From what IQ is one HPI?

In recent years, the concept of High Intellectual Potential (HIP) has become known to the general public, to the point of now being anchored in popular language. Everywhere, it is not uncommon to meet people who say they are HPI. Not that there is an epidemic of giftedness in France, but this label is truly on the rise. As proof, the French series of the same name broadcast on TF1 is very successful. Fleurot, has an IQ of 160, highlighting the notion of high potential. But why does everyone want to be HPI? Besides, are they all?

For psychology doctor Saverio Tomasella, our existential quest pushes us to define ourselves finely, based on what we experience on a daily basis, our emotions, our intuitions, our feelings, our relationships with others. “This more subjective identity is what we express when we define ourselves as high potential”, it is the identity closest to what we are currently experiencing. To obtain a diagnosis of PIH, you must contact a professional, and rather turn to a neuropsychologist. During this assessment, IQ is important but is not the only indicator.

We would be HPI from an IQ of 130, really?

Although contested, IQ can be quantified. To calculate it, a series of tests linked to words, logic, space or even movement make it possible to arrive at a score positioning the patient in a scale of social panels. From a score of 130, the WHO defines that one has high intellectual potential (or HPI). In other words, we are considered “gifted” if we have a score above 130 after an evaluation with validated psychometric tests (the WISC or the WAIS are the only ones officially recognized in France). If we refer to this scale, a little more than 2% of the world population would be HPI.

Who are they? Personalities predisposed to creation: they invent theories, devices and are at the origin of innovative technologies. No wonder, then, that we find above-average IQs among the great inventors of our time. This is particularly the case of Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg. But having a higher IQ is not enough to be diagnosed with HPI. It happens that the score is lower than 130 but that one of the different components (short-term memory, logical reasoning, language, etc.) is particularly high. But the name HPI goes well beyond IQ and intelligence.

High “potential”: an intellectual probability above all

When we talk about HPI, we often refer to genius or talent. Certainly, we note the presence of remarkable skills, perfectly distinctive and identifiable, but they are not always indicative of an atypical intelligence, according to the conclusions of Philippe Mouillot, researcher in Management Sciences at the IAE in Poitiers. His observation is rather logical: unlike IQ, talent cannot be measured. In this sense, if HPIs are often talented from the point of view of their efficiency, particularly in terms of dynamic capabilities, talented individuals are not necessarily HPI because their performance is both limited to a domain and variable over time.

HPI is not easy to diagnose. Moreover, the simple definition of potential refers to probability. “The potential therefore constitutes a promise, but it is only that,” affirms Philippe Mouillot, who himself considers that HPIs do not exist scientifically. And if it is complex to define, it is because it only changes from the status of probability to that of reality in the light of results for which it is often impossible to determine the major lever. Obviously, an HPI person can have good chances of thriving professionally. Its potential will therefore be more or less “high”. But a hardworking and determined person will also have a good chance of success, as will those who benefit from important networks of influence or whose family is the heir to industrial empires.” Potential is therefore a more circumstantial than personal perspective and does not respond to proof of absolute intelligence. But its diagnosis remains crucial.

HPI, a controversial criterion but an essential diagnosis

Diagnosed late, HPI adults sometimes suffer “endless psychological torment,” observes Alexandra Osorio, psychologist. In addition to the difficulty of developing and accepting oneself, a feeling of relational gap very often leads to social isolation and hypersensitivity which gives them a feeling of being disconnected, separated and different from others and which pushes them to always question.

“HPIs have atypical personalities, and a different way of thinking, a specific way of perceiving, understanding and analyzing the world; with great emotional vulnerability, continues the specialist. Their irresistible need to understand and their propensity for introspective feelings and thoughts that barely leave them in peace.”

Could you be HPI? Take the test!

Carried out with a psychotherapist, this test does not replace a diagnosis carried out by a professional but offers an assessment of your intellectual potential. A consultation with a neuropsychologist is therefore necessary to determine if you are HPI.