There's no single "most intelligent woman," but Marilyn vos Savant is famous for holding the Guinness World Record for the highest recorded IQ (228), though IQ measures vary; other highly intelligent women include pioneer programmer Ada Lovelace, physicist Marie Curie, mathematician Hypatia, and inventor/actress Hedy Lamarr, highlighting intelligence across different fields like logic, science, and innovation, not just test scores.
Marilyn Vos Savant is an American author, columnist, and lecturer who gained fame in 1985 when The Guinness Book of World Records listed her as having the highest IQ ever recorded—an astounding 228.
Meet Marilyn vos Savant – the woman with the highest recorded IQ (228). Mocked for thinking differently, but remembered for seeing what no one else could. A mind miles ahead of Einstein, Hawking, and Musk – and still, she had to fight to be taken seriously.
Marilyn Monroe was more than a glamorous icon—she was deeply intelligent and loved literature and philosophy. She reportedly had an IQ of 168, even higher than einstein's estimated 160.
The highest IQ ever recorded in verified sources is attributed to Marilyn vos Savant, with an IQ score of 228 as per the Guinness World Records. Other historic high IQs include Terence Tao (225–230) and Christopher Hirata (225). Most IQ claims above 250 are considered unverified.
Lady Gaga's IQ is widely rumored to be around 166, placing her in the "exceptionally gifted" or genius category, though this is an estimation often cited in celebrity lists, not a officially verified number from a public test. This high estimate is supported by her early academic achievements, like attending a summer program for the top 1% of students, and her demonstrated creative and musical genius as a composer and performer, notes Us Weekly and Brainmanager.io.
Celebrity Genius 5 - James Woods
Emmy Award winner James Woods is an Oscar-nominee and superstar has a whopping IQ of 180. While in high school, Woods was in a UCLA linear algebra course.
If we measure smarts by IQ alone, Marilyn edges out with a score reportedly five points higher than the famed physicist. Yes, that's right—Marilyn Monroe, often pigeonholed as the quintessential blonde bombshell, had an IQ of 165, surpassing Einstein's by a small but significant margin.
The Highest and Lowest Ranking Professions by IQ
As we might expect, cognitively demanding professions (such as physicist, lawyer, and financial manager) occupy the top spots, whereas manual and service-oriented roles cluster at the bottom.
Terence Tao, an Australian math prodigy with a staggering IQ of 230, is widely regarded as the smartest person alive. Solving college-level problems by age 9 and earning a PhD at 20, he now teaches at UCLA and contributes to advanced fields like number theory and harmonic analysis.
Studies have shown that intelligence has a genetic component, but they have not conclusively identified any single genes that have major roles in differences in intelligence. It is likely that intelligence involves many genes that each make only a small contribution to a person's intelligence.
The signs of high intellectual power in adults are similar to those in children. They include quick learning, interest in unique topics, and the ability to process information fast, among others.
Although IQ can change for an individual, across a population it is well established that IQ is stable across the lifespan. This does NOT mean that our abilities do not change as we age. IQ (as the name indicates) is a QUOTIENT, i.e., your score is calculated relative to persons of your age.
Anything above 130 is considered gifted or very advanced. Some historical IQs that have been reverse-analyzed include Albert Einstein with 160, Leonardo da Vinci with 180, and Isaac Newton with 190. As for William James Sidis, the “smartest person who ever lived,” he had an estimated IQ of around 250 to 300.
Marie Curie
Probably the most famous female scientist in history, Marie Curie was not only the first woman to win a Nobel prize but the first person to win two in different fields, physics and chemistry. Well-known as the discoverer of radium and polonium, she also developed a system for measuring radioactive decay.
Stephen Hawking never officially revealed his IQ, and often dismissed the metric, famously saying, "People who boast about their IQ are losers". While estimates place his IQ around 160, a genius level, this is speculative; Hawking emphasized that creativity, persistence, and passion for science were more important than a single score, despite his profound impact on physics.
Einstein had at least 10 lovers in addition to the two women he married after affairs with them, Barbara Wolff, archivist of the Einstein letters at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, said yesterday when the letters were unveiled. He talked about several of the paramours in the letters, including a “Mrs.
Although Monroe's death was officially ruled a "probable suicide" by the Los Angeles County coroner's office, suspicion has surrounded her untimely passing ever since. Some have even speculated that her alleged affairs with President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated on Nov.
Madonna reportedly has a genius-level IQ of around 140, well above the average, with sources citing her intelligence and business acumen, often linking it to her ability to recognize patterns and disrupt culture. This high score is sometimes associated with her academic achievements, like receiving a scholarship to the University of Michigan, and her remarkable career longevity, making her a highly successful artist.
Ben Affleck's IQ is often cited as 154, placing him in the highly gifted range, though these figures for celebrities are estimates, with some sources also mentioning high intellect in relation to his work, such as co-writing Good Will Hunting with Matt Damon.
Lady Gaga's IQ is widely rumored to be around 166, placing her in the "exceptionally gifted" or genius category, though this is an estimation often cited in celebrity lists, not a officially verified number from a public test. This high estimate is supported by her early academic achievements, like attending a summer program for the top 1% of students, and her demonstrated creative and musical genius as a composer and performer, notes Us Weekly and Brainmanager.io.
Snoop Dogg has claimed to have an IQ of 147, a score he revealed on Instagram, which classifies as "highly gifted" or genius level, despite graduating high school with straight C's and considering himself a poor student. While the exact test isn't verified, he has expressed surprise at his own high score, contrasting it with his academic struggles, but acknowledges his brilliance in music and business, notes Esquire Australia and Brainmanager.io.
No, an IQ of 97 is not considered dumb; it falls squarely in the average range (90-109), indicating typical cognitive abilities, though some tests might place it slightly below the exact midpoint of 100. An IQ score of 97 means you performed better than 42% of people, and due to the test's margin of error, your score could be anywhere from the high 80s to the mid-100s, still within normal intelligence.
Matt Damon
The Hollywood heavyweight, who boasts an IQ of 160, famously completed the project with his longtime friend Ben Affleck.