Category: Intelligence

The trait is not normally associated with intelligent people.

People who are generous by nature have a higher IQ, research finds.

Generous people are unselfish and sometimes deny themselves so that others can have more.

Although generosity is not something people usually associate with intelligence, psychological research clearly shows a link.

Intelligent people may be more generous partly because they can afford it.

People with higher IQs generally have greater resources, or can expect to recover what they have given away later on.

The conclusions come from a study in which 96 people played games that involved either donating to others or keeping things for themselves.

The results revealed that intelligent people were more generous to others.

In contrast, those who kept more for themselves tended to be less intelligent.

The study’s authors used the results of SAT tests, which can be converted into approximate IQ scores.

They write:

“We find that subjects who perform better on the Math portion of the SAT [Scholastic Aptitude Test] are more generous in both the dictator game and the SVO [Social Value Orientation] measure.

[…]

Our results involving SAT scores […] suggest that measures of cognitive ability, which are less sensitive to the intrinsic motivation of the subject, are positively related to generosity.”

The study was published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization (Chen et al., 2013).

Answers to: Is IQ dropping around the world? Where does human intelligence come from? What are the signs of a high IQ brain?

While it is obvious to us that some people are smarter than others, scientists are definitely not agreed on the root of one of our most precious abilities: intelligence.

Certainly, many aspects of intelligence are mysterious, and these six recent studies published in the members-only section of PsyBlog have asked questions including:

• Where does human intelligence come from?
• What are the signs of a high IQ brain?
• Is IQ dropping around the world?

Perhaps the last of these questions should concern us the most; after all, without our intelligence what a paltry being is left?

To access these articles, you need to have a paid membership.

Once again, many thanks to everyone who supports PsyBlog in this way.

1.

American IQ Is Dropping — And It’s Happening Elsewhere Too (M)

In the last 30 years or so, there is evidence that the so-called ‘Flynn effect’ has been reversing..

Read more

2.

How Reading For Pleasure Affects Your IQ (M)

Around half the children in the study had little or no experience of reading for pleasure or did not pick up the habit until later on.

Read more

3.

4 Personality Traits That Are Signs Of High IQ (M)

The research revealed the facets of the major personality traits that are signs of high intelligence.

Read more

4.

This Part Of Your Brain ‘Masterminds’ Fluid Intelligence (M)

Where does intelligence lie in the brain? Scientists definitely do not agree.

Read more

5.

Human Intelligence Arises From Efficiency Of The Whole Brain Rather Than A Specific Area (M)

There is no specific area of the brain that ‘masterminds’ our intelligence, research finds.

Read more

6.

A Surprising Sign Of A High IQ Brain (M)

High IQ brains have greater functional connectivity and higher synchronisation, but this has an unexpected real-world effect.

Read more

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The ‘refreshment’ is linked to a slower brain and making more mistakes.

Drinking higher quantities of alcohol and smoking cigarettes are both linked to a lower IQ, research finds.

People who smoke and drink have a worse memory and poorer problem-solving skills.

Similarly, higher rates of binge drinking are also linked to a lower IQ, a previous study found.

Smoking may be even more damaging to thinking skills than drinking.

High levels of smoking and drinking both lead to a slower brain and making more mistakes.

The reason may be that smoking and drinking damage the blood vessels supplying the brain.

The conclusions come from a study of 172 men, some of whom were alcoholics.

All completed tests of IQ, memory and thinking skills and were followed up over nine years.

The results showed that the more they drank and smoked, the lower their IQ.

Drinkers and smokers also had worse memories and poorer thinking skills.

Dr Jennifer Glass, the study’s first author, said:

“We can’t say that we’ve found a cause-and-effect relationship between smoking and decreased thinking ability, or neurocognitive proficiency.

But we hope our findings of an association will lead to further examination of this important issue.

Perhaps it will help give smokers one more reason to quit, and encourage quitting smoking among those who are also trying to control their drinking.”

Professor Robert Zucker, study co-author, said:

“The exact mechanism for smoking’s impact on the brain’s higher functions is still unclear, but may involve both neurochemical effects and damage to the blood vessels that supply the brain.

This is consistent with other findings that people with cardiovascular disease and lung disease tend to have reduced neurocognitive function.”

The study was published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence (Glass et al., 2006).

People with efficient brains tend to have spare capacity.

Daydreaming is a sign of being more creative and having higher intelligence, research suggests.

Those who report more daydreaming have higher intellectual abilities and their brains work more efficiently.

People with efficient brains tend to have spare capacity, so it is natural for the mind to wander.

Wandering minds and intelligence

The conclusions come from a study in which over 100 people stared at a fixed point for five minutes while their brains were scanned.

The aim was to see how the areas of the brain worked together when they were given nothing in particular to do.

The results showed that those with more efficient brains were also smarter and more creative.

Dr Eric Schumacher, study co-author, said:

“People with efficient brains may have too much brain capacity to stop their minds from wandering.

People tend to think of mind wandering as something that is bad.

You try to pay attention and you can’t.

Our data are consistent with the idea that this isn’t always true.

Some people have more efficient brains.”

Brain efficiency insights

One sign of an efficient brain is being able to zone in and out of conversations without missing anything.

Dr Schumacher said:

“Our findings remind me of the absent-minded professor — someone who’s brilliant, but off in his or her own world, sometimes oblivious to their own surroundings.

Or school children who are too intellectually advanced for their classes.

While it may take five minutes for their friends to learn something new, they figure it out in a minute, then check out and start daydreaming.”

Ms Christine A. Godwin, the study’s first author, wants to examine exactly when mind wandering could be useful and when not:

“There are important individual differences to consider as well, such as a person’s motivation or intent to stay focused on a particular task.”

The study was published in the journal Neuropsychologia (Godwin et al., 2017).

People with high IQs tend to share this quality.

More intelligent people tend to follow rules and be less aggressive and better behaved, research finds.

People with higher IQs are also less likely to cheat and steal.

Young people with lower IQs, though, are more likely to take part in antisocial behaviour, such as harassing or alarming others.

Boys who are antisocial have an average IQ 10 points lower than their more social counterparts.

For antisocial girls, the IQ gap is 5 points lower than their more social peers.

The conclusions come from a study of more than 1,000 young people in the UK.

All were given tests of IQ and externalising behaviour.

For psychologists, externalising behaviour refers to physical aggression, flouting rules, stealing and cheating.

The results showed that fewer externalising behaviours were linked to higher IQ.

In contrast, those with lower IQs were at greater risk of antisocial behaviour.

The study’s authors write:

“Low IQ is a consistent risk factor for emergence and continuity of antisocial behavior across the life course in both prospective and cross-sectional studies, even when other relevant risk factors are statistically controlled.”

Genetic factors are likely important in the link, as well as situational factors, the authors write:

“…cognitive deficits might promote antisocial behavior if children with low IQs misunderstand rules, find it too difficult to negotiate conflict with words, find school frustrating, or become tracked with antisocial peers.”

The study was published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology (Koenen et al., 2008).