Marilyn vos Savant

[Music] Marilyn Vos savant is a national columnist author company executive and by the way a genius tested at 10 years old her record IQ score of 228 was shrouded in secrecy but in 1986 word got out so she landed at the top of the Guinness Book of World Records smartest people in the world list for both child and adult IQ scores since then our super genius status has kept her in the news and given her international fame while our IQ is more than double that of a normal person she's much more than a score Siobhan has been writing a question-and-answer column called ask Maryland for Parade magazine for 30 years the syndicated Sunday magazine is read by roughly 80 million people in the US which is not entertaining questions she's also a wife mother grandmother and an avid ballroom dancer joining us now to talk about her extraordinary life is Maryland and thank you so much for coming in and thank you so I mentioned shrouded in secrecy do you think it was right that your parents didn't tell you right off the bat hey you're you're off the charts with this number well actually that wasn't sure other than super sue you mean from the world not for me back when I was a kid I was tested back when I was 8 9 10 11 and aunt - it also depicts a lot of chests throughout my life - back then when I was a 10 years old that was the score that you mentioned there been scores since then it wasn't any anything new to me my parents do my friends my teachers knew - I just thought I had to have a few more people like me in the world you know and you would it was like but it turns out that there weren't that was the only odd thing I suppose that people didn't tell me at the time that it was really a rare score I thought that there were quite a few people like that and actually I still do but you don't the time it wouldn't have mattered much if I had paid more attention to that because at that time it wasn't thought that women were suited to do anything in particular with their intelligence so I wasn't encouraged in any way whatsoever you know one interview with you where you said you had permissive upbringing your parents or in a sense you'd go to them with a question well you go find it out they kind of sparked that interest in you to seek out knowledge and curiosity can you talk to me about the difficulty of parenting a supergenius and out of they respond to it do you think well I don't really think they paid a lot of attention to that you have to understand my background my grandparents were coal miners one of my grandfather's was killed in the mind another grandfather was injury so badly in the mines he could only walk with a cane afterward I parents were immigrants from Germany and Italy and they weren't thinking about focusing on the kids at all the whole idea was to just be independent earn a living and that would really paid much attention to me actually as I said mostly because I was a girl I accepted that did you feel different an old oh you know I think we all feel a little bit different sometimes but I felt different in the sense that we all have this unique these unique qualities I felt that I had mine and everyone the people liked that they respected me for that and really respect people for their particular skills and abilities one thing that I noticed in particular though that at the time and then later throughout life especially people that we think are very smart are not necessarily very smart they are more likely to be educated in their particular field or very experienced in their careers we confuse that with smartness so when we call upon experts we hear them say whatever it is they have to say but that doesn't mean they have any analytical ability that they need to have the ability to process the information at hand that's really more of what intelligence is I even heard you say that perhaps you shouldn't pair the two words best and brightest because they aren't necessarily the same thing well I suppose that's true too you know when you think of a scientist for example people tend to think that scientists are the smartest people in the world and the smartest people in the world should become scientists I disagree with that completely I was back at my old life but I was scared I'd mention to you that someone gave me any encouragement which is business not a complaint the factory not a big deal didn't bother me bit then and I don't know I think that bothers me now but at the time as you said women were thought to be suited to do anything in particular whether their intelligence with the one possible exception would be if you were smart you'd go into the scientific field actually and no one said that to me but looking back that was really the only option if I had options and I back then I couldn't imagine looking through the world looking at the world through a microscope or even or a telescope that was an anthemic to me I just don't feel that I could that I could have focused that tightly on something all the time fine free school fine fur for certain limited tasks but not has not as the world do I wanted something much broader than that if I had you know looking back if I had an all to duel for good or if I could just somehow had some sense of maturity when I was 13 or 17 or whatever I become politician now politicians are not synonymous with smart I know they were couple guys out there that I'm not sure your IQ levels Yeah right but wouldn't you rather see a really smart person in front of a microphone instead of as I said I could get the world through a microscope or a telescope that's genius let me ask you about finding your way as a genius because I can count amongst my friends most of them I've had the conversation we're like oh my god my boss is an idiot so and we're just regular people so I could be if well I guess I'm not sure I'd argue with them but I'm just wondering as a genius how difficult it must be to go to work each day and not have you know mental gymnast making the decisions and you're kind of the worker bee over that mean well the world isn't isn't like that we don't necessarily have smart people running the show because they may not be social people they may not be organized people there are all different kinds of skills we all have this have this mix of mix of skills I noticed in particular that sometimes I feel pretty alone and sometimes I could you know that can especially happen when I'm alone you know in a excuse me that can happen when I'm in a room full of people that's one of the times that I actually feel alone that as far as being worried about do you think well there's this feeling that if I need answers if I want to turn to someone I really don't have anyone to turn to I do the best I can I have to accept that maybe maybe it's the fact that we we all need to do that so having a high IQ is it a burden or a gift or both oh it's an absolute blessing it's never a burden I take it back if you're on an airline seat next to someone who knows your name then again it's a burden believe me it's a rumor I pretended you know go to sleep but other than that it's a blessing it's a blessing a private life personally professionally and every way let me ask you about your marriage because I think it's this unique marriage where it's the heart and the head I mean and you know why I'm saying that I mean you're your husband clearly has made his mark in the world - with the the jarvik device which obviously keeping people alive so clearly a very bright man did he feel intimidated dating you I mean what was the relationship like and and what was it like finding somebody who you felt comfortable with on an intellectual basis ah well he is intimidated by nothing but no fun I can't possibly intimidate him I would enjoy doing that I think it would teach him a lesson down then but but no you can't be intimidated that's the thing that we have enjoyed very much very much together the intellectual give-and-take however I have that with a lot of people I have communication with people all over the world really through the columns that are right for Parade magazine which is its reaches best but I have this communication with so many different types of people people who are think emotionally people who think rationally people who are looking for advice suggestions inspiration support I hope I provide that I think I do to a lot of people people with very little position and people with significant positions and so this is a very rich intellectual life that I enjoy and I hope I'm doing some good with that I do the best I can let me ask you about that how did it start the calm parade is writing an article about me and so when they did that theater there's someone there I think with the editor just had the idea well let's ask let's ask Marilyn some classic questions of the I don't know how many inches condensed in the head of a pin variety the questions that have that have perplexed and confounded scholars and philosophers for centuries we're going to ask you those questions Marilyn I said excuse me but how how much of an ego do you think I have that I'm going to be able to just spin off a paragraph and answer something that people have fun since Socrates no I'm not going to be able to do this but if we if the readers would like to ask some questions fine let's do that let's just see what happens and so it turns out they got a flood of questions and they were very pleased with that and said well maybe we could tiptoe into writing a column would you like to try it again so I did and that slowly turned into something and so it turned into a column whereby now as I said through parades parades saturation of the the people here in the United States plus as I said seeding this throughout the world I hear from people everywhere about all kinds of things so it's great fun for me you mentioned there are problems that need to be solved so let me let me pose this question to you and I want to get your thoughts on it let's say you weren't born when you were born let's say you were born three or four years ago do you think that a smart girl growing up today has because you talked about how much wasn't expected of you is this because you are a girl you know growing up do you think that dynamic has changed or does there still need to be more of an evolution our smart girls now treated differently than smart girls when you were a little girl do you think oh absolutely they're treated they're treated better but women the women now you mentioned being born three or four years ago so that's that don't know what's going to be happening it's a difference still between our smart men or smart boys still perhaps on a pedestal above girls or is there more of a parody now would you say I think they're still on a pedestal and I can understand that in some ways you don't agree with it who would write well what's the bad things is that women are there were own worst enemy in some ways in other words when women play up sex appeal which they virtually all do it's terribly damaging to them now it's certain feels fine of course entertainment if one's going to be a singer a model and actress there are lots places where sex appeal in other words attractiveness is part of the package that's fine they do that and the men do that too but in in business in State Politics and lots of other areas when the women are attempting to wear a great deal of makeup this hairstyle and we all know what you know what that means when it's it when it's done in a way to look physically appealing it makes them look lightly and a huge number of women are doing that and until they cut that out they're not going to have parity with men who are sitting there looking the way you do you know you look like your real self presumably well I realize zero sex appeal well of course the men on the air are wearing a little bit of makeup too but the point is just to smooth it out and look natural but the women are doing that they're very appealing you know they're attempting to look physically attractive let me ask you one final question because we got to go but I tend to every once in a while lose my keys and then I walk around the house saying I'm such an idiot you know where did I put those have you ever once uttered those words because obviously in your case it would be a lie oh I do that all the time perfectly normal nobody should worry about it but I realize that as soon as you're something like 50 years old the first time you lose your keys afterwards you think oh my gosh I'm going to unveil don't worry about it just get as much mental exercise as you get physical exercise oh wait maybe a whole lot more than that and everything will be fine Marilyn what a delight thanks so much for coming and really appreciate it thank you that's it for this week join the conversation with us on social media we are CCTV America on Twitter Facebook and YouTube and now you can watch full frame on our mobile app available worldwide on any smartphone for free get the latest news headlines and connect to us on Facebook Twitter YouTube and Weibo gctv America on your App Store to download today all of our interviews can still also be found online at CCTV America calm and let us know what you'd like us to take full-frame next simply email us at full frame at CCTV - America calm until then I'm Mike Walter in New York City we'll see you next time [Music] you [Music]

Channel: Sandeep Desai

Views: 297,681

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Id: -3-7Ydt4d3A

Length: 16min 20sec (980 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 13 2017