[Jun8]

Yo dou have a point but it goes beyond standard intelligence, I think: A big curiosity towards programming is more like it (although curiosity is a large part of intelligence). Most of the so called "elite" languages are not used in widely in corporations. So, if your goal is to just make money and move up (someday) you better put all your time in Java or C++, rather than learning Haskell or the like.

An analogy could be evolutionary explanation of the peacock's tail: it has no real purpose but shows females that this guy can afford this liability without a purpose. Similarly, when a coder knows, say, Forth (without being required to do so at work), I form immediately form a certain mental picture of him/her: this guy loves programming, definitely needs a further look.