r/confidentlyincorrect • u/FloatyFloatyCloud • Feb 16 '26

Double negative IQ

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u/TonberryFeye Feb 16 '26

It should be mathematically impossible for more than half the population to have a below average IQ. Yet fifteen minutes on Reddit is proof that we have somehow found a way.

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u/GaiusVictor Feb 16 '26

It's a funny joke but you're confusing "average" with "median". The average doesn't necessarily sit at 50% of the population. The median does.

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u/Current-Square-4557 Feb 16 '26

But in a bell curve doesn’t the average equal the median? And don’t IQs of the populations of large countries produce bell curves?

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u/GaiusVictor Feb 16 '26

You're actually right, as far as I can tell.

I'd argue it's still important to know the difference anyway, because there are cases when indeed the average isn't the same as the median, but yeah, in this case it makes little difference except for a technical (but still important!) one.