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[–] angrystego@lemmy.world 9 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

I don't think people using the phrase as an insult need to believe in IQ.

[–] Cevilia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 18 hours ago

as opposed to just the colloquial use

[–] nialv7@lemmy.world 8 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

What's mensa like? What do you do there? I've always been curious. Surely there will be some interesting conversations/ideas?

[–] Cevilia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 18 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

Joining was fun. I hit the ceiling on the test so they invited me down south for an invigilated test. Then I sat another one because I hit the ceiling on that one too. My final score was high 170s, which made me feel really good about myself.

After that, it was downhill. I only ever went to one annual meeting. It was predominantly white men who think scoring in an abnormal range on certain standardised tests makes them somehow better than everyone else - the sense of entitlement was through the roof. I came home early.

I stayed in the society, I subscribed to a couple of special interest group mailing lists for a few years. Then I cancelled.

I occasionally got letters for a few years afterwards inviting me to rejoin, saying I don't need to take a test again, then they gave up.

[–] shneancy@lemmy.world 10 points 13 hours ago

i never joined mensa, though i had the option to. and yeah you just confirmed all the reasons why i hadn't lol. entitled dudes who believe so hard that results of a test make them better than others that they are approaching actual delusions of superiority, having to sit among people like that would make my blood boil

well, i suppose it's a logic puzzle skills test, not an emotional intelligence test.

i despise how IQ is almost revered by the overall society, and i hate how, despite everything, that stupid result does make me feel good about myself, tempting me to feel better than others

[–] RickyRigatoni@retrolemmy.com 10 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

mensa always sounded like it was just a scam for people who think they're smart

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 6 points 12 hours ago

It was started as a eugenics dating club. There's a reason that Mensa and Σ4 are primarily white dudes.

[–] Jumbie@lemmy.zip 3 points 15 hours ago

Bridge and tea on Wednesdays.

[–] GrammarPolice@lemmy.world 5 points 14 hours ago (1 children)
[–] CeeBee_Eh@lemmy.world 2 points 13 hours ago (1 children)
[–] GrammarPolice@lemmy.world 6 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

You can't just say scientists and not name any or cite any sources

[–] CeeBee_Eh@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago

I thought you were the grammar police, not the sources police.

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[–] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 18 points 16 hours ago

For anybody wondering: that's 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit.

[–] Hond@piefed.social 18 points 1 day ago

true but murican measurements are an overall bigger insult to humanity

[–] BeatTakeshi@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Not only because of the units, also prevalence

[–] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 11 points 19 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Bazell@lemmy.zip 5 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

I suppose that this would be relevant in the Arctic region.

[–] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago

As someone discovering their IQ might be room temperature, I forgot we were talking about room temperature. Maybe there's arctic mushrooms to back me up? Or an ice fishing bathroom with the door left open

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[–] thatradomguy@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)
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[–] thethunderwolf@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 8 hours ago (3 children)

I don't even know the Fahrenheit room temperature

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[–] macaw_dean_settle@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This does not make sense since around 20 would be a vegetable.

[–] angrystego@lemmy.world 4 points 18 hours ago

And? How's that not a good insult?

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

And a corner is much hotter.

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