About

An IQ Too High? is a reaction image and exploitable meme depicting an image of a crow accompanied by the text "AN IQ TOO HIGH?" The image originates from a video thumbnail by the YouTube channel Real Science, which was uploaded in 2022. In late 2025 and early 2026, the thumbnail spread online as a reaction meme, primarily in TikTok comment sections as a sticker. The phrase "An IQ Too High?" has also been adopted as a text-based response on X / Twitter. Both the image and phrase are typically used to sarcastically comment on the intelligence of the post or user that is being reacted to.

Origin

On May 31st, 2022, educational YouTube channel^[1] Real Science uploaded a video, titled "Why Crows Are as Smart as 7 Year Old Humans," that discussed the technical and social intelligence of crows. The video used a thumbnail featuring a crow set against a background of math equations and the text "AN IQ TOO HIGH?" As of February 2026, the video has received over 5.6 million views.

Despite its high viewership, the video itself did not attract much attention or spawn memes until years later. The thumbnail resurfaced in early 2026 and began gaining traction as a reaction image, with the video's comment section featuring numerous users referencing the meme by February 2026.

Though the first instance of the thumbnail’s use as a reaction image is unknown, the earliest known upload of the reaction image or GIF was posted by Tenor^[2] user dheinejeshhd, titled "An Iq Too High Meme," on December 12th, 2025.

Google Trends^[8] indicates that the meme began gaining traction in late December and early January 2026, likely in TikTok comment sections.

The earliest known TikTok^[3] video containing the image, a slideshow composed of various reaction pictures, was posted by TikToker @adderallwoah12 on December 13th, 2025, with the caption "for stickers ignore," indicating that the user had uploaded the video with the intent to create stickers, which can be used in direct messages and comment sections on the platform.

Spread

More videos featuring the thumbnail appeared in late December 2025 and early 2026, soon becoming a prevalent reaction image in TikTok comment sections.

On December 20th, 2025, TikToker^[4] @fefipixels posted a video featuring a new variant of the meme with purple text that garnered over 32,000 views.

On January 5th, 2026, TikToker^[6] @rebootbhassy posted a video with a crow, accompanied by the text, “"Blud":https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/blud has an iq too high,” and the meme itself, though it did not receive significant engagement.

On January 20th, 2026, TikToker^[5] @luqidboi posted a video compilation of the meme and its variations, commenting on the new trend. The video received over 18,000 views in three weeks.

The meme eventually spread to X / Twitter, with the phrase “An IQ Too High?” being used ironically in response to bad takes and disagreeable content.

The first use of the phrase on X occurred on January 8th, 2026, when X^[7] user @F1ZK2 referenced the thumbnail’s text while replying to another user.

Various Examples

Template

Search Interest

External References