Being brainy can be a lot of fun
TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013 09:42 AM

While a high score on an IQ test is something to celebrate, those who achieve stellar results are often misunderstood. Despite persistent stereotypes, not every highly intelligent person devours books or plays chess in his or her free time.

The same types of myths extend to organizations for these individuals, such as Mensa, the high IQ society. Ainslie Waldron, a member of Australian Mensa and the society's state secretary for Queensland, is setting the record straight. She told The Sunshine Coast Daily that attending Mensa meetings is more fun than people may suspect.

"There is laughter; we do have a lot of fun," Waldron said.

Beyond the laughs, Waldron said Mensa members can attend monthly lunches, enter a weekly trivia challenge and attend other events designed specifically for those who have been granted entry into the exclusive society.

Waldron, who has been a member of Mensa since 1980, knows that highly intelligent people know how to have fun. However, others may still be skeptical and believe Mensa only hands out memberships to scientists and mathematicians. Those who know nothing more about the society than the myths they have been told may be surprised to learn that everyone from scientists and artists to firefighters and farmers are members, according to Mensa International's website.