He’s a little genius with a big IQ.
At just 2 years and 182 days old, Joseph Harris-Birtill is the youngest-ever member of Mensa — the exclusive society for people with exceptionally high intelligence quotients.
Mensa, the world’s largest and most recognized society for brainiacs, admits only those who score in the top 2% on standardized IQ tests — a threshold that starts at a score of 132.
“We hope that this accomplishment can give him a sense of pride when he is older – it’s a very unusual accolade and the credit is all his!” his mother, Rose, who lives in the UK, told Guinness World Records.
While his exact IQ wasn’t revealed, Joseph’s incredible intellect pushed him to surpass the record of the youngest-ever Mensa member, a title previously held by Isla McNabb — a little Einstein from Kentucky who was awarded the honor in 2023 when she was 2 years and 195 days old.
To qualify for membership, individuals must demonstrate exceptional cognitive abilities in various intellectual areas, including problem-solving, logic and language comprehension.
“It soon became clear that he was an exceptional little being — he first rolled over at five weeks, said his first word at seven months, and read his first book out loud from cover to cover at 1¾ years,” Rose said.
“By 2¼ years old, he was reading out loud fluently for 10 minutes at a time, could count to 10 in five languages, and could count forwards and backwards to well over 100.”
His parents, both academic professionals, recognized early on that Joseph’s abilities might require more than just the usual childhood environment.
Rose, an honorary senior lecturer at the University of London, and David, a senior lecturer at the University of St Andrews, reached out to Mensa to get support for their son after it became clear his advanced reading skills confirmed their son was extraordinarily gifted.
The youngster continues to impress his parents and those around him as he learns new skills and talents.
Joseph is learning Morse code, for starters, and even knows the Greek alphabet, has recently been interested in the periodic table, is learning the piano, and has a knack for new languages, solving maths problems, cooking and flying paper airplanes. And, of course, playing with his toys.
“He loves a challenge and is really exhilarated by complexity, whether learning chess or poring over new words and concepts that he hasn’t come across before,” Rose shared.
His family is proud of more than just his intellect, too. His mother noted that “he is very kind and loving, confident and curious, and incredibly determined.”
Mensa has been a critical resource for Joseph, offering not just intellectual stimulation but also a sense of community with other exceptionally gifted children. His membership is not just a source of pride for his family, but also a unique opportunity for Joseph to be surrounded by peers who share his intellectual curiosity and drive.
“It is a common misconception that everything is super easy for gifted children. But everyone needs appropriate stimulation and understanding throughout their lives, and highly able learners can sadly have their unique talents dimmed by the pressure to fit into environments that simply haven’t been properly designed for them,” Rose noted.
“We’re incredibly proud of him, not just for his intellect, but for his kind and loving nature,” she added. “Whatever he decides to do in life, we know he’s capable of great things.”
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