American Mensa Offers Dating Services for Like-Minded Members

In an idea that can be called nothing short of genius, Mensa’s U.S. chapter (which requires members to score at or above the 98th percentile on a standardized IQ test) is launching an online dating service.

What’s the benefit? Working with Match.com, American Mensa  (opens in a new tab) announced last week the launch of Mensa Match  (opens in a new tab), a dating and friendship service that aims to help its members “connect on a more emotional level.” The service is restricted to the U.S. chapter’s roughly 60,000 members, who have one very important thing in common—their incredibly high scores on IQ tests.

Why it works for them: According to American Mensa’s marketing manager, Victoria Liguez, members have often requested a dating service. “You’re looking for someone in the same tribe as you,” she told ABC News  (opens in a new tab). “You’re asking, ‘Do you value intelligence as much as I do?’” Liguez emphasized something you don’t need to be a genius to figure out: Similar intelligence doesn’t necessarily mean compatibility. Nonetheless, she said, Mensa Match is “a way to reach out and find people who can say, ‘Comic-Con is on your list? Oh, me too.’”

Other benefits: The organization offers discounts you might expect from a group focused on smarts—think deals on computers, brainy magazines like Science Illustrated, and distance-learning courses from Stanford and Johns Hopkins—but some of the offerings also have a social bent. For example, American Mensa has an app called “The Mensa Connection  (opens in a new tab),” which allows its members to strike up conversations through the nonprofit’s LinkedIn group.

And if you’re looking to make sure other folks know you’re a Mensa member, the organization offers a free vanity email address. It might come in handy for online dating, just in case you can’t find your match among the 2 percenters.

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