[cauthon]

> like-minded (read 'higher-IQ') individuals

But what topic are they of like mind about? "High IQ" individuals might be left-wing or right-wing, religious or secular, capitalist or communist, etc. The only theme likely to be in common among all Mensa members is a pride in their IQ.

[tbalsam]

That seems like quite an assumption, friend.

I think most people in that category love having people to have intellectual conversations with. I've been in a space with people who are naturally incredibly high IQ, and there's a special kind of comraderie that comes from not having to go through the lonely exercise of scaffolding everything that you're deeply passionate about.

It's community. Pride in IQ != The main reason to be centric around an IQ.

I've tested well in that sphere. It's an incomplete measure, but it does measure something, and I like being around/with people at that caliber in the "IQ" arena.

I want to be challenged. I want to have community where my heart is in intellectual things. I don't want someone to just absorb my information-excited rants, I want someone to fight me on them and challenge me to grow.

Most of all, I don't want to feel isolated or lonely in my experiences. We all desire community around what makes us us. It's a fundamentally human thing, I think, and denying it because it's some measure that some people use to prop up their insecurity feels a bit hurtful and/or harmful to people really seeking community there.

Not currently a member of any sigma-type IQ-only organizations. Just my thoughts. I love other kinds of people too. But people who think in that level and way are my safe people, and I can feel seen and heard with them.

Note: there's EQ and a host of other things not mentioned here. I'm just talking about the above specific insight in general. :)

[astrange]

If it's a group in real life, then you also have the common factors that you wanted to join a social group and you live near each other.

That can mean a lot - it's why meetup.com has always worked for me when I've tried it, even if the group has no official topic. (Of course I stopped after I'd gotten enough out of it.)

[FabHK]

> The only theme likely to be in common among all Mensa members is a pride in their IQ.

This is wrong in two ways. 1) IQ is not among the most discussed topics, not even close; so presumably other themes are in common. 2) Pride is not the prevalent emotion, generally or specifically with regards to the own IQ.