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Mensa International

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Mensa International
Formation1 October 1946; 78 years ago (1946-10-01)[1]
Legal statusLimited non-profit organisation
PurposeHigh-IQ society
HeadquartersSlate Barn, Church Lane, Caythorpe, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom
Location
  • Worldwide
Membership
~150,000[2]
International Chairperson
Therese Moody-Bloom
Websitewww.mensa.org

Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world.[3][4][5] It is a non-profit organisation open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test.[6] Mensa formally comprises national groups and the umbrella organisation Mensa International, with a registered office in Caythorpe, Lincolnshire, England,[7] which is separate from the British Mensa office in Wolverhampton.[8]

Etymology

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The word mensa (/ˈmɛnsə/, Latin: [ˈmẽːs̠ä]) is Latin for 'table', as is symbolised in the organisation's logo, and was chosen to demonstrate the round-table nature of the organisation: the coming together of equals.[2]

History

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Australian Roland Berrill, and Lancelot Ware, a British scientist and lawyer, founded Mensa at Lincoln College, in Oxford, England in 1946, with the intention of forming a society for the most intelligent, with the only qualification being a high IQ.[9]

The society was ostensibly to be non-political in its aims and free from all other social distinctions, such as race and religion.[2] However, Berrill and Ware were both disappointed with the resulting society. Berrill had intended Mensa as "an aristocracy of the intellect" and was unhappy that the majority of members came from working or lower-class homes,[10] while Ware said: "I do get disappointed that so many members spend so much time solving puzzles."[11]

American Mensa was the second major branch of Mensa thanks to the efforts of Margot Seitelman.[12]

Membership requirement

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Mensa's requirement for membership is a score at or above the 98th percentile on certain standardized IQ or other approved intelligence tests, such as the Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scales. The minimum accepted score on the Stanford–Binet is 132, while for the Cattell it is 148, and 130 in the Wechsler tests (WAIS, WISC).[13] Most IQ tests are designed to yield a mean score of 100 with a standard deviation of 15; the 98th-percentile score under these conditions is 130.8, assuming a normal distribution.[14]

However, American Mensa does not provide a score comparable to scores on other tests; the test serves only to qualify a person for membership.[15] In some national groups, a person may take a Mensa-offered test only once, although one may later submit an application with results from a different qualifying test. The Mensa test is also available in some developing countries such as Brazil, India, Indonesia and Pakistan.[16]

Organizational structure

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Countries that have a national Mensa, 2021

Mensa International consists of around 134,000 members in 100 countries[2] and in 54 national groups.[16] The national groups issue periodicals, such as Mensa Bulletin, the monthly publication of American Mensa,[17] and Mensa Magazine, the monthly publication of British Mensa.[18] Individuals who live in a country with a national group join the national group, while those living in countries without a recognized chapter may join Mensa International directly.[19]

The largest national groups are:[20]

  • American Mensa, with more than 50,000 members[21]
  • British Mensa, with about 18,000 members in the UK and Ireland[22]
  • Mensa Germany, with about 16,000 members[23]

Larger national groups are further subdivided into local groups. For example, American Mensa has 134 local groups, with the largest having over 2,000 members and the smallest having fewer than 100.

Members may form special interest groups (SIGs) at international, national, and local levels; these SIGs represent a wide variety of interests, ranging from motorcycle clubs to entrepreneurial co-operations. Some SIGs are associated with various geographic groups, whereas others act independently of official hierarchy. There are also electronic SIGs (eSIGs), which operate primarily as email lists, where members may or may not meet each other in person.[24]

The Mensa Foundation, a separate charitable U.S. corporation, edits and publishes its own Mensa Research Journal, in which both Mensans and non-Mensans are published on various topics surrounding the concept and measure of intelligence.

Gatherings

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Mensa IBD meeting that took place in Athens, 1988

Mensa has many events for members, from the local to the international level. Several countries hold a large event called the Annual Gathering (AG). It is held in a different city every year, with speakers, dances, leadership workshops, children's events, games, and other activities. The American AG is usually held during the American Independence Day (4 July).[25]

Since 1990, American Mensa has sponsored the annual Mensa Mind Games competition, at which the Mensa Select award is given to five board games that are "original, challenging, and well designed".[26][27]

In Europe, since 2008 international meetings have been held under the name EMAG (European Mensa Annual Gathering), starting in Cologne that year.[28] The next meetings were in Utrecht (2009), Prague (2010), Paris (2011), Stockholm (2012), Bratislava (2013), Zürich (2014), Berlin (2015), Kraków (2016), Barcelona (2017), Belgrade (2018) and Ghent (2019). The 2020 event was postponed and took place in 2021 in Brno. The 2022 event was held in Strasbourg, and the 2023 event was held in Rotterdam.[29]

In the Asia-Pacific region, there is an Asia-Pacific Mensa Annual Gathering (AMAG),[30] with rotating countries hosting the event. This has included Gold Coast, Australia (2017),[31] Cebu, Philippines (2018),[30] New Zealand (2019), and South Korea (2020).[32]

Officers

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The governing body of Mensa International consists of:[33]

  • International Chair: Therese Moodie-Bloom
  • International Director - Administration: Robin Crawford
  • International Director - Development: Eivind Olsen
  • International Treasurer: Jovana Kostic
  • International Director - Smaller National Mensas: Sorana Burcusel
  • American Mensa: Lori Norris
  • British Isles Mensa: Ann Rootkin
  • Mensa Germany: Peter Fröhler

Publications

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All national Mensa groups publish members-only newsletters or magazines, which include articles and columns written by members, and information about upcoming Mensa events. Examples include the American Mensa Bulletin,[17] the British Mensa Magazine,[18] Serbian MozaIQ,[34] the Australian TableAus,[35] the Mexican El Mensajero,[36] and the French, formerly Contacts, now MensaMag.[37] Aside from national publications, some local or regional groups have their own newsletters and websites.[38][39]

Mensa International publishes a Mensa World Journal, which "contains views and information about Mensa around the world". This journal is generally included in each national magazine.[40]

The Mensa Foundation publishes the Mensa Research Journal, which "highlights scholarly articles and recent research related to intelligence". Unlike most Mensa publications, this journal is available to non-members.[41]

Demographics

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All national Mensa subsidiaries accept children under the age of 18.[42] However, some national Mensas do not test the children themselves; many offer activities, resources, and newsletters specifically geared toward gifted children and their parents. Kashe Quest, the youngest member of American Mensa;[43] Adam Kirby, the youngest member of British Mensa;[44][45] and several Australian Mensa members joined at age two.[46] Elise Tan-Roberts of the UK and Miranda Elise Margolis of the US are the youngest people ever to join Mensa, having gained full membership at the age of two years and four months.[45][47][48]

In 2018, Mehul Garg became the youngest person in a decade to score the maximum of 162 on the Mensa IQ test.[49]

American Mensa's oldest member is 102,[50] and British Mensa had a member aged 103.[51]

According to American Mensa's generational classifications and published demographics (as of 2023), its membership is 8 percent from the Silent generation (born 1924–1942), 37 percent Baby Boomers (born 1943–1960), 30 percent Gen-X (born 1961–1981), 10 percent Millennial (born 1982–2000), 12 percent Generation Z (born 2001–2020) and the remaining 3 percent other. The American Mensa general membership identifies as 64 percent male, 32 percent female, 3 percent unknown, and less than 1 percent gender non-conforming or other.[50]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Mensa is 65 on 1st October – how Brilliant is that?". Mensa International. Archived from the original on 4 August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d Mensa International. "About Us". www.mensa.org. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  3. ^ Percival, Matt (8 September 2006). "The Quest for Genius". CNN. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
  4. ^ Moore, Hilary. "American Mensa and Activepackets Team to Provide Mobile Users With Mensa Genius Challenge". American Mensa. Archived from the original on 7 December 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
  5. ^ Sharma, Mukul (30 January 2007). "IQ tests are about innate intelligence". The Times of India. India. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2007.
  6. ^ Mensa International. "Getting Your IQ Tested - FAQs". Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Contact". Mensa International. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  8. ^ British Mensa. "Contact Us". mensa.org.uk. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  9. ^ Mensa International. "A Brief History of Mensa's International Structure". www.mensa.org. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  10. ^ Victor Serebriakoff (1986). Mensa - The Society for the Highly Intelligent. Stein and Day. ISBN 978-0-8128-3091-0.
  11. ^ Tammet, Daniel (2009). Embracing the Wide Sky: A Tour Across the Horizons of the Mind. Simon and Schuster. p. 40. ISBN 978-1416570134. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  12. ^ Victor Serebriakoff (1986). Mensa - The Society for the Highly Intelligent. Stein and Day. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-8128-3091-0.
  13. ^ American Mensa. "Join Mensa Using My Past Test Scores". www.us.mensa.org. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  14. ^ See Normal distribution#Quantile function.
  15. ^ American Mensa. "Take the Mensa Admission Test". www.us.mensa.org. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  16. ^ a b Mensa International. "National Mensas". www.mensa.org. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  17. ^ a b American Mensa. "Mensa Bulletin". www.us.mensa.org. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  18. ^ a b British Mensa. "Mensa Magazine". mensa.org.uk. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  19. ^ "Contact Us". Mensa International. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  20. ^ Stanislav Dimov (22 October 2011). "Thinking lessons introduced at school". Europost. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  21. ^ American Mensa. "About Us". www.us.mensa.org. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  22. ^ British Mensa. "About Us". mensa.org.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  23. ^ Mensa in Deutschland. "Über Mensa in Deutschland". mensa.de. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  24. ^ "Mensa Special Interest Groups". American Mensa. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  25. ^ "American Mensa's Annual Gathering | July 2-6, 2025". ag.us.mensa.org. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  26. ^ Loew, Tracy (21 May 2006). "Mensa still plays mind games after 60 years". USA Today. Archived from the original on 7 January 2007. Retrieved 16 January 2007.
  27. ^ Arsenault, Anne (22 April 2005). "Brainiac Central". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on 11 January 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2007.
  28. ^ "EMAG". emag-mensa.eu. Archived from the original on 22 June 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  29. ^ "EMAG - European Mensa Annual Gathering". members.mensa.ch. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  30. ^ a b "Annual Asian-Pacific Mensa Meeting 2018 | Mensa International". www.mensa.org. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  31. ^ "Asian Mensa Annual Gathering + Australian Mensa Conference + Kids Conference 2017 - Australian Mensa Inc". www.mensa.org.au. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  32. ^ "AMAG - Asian Mensa Gathering". members.mensa.ch (in Italian). Mensa Svizzera. 26 April 2014. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  33. ^ "Officers". Mensa International. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  34. ^ Serbia Mensa. "Publikacije". www.mensa.rs. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  35. ^ Australian Mensa. "TableAus". www.mensa.org.au. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  36. ^ Mensa México. "Actividades". mensa.org.mx. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  37. ^ Mensa France. "Mensa France". mensa-france.net. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  38. ^ New Mexico Mensa. "The New Mensican". nmmensa.org. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  39. ^ "Greater New York Mensa". GNYM. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  40. ^ Mensa International. "Mensa World Journal". www.mensa.org. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  41. ^ Mensa Foundation. "Mensa Research Journal". www.mensafoundation.org. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  42. ^ "The Constitution of Mensa" (PDF). mensa.org. International Mensa. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  43. ^ Ringle, Haley (26 May 2009). "2-year-old joins group for high IQs". East Valley Tribune. Archived from the original on 13 November 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  44. ^ The Times (15 June 2013). "The two-year-old whose parents have to study to keep up with". The Times. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  45. ^ a b "Two-year-old becomes youngest boy to join Mensa". The Telegraph. 14 June 2013. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  46. ^ Greaves, Laura; Hoskin, Madeline (11 April 2016). "Is my child really gifted?". Kidspot. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  47. ^ "Meet the World's Smartest Kid". ABC News. 1 May 2009. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  48. ^ "2-year-old Girl Joins Mensa". Dover New Philadelphia Times Reporter. 18 March 1996. Retrieved 17 August 2023 – via NewspaperArchive.
  49. ^ "In Short, 10-year-old boy outscores Einstein on Mensa IQ test". BBC Radio 5 live. 2 February 2018. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  50. ^ a b "Demographics and Figures". American Mensa. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  51. ^ "FAQs - Full list". British Mensa. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.

Further reading

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