Category: Intelligence

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?

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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..

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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.

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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.

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4.

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

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

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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.

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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.

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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).

The psychologists predicted that intellectual humility would be linked to better results on coursework — but this wasn’t the case.

People who are confident in their intellectual abilities tend to have a higher IQ, a study finds.

Those who have confidence bordering on arrogance do better in academic tests.

People with higher IQs tend to agree with statements like “I believe my own ideas are superior to others.”

The intellectually arrogant tend to be seen by others as dominating the group and being extraverted.

Intellectually arrogant people tend to be the centre of attention and also score higher marks in tests, the study found.

On the down side, the intellectually arrogant are not liked as well as their peers who are more humble.

Professor Wade C. Rowatt, study co-author, said:

“One possibility is that people who view themselves as intellectually arrogant know what they know and that translates to increases in academic performance.”

The conclusions come from a study of over 100 students.

The authors thought that intellectual humility would be linked to better results on coursework.

However, it was the intellectually arrogant who got the best scores.

Dr Benjamin R. Meagher, the study’s first author, still thinks humility is a vital trait:

“What I think is important about intellectual humility is its necessity for not only science, but for just learning generally — and that applies to the classroom, a work setting, wherever.

Learning something new requires first acknowledging your own ignorance and being willing to make your ignorance known to others.

People clearly differ in terms of their willingness to do something like that, but that willingness to learn, change one’s mind and value the opinion of others is really needed if people and groups are going to develop and grow.”

The study was published in the Journal of Research in Personality (Meagher et al., 2015).

This upbeat emotion is linked to having higher intelligence.

People who feel happier tend to have a higher IQ, studies find.

In fact, experiencing positive emotions, feeling lively and wide awake all predict higher intelligence.

The idea that more intelligent people tend to be grumpy or unhappy is probably not true, on average.

Part of this link between intelligence and happiness may be down to life circumstances.

More intelligent people tend to be better off, have higher levels of education and consequently have better jobs.

The findings come from a survey of 6,870 people who were given tests of happiness and IQ.

The results showed that people with higher IQs (120-129) were happier than those with lower IQs (70-99).

The average IQ across the whole population is 100.

The study’s authors write:

“In this large nationally representative study, we found that IQ is associated with self-reported happiness, which provides support for our hypothesis.

Levels of happiness were lowest in the lower IQ groups and highest in the higher IQ groups.”

People with higher IQs tend to have better health, the study also found.

Poor health may be linked to low IQ due to lower learning abilities, the study’s authors write:

“One study suggests that people with lower IQ are more
likely to experience health problems because of a reduced
propensity to learn, reason and problem-solve, and because of difficulties in adhering to complex treatments, which often require following detailed instructions, and self-monitoring.”

Another study has shown that stable happiness is also a sign of higher IQ.

People with higher IQs are just as happy at 31-years-old as they are at 51.

More intelligent people experience fewer drops in their happiness over the years.

In contrast, the happiness of people with lower IQs is not just lower overall, but also goes up and down more over the years.

The study was published in the journal Psychological Medicine (Ali et al., 2013).