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On Michelle Obama’s IQ and EQ
Michelle Obama, the former US first lady, and wife of Barack Obama, is one of the most admired women alive. Her personal style and touch are very refreshing. At the same time, you might be wondering, how intelligent is she? Well, it is a very interesting question, and we are going to answer it by looking both at her general intelligence (IQ) as well as her emotional intelligence (EQ).
The former first lady has never taken an IQ or EQ test, at least that anyone knows of. If she has done it secretly, is a mystery. So no one knows what her real IQ score is.
However, we can make a prediction, and we think that we can make a very accurate one. We know a lot about her life and many of her successes. Her behaviors in different situations also tell us a lot about what her intelligence could potentially be. So let us review Michelle’s life in order to create a sound prediction of her IQ and EQ.
Growing up, Michelle stood out of the crowd
Michelle was born in 1964 in Chicago, in the South Side neighborhood. Music was an integral part of her daily life at home since her father was playing jazz music recordings all the time. Even her aunt offered piano lessons just beneath her bedroom. As expected, Michelle started very young to learn how to play the piano. The teacher was soon frustrated by mini-Michelle, as she always strived to do more than the teacher asked for, jumping to more advanced levels. That as we will see was a sign of precociousness that would actually unravel fast.
The school was by no means different from music. When she was in second grade, Michelle found herself in a class full of kids that were not as eager to learn as she was. After long debates with her mom and talking with the school, they moved her to a higher level, third grade. She did very well, and this is probably the first clear indication that she was more intellectually gifted than it appeared at first sight. Also, she was not only mature enough to recognize the problem and not get discouraged by other classmates, but she found the best way to work it through and obtain the change she needed, great signs of emotional intelligence. By the way, you can find out your IQ now with our free test in 10 minutes.
In the last high school years, Michelle took classes in the gifted program of her school -Whitney Young Magnet High School-, she was elected class treasurer, she was beloved by other matters. Academically, she was reaching the top 10% of the class. Princeton was already her target. Why Princeton? His older brother was already studying there, doing great with the basketball team. But her school counselor doubted whether she was good enough for Princeton. That is shortsightedness, right?
While at school, she made friends with the daughter of Jesse Jackson, a famous political leader in Chicago at the time. According to her recount, she disliked all the political atmosphere she experienced when visiting her friend. Sorry Michelle, but the future awaited with a life full of politics.
Years of College
Eventually, she was accepted into Princeton University and majored in sociology and African-American studies. Not with any grade, but cum laude. According to her own recount, her first months there were pretty rough. Being one of the few blacks on campus was rough, but she managed to work it through by making friends and community. This tells us a lot about her ability to understand her own emotions, and being able to act in a way that allows her to find the right emotional fit for that moment. Another sign of her high emotional intelligence.
Law School and meeting Barack
After Princeton, she was admitted to Harvard Law School. Entering Harvard Law School is tremendously difficult. Most universities, but especially Harvard, use standardized testing to decide on admission. These tests correlate pretty well with intelligence. As you can guess, Harvard Law demands top results. So here we have another sign that she is definitely very intelligent. Her success at law school also confirms that.
When she graduated, she went back to Chicago and started to work at a law firm called Sidley & Austen. In the law firm is where she met Barack Obama, while he was an intern. Although initially, she was very resistant to date him, essentially she was the advisor, his Hawaiian easy-going style and his intelligence captivated her. The couple started their journey. After the first dream with ice cream, the first kiss was the first stone in the relationship. Remember that you can find out your IQ now with our free test in 10 minutes.
Barack had to go back to Boston to finish law at Harvard, so they started a distance relationship. As you know, distant relationships are very hard. Overcoming the obstacles is only possible in the most robust and emotionally mature relationships. The fact that they were able to navigate through it willingly, tells us a lot about her ability to regulate her emotions, postpone desires and act intelligently for the long term. Strong EQ indication.
She left soon the law firm. Probably Barack influenced her. She wanted to help people. First, she became assistant to Chicago's mayor. Then director of a nonprofit. In 1992 the couple married and Michelle adopted a family-oriented role.
Becoming the first lady
Barack achieved to win a seat at the Illinois Senate, which many people had suggested him to do. Michelle did not want to get involved too directly in politics, but his husband’s persuasion finally convinced her. She was worried that any political marriage is a tough one.
Between 1999 and 2001, her daughters Malia and Sasha were born. She was devoted to them. Not surprisingly, his husband’s absence due to work soon became a problem. The couple started going to couple counseling to work out their conflicts. That is a very good sign indeed. Every couple has some degree of conflict. But being able to solve them is what distinguishes strong couples. The ability to understand that they needed some extra help to align better is a very good sign again of great emotional intelligence (EQ.
In 2009, Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States. Michelle the first lady. The White House was their new home, but it was not precisely a warm place. She tried to do as much as possible. For example, she managed to convince the secret service to allow for the kids to bring friends or to run through stairs. She was very aware of how difficult it would be for a kid to live in such a house.
Michelle launched her own initiatives, like the one against kid-obesity, called the Let’s Move program, looking among other things to foster healthier lunches for school kids. But Michelle has never really liked politics. So we do not think that the rumors of her becoming a presidential candidate will ever come to fruition.
We have heard some fantastic speeches of Michelle, and before we finish this overview of her life, we want to remember one phrase: “Don't be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered…Lead by example with hope, never fear.”
Final prediction
Once we take into account all the indications of intelligence of Michelle, we can only reach the conclusion that she is at least in the top 1% both in IQ and EQ. We predict her IQ to be around 140.
Don't forget to find out your IQ now with our free test in 10 minutes.
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