{"slug":"bell-curve","name":"Bell Curve","url":"/templates/bell-curve.png","w":675,"h":499,"top":"SIMPLE TAKE","bottom":"SAME SIMPLE TAKE","description":"Create a Bell Curve meme. An IQ bell curve shows the simpleton and the genius agreeing on the same thing, while the overthinking midwit in the middle has a completely different, needlessly complicated take.","keywords":"bell curve meme, midwit meme, iq bell curve meme, galaxy brain meme, midwit vs genius meme, bell curve wojak","year":2021,"origin":"The IQ Bell Curve meme (also called the \"Midwit\" meme) emerged on social media around 2021, combining the statistical bell curve with three characters: a happy simpleton on the low end, a stressed overthinking \"midwit\" at the peak, and a serene enlightened figure on the high end. The joke is that the genius and the simpleton arrive at the same simple conclusion, while the midwit overcomplicates everything. It satirizes the Dunning-Kruger effect and the idea that true wisdom is knowing when simplicity wins. For escalating levels of thinking, see Expanding Brain. For confidently dumb logic, see Roll Safe Think About It.","format":"template","textBoxes":[{"label":"Low IQ","x":4,"y":45,"w":25,"h":20,"placeholder":"Simple take","fontFamily":"Arial","fontColor":"#000000","strokeWidth":0,"isBold":false,"isAllCaps":false,"textAlign":"center","fontSize":45,"opacity":1},{"label":"Midwit","x":28,"y":1,"w":40,"h":15,"placeholder":"Overthinking it","fontFamily":"Arial","fontColor":"#000000","strokeWidth":0,"isBold":false,"isAllCaps":false,"textAlign":"center","fontSize":45,"opacity":1},{"label":"High IQ","x":73,"y":35,"w":24,"h":20,"placeholder":"Same simple take","fontFamily":"Arial","fontColor":"#000000","strokeWidth":0,"isBold":false,"isAllCaps":false,"textAlign":"center","fontSize":45,"opacity":1}],"exampleCaptions":["Just use a spreadsheet","We need a custom SaaS platform with AI-driven analytics and blockchain integration","Just use a spreadsheet"],"exampleAltText":"Bell Curve meme where the simpleton and genius both say just use a spreadsheet while the midwit wants a custom SaaS platform with AI and blockchain","exampleRefreshDate":"2026-02-28","howToMake":["The Bell Curve template is loaded with 3 text fields: one for each character along the IQ distribution","Fill in the left field (simpleton) and the right field (genius) with the same simple take, and the middle field (midwit) with the overthought, needlessly complicated version","Each text box is pre-positioned near its character. The humor comes from the two extremes agreeing while the middle panics","Make the midwit text smaller and denser to look overthought. The simple takes on either side should be short and confident","Enlighten the masses. Download your bell curve as a PNG, or Copy it to paste wherever midwit energy is thriving"],"seo":{"aliases":["Midwit Meme","IQ Bell Curve","Bell Curve Wojak","Midwit vs Genius","IQ Distribution Meme","Dunning Kruger Meme"],"description":"A statistical bell curve graph with three characters positioned along it. On the far left (low IQ), a cheerful simpleton smiles blissfully. At the peak of the curve (average IQ), a distressed figure with glasses sweats and overthinks everything. On the far right (high IQ), a calm, hooded figure sits in quiet certainty. The simpleton and the genius almost always say the same thing — it's the midwit in the middle who has the needlessly complicated take that nobody asked for.","definition":"The smartest and simplest people always land on the same answer — it's the midwit sweating at the peak of the curve who overcomplicates everything. An IQ bell curve positions a happy simpleton on the left, a stressed overthinker at the center, and a serene genius on the right.","useCases":[{"category":"Technology & Programming","examples":["Low IQ: \"Just use a text file\" / Midwit: \"We need a distributed NoSQL database with microservices\" / High IQ: \"Just use a text file\"","Low IQ: \"Google it\" / Midwit: \"Let me write a comprehensive research framework with peer review\" / High IQ: \"Google it\"","Low IQ: \"Turn it off and on again\" / Midwit: \"We need to analyze system logs and run diagnostics\" / High IQ: \"Turn it off and on again\"","Low IQ: \"Use Excel\" / Midwit: \"We need a custom Python pipeline with automated ETL\" / High IQ: \"Use Excel\"","Low IQ: \"Just ship it\" / Midwit: \"We need 6 more sprints of QA testing and stakeholder alignment\" / High IQ: \"Just ship it\""]},{"category":"Food & Cooking","examples":["Low IQ: \"Salt and pepper\" / Midwit: \"A curated blend of 17 artisanal spices from three continents\" / High IQ: \"Salt and pepper\"","Low IQ: \"Just eat when you're hungry\" / Midwit: \"Macro tracking with timed insulin response optimization\" / High IQ: \"Just eat when you're hungry\"","Low IQ: \"Butter makes it better\" / Midwit: \"We should use a carefully measured amount of grass-fed ghee\" / High IQ: \"Butter makes it better\"","Low IQ: \"Leftovers are fine\" / Midwit: \"You need to meal prep with separate containers and rotation labels\" / High IQ: \"Leftovers are fine\"","Low IQ: \"Water\" / Midwit: \"Hydrogen-enriched alkaline water with electrolyte optimization\" / High IQ: \"Water\""]},{"category":"Fitness & Health","examples":["Low IQ: \"Just walk more\" / Midwit: \"You need a periodized strength program with undulating volume\" / High IQ: \"Just walk more\"","Low IQ: \"Go to sleep\" / Midwit: \"Blue light glasses, melatonin cycling, sleep tracking app, weighted blanket\" / High IQ: \"Go to sleep\"","Low IQ: \"Eat less, move more\" / Midwit: \"Actually, metabolic adaptation means you need reverse dieting with refeed days\" / High IQ: \"Eat less, move more\"","Low IQ: \"Push-ups\" / Midwit: \"A 12-week progressive overload hypertrophy program\" / High IQ: \"Push-ups\"","Low IQ: \"Stretch\" / Midwit: \"Myofascial release with foam rolling and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation\" / High IQ: \"Stretch\"","Low IQ: \"Just run\" / Midwit: \"Zone 2 heart rate training with lactate threshold intervals\" / High IQ: \"Just run\""]},{"category":"Work & Career","examples":["Low IQ: \"Just ask your boss\" / Midwit: \"Schedule a stakeholder alignment meeting with pre-read materials\" / High IQ: \"Just ask your boss\"","Low IQ: \"Do the work\" / Midwit: \"Optimize your productivity system with time blocking and Pomodoro\" / High IQ: \"Do the work\"","Low IQ: \"Write it down\" / Midwit: \"We need a second-brain note-taking system with bidirectional links\" / High IQ: \"Write it down\"","Low IQ: \"Send an email\" / Midwit: \"Let's set up a Jira ticket, tag the stakeholders, and create a Confluence doc\" / High IQ: \"Send an email\"","Low IQ: \"Talk to people\" / Midwit: \"Build a personal brand through strategic LinkedIn thought leadership\" / High IQ: \"Talk to people\""]},{"category":"Relationships & Dating","examples":["Low IQ: \"Just be yourself\" / Midwit: \"Optimize your dating profile with A/B testing and algorithmic matching\" / High IQ: \"Just be yourself\"","Low IQ: \"Tell them how you feel\" / Midwit: \"Wait 3 days, send a carefully crafted text, analyze their response time\" / High IQ: \"Tell them how you feel\"","Low IQ: \"Go on a walk together\" / Midwit: \"Plan an Instagram-worthy experience at a trending venue\" / High IQ: \"Go on a walk together\"","Low IQ: \"Say sorry\" / Midwit: \"We need to have a structured conversation about love languages and attachment styles\" / High IQ: \"Say sorry\"","Low IQ: \"Hang out more\" / Midwit: \"Schedule intentional quality time with defined relationship check-ins\" / High IQ: \"Hang out more\""]},{"category":"Money & Finances","examples":["Low IQ: \"Spend less than you make\" / Midwit: \"You need a diversified portfolio with tax-loss harvesting and ROTH conversion ladders\" / High IQ: \"Spend less than you make\"","Low IQ: \"Save some money\" / Midwit: \"Automate 7 different savings buckets across 3 high-yield accounts\" / High IQ: \"Save some money\"","Low IQ: \"Buy the cheap one\" / Midwit: \"Research the cost-per-use value proposition across 15 review sites\" / High IQ: \"Buy the cheap one\"","Low IQ: \"Don't buy stuff you don't need\" / Midwit: \"Implement a zero-based budget with envelope system and 50/30/20 allocation\" / High IQ: \"Don't buy stuff you don't need\"","Low IQ: \"Index fund\" / Midwit: \"I'm building a custom portfolio of individual stocks based on my DCF models\" / High IQ: \"Index fund\""]},{"category":"Education & Learning","examples":["Low IQ: \"Read the book\" / Midwit: \"Use a spaced repetition system with active recall and interleaved practice\" / High IQ: \"Read the book\"","Low IQ: \"Practice\" / Midwit: \"Follow a structured deliberate practice protocol with measurable KPIs\" / High IQ: \"Practice\"","Low IQ: \"Ask someone who knows\" / Midwit: \"Cross-reference 12 academic papers and form an independent analysis\" / High IQ: \"Ask someone who knows\"","Low IQ: \"Just start\" / Midwit: \"First I need to plan my learning roadmap and choose the optimal resource stack\" / High IQ: \"Just start\"","Low IQ: \"Wikipedia\" / Midwit: \"Only peer-reviewed journals from the last 5 years with minimum citation counts\" / High IQ: \"Wikipedia\""]}]}}