The Conference features talks by renowned speakers such as Prof. Franck Ramus, Prof. Marina Fiori, Christelle Gillioz and Dr. Pascale Michelon, on topics such as high IQ, hypersensitivity, emotional intelligence research, and mental disorders. It also includes a panel discussion and networking opportunities.

 

Program

12:45 Door opening

13:00-13:15 Welcome

13:15-14:00 Professor Franck Ramus - High IQ: Good or Bad Luck ?

• Rumour has it that individuals with high IQ have a knack for attracting misfortune: they would have a higher rate of learning disabilities, ADHD, school difficulties, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, etc. Unfortunately, these claims are based on anecdotal evidence and on studies of biased samples of the high IQ population. Only whole-population studies can provide reliable estimates of the prevalence of disorders in high IQ, compared to the rest of the population. So, what do these studies say?

14:10-14:50 Professor Marina Fiori - Hypersensitivity as a Superpower

• This presentation aims to shift how we think about hyper-sensitivity, which is often portrayed negatively in the scientific and clinical literature. The core message is that hyper-sensitivity is not solely detrimental; it can also yield positive outcomes. To support this idea, the characteristics that make hypersensitive people with emotional intelligence different from those without it will be discussed. Ultimately, it is suggested that hyper-sensitivity can be like a superpower. When effectively balanced and regulated, hyper-sensitivity describes how highly emotionally intelligent individuals operate, shedding light on the positive outcomes associated with this combination.

15:00-15:45 Dr Christelle Gillioz - The Forefront of Emotional Intelligence Research

• This presentation will highlight recent research focusing on the emotional competence and hypersensitivity of highly intelligent individuals recruited among Mensa members. It will explore how to grasp hypersensitivity with objective indicators used in cognitive research, by introducing different experimental tasks and explaining how to interpret the data collected. Such objective indicators suggest that Mensa members do not treat emotional information in the same way as the general population. How can we explain this difference ?

16:00-16:45 Dr Pascale Michelon - How to increase emotional intelligence and well-being ?

• What makes the difference between people who are either overwhelmed by their emotions or ignore them and people who seem to live a rather peaceful emotional life?
  Discover how to concretely boost your emotional skills and how high sensitivity and high IQ may help (or not) in this process.

17:00-17:30 Panel Discussion

17:30 Networking, Apero and Closing