Does IQ Really Measure How Smart You Are?
When people talk about smarts, Intelligence Quotient or IQ always seems to come up. People love to bring up how Einstein had a genius-level IQ of 160. And to join Mensa, you need to have an IQ of at least 130. But is IQ even a good way to measure intelligence? Well, that depends on how you define intelligence. IQ scores may be a useful shorthand to talk about education strategies for big groups of people, like when discussing public policy. But IQ can be affected by a lot of factors, even things as subjective as your motivation while taking the test. The first sort of IQ test was invented by the French psychologist Alfred Binet in the early 1900s. A law in 1882, aimed at egalitarianism, said that any healthy child had to go to school and learn the basics, like: reading, writing, arithmetic, history, public policy, and the natural sciences. The law even included special consideration for children with disabilities, like deafness or blindness. But the French government acknowledged that not every kid would able to keep up with the normal curriculum, for lots of possible reasons. So, Binet and other psychologists were commissioned to create a standardized test to measure how different kids handled their schoolwork. Along with Théodore Simon, Binet developed the Binet-Simon test – in which children would answer a series of questions until they couldn’t anymore. That way, kids could be grouped in classes with students with similar scores, instead of relying on their age or the subjective judgments of teachers. In the next decade or so, this scale was revised for use with both kids and adults and renamed the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales. This popular IQ test is still used today, along with other standardized tests that are meant to measure learning ability – sometimes defined as how quickly and easily we learn new things. On early versions of the test, IQ was calculated by taking a person’s score on a standardized test, dividing it by their chronological age, and then multiplying the result by 100. In more modern versions, you’re basically ranked against other test takers. The scores of a group of people are scaled so that 100 is the average, and your IQ score is determined based on where you are in relation to that average. But here’s the thing: whether or not IQ tests actually measure your intelligence depends on how you’re defining intelligence.
In simple definitions, intelligence is the ability to learn new things or adapt to new situations. But the definition can also include the ability to use logic or reason, or to think abstractly. These definitions are all focused on intellectual capacity, which is how intelligence is defined by the American Psychological Association. And they don’t include other kinds of intelligence, like social or emotional intelligence, or things like creativity, or self-awareness. The Stanford-Binet test, for instance, focuses on testing five main categories of information: baseline knowledge, basic mathematics, visualizing objects in space, working memory, and fluid reasoning – or the ability to solve new problems. So, depending on what you’re trying to understand about someone, IQ tests might be useful, or they might be a waste of time. It also turns out that your IQ score can be affected by a lot of different things – and because intelligence is so complex, we’re not sure how strongly different factors might affect it. There’s some evidence that says cognitive abilities are somewhat heritable, meaning there might be some kind of genetic component to IQ. But it’s not that simple! Recent studies have shown that IQ tests are affected by motivation. For example, one 2011 meta-analysis found that people who are offered cash if they do well on an IQ test scored higher than people who weren’t offered anything. Like, up to 20 points higher for just a 10 dollar reward. That’s a huge effect! And we know that motivation can play a role in other things, like your grades and your career path, that could be wrongly chalked up to just an IQ score. IQ also seems to be affected by environmental factors. Cultural values can influence your IQ scores. For example, a kid who grows up in a community that prizes storytelling might do better on verbal sections of the test, or problems that require you to remember and reuse information. How much education you get – and the quality of that education – may have an effect, too. Kids who miss school because it’s hard for them to get there, or who attend schools without many resources, tend to score lower than their peers.
Even your family environment can affect your IQ, like whether you grow up in a low-income household or whether you experience a lot of trauma as a kid. So, like a lot of things, IQ seems to result from a mix of nature and nurture. There are just so many factors that affect your learning ability as you grow up – from the environment you develop in before you’re born, to things like education opportunities and family dynamics. But psychologists seem to agree that one thing that seems to help people with learning and academic achievement is thinking about intelligence as a thing that can change. So IQ tests aren’t anywhere near perfect or comprehensive, but they can help us predict how people might learn in the near future, which can make a difference in the support they receive. For instance, IQ scores can affect diagnosis of intellectual disability, which can inform public policy about education programs to support different students. It’s understandable why it’s valuable to have a standard way to sort-of measure intelligence, like when it comes to making these general policy decisions. But it’s also easy to see why IQ tests have been surrounded in controversy, too. There’s a lot we don’t understand about intelligence, and a lot that an IQ score can’t tell us about a person or groups of people. So while IQ can be a useful shorthand in some cases, it is not something would set in stone and do not let a number define you.
4 Powerful Techniques to Increase Your IQ
We're going to learn about four powerful techniques to increase your IQ now let's begin have you ever felt like the dullest person in the room yeah as a low test score made you doubt your intelligence many people think their IQ is set in stone they assume that one bad grade is a recipe for lifelong stupidity but your intelligence isn't predetermined the portions of your brain responsible for learning memory and other forms of cognition can change over time as you mature these regions develop at different rates some people will nurture them helping these regions grow dense and complex other people will neglect them leaving their brains immature and slow my point here is your intelligence depends on you while nature certainly plays a role very few people are doomed from the get-go but that doesn't mean increasing. Your IQ is quick and easy no while some shortcuts can earn you a few extra points developing lasting intelligence takes time and a lot of hard work these four techniques each offer you a powerful way to develop your brain and boost your intelligence
1. fingertips
Oh in the very best part is every single one of these techniques is right at your fingertips so if you want to increase your IQ incorporate these four powerful techniques into your daily routine yeah it may take a bit of hard work but the reward is a gift that lasts a lifetime number one independent study while advanced degrees offer an array of educational opportunities you can increase your IQ without spending thousands on an expensive program in this day and age informations everywhere if you don't believe me open a web browser type in any question you can imagine someone somewhere in the world will have an answer you'll find research studies conducted on the subject books written by leading experts in the field classes taught by experienced professionals the modern world offers a limitless supply of educational resources all you have to do is them many of the world's most intelligent people found success outside of traditional academia they checked out dozens if not hundreds of books from the library they attended conferences listened to seminars and network with others in their field they took advantage of online courses where they not only learn from the best but also honed new and unique skills the informations out there the resources are waiting to be read absorbed and put into practice there's only one hurdle standing in your way it's the same reason that most people struggle to educate themselves without traditional schooling when you study on your own there's no one telling you what to do there's no one keeping you in line there's no one forcing you to read book after book outside of the classroom learning is a game against yourself if you want to increase your IQ.
A game against yourself.
You're responsible for your own education if you falter you won't learn much but if you can stay self disciplined you'll discover an incredible habit which will carry with you for the rest of your life why is that well because independent study teaches you to love learning you begin to crave new knowledge and synthesize that knowledge in ways that most people just don't understand have you ever noticed the most intelligent people aren't just good at one thing their encyclopedic brains excel in specific fields but they draw from a wide bank of information. When you understand a myriad of subjects your brain processes information in more innovative ways you discover new solutions connections and perspectives which you never would have seen otherwise so if you're interested in something anything just pick up a book read an article enroll in an online course each and every time you discover something new your cognitive abilities will grow a little bit more you don't need teachers lectures and classrooms to build your intelligence with millions of educational resources at your disposal you can increase your IQ all on your own number two musical training did you learn piano as a kid most people played some kind of instrument growing up maybe you played in a school band or just learned a couple of songs on the guitar these days you may only remember a few chords but childhood hobby had a lasting impact on your brain a study from 1998 in the journal scientific correspondence discovered something incredible about musical training it turns out adults who play an instrument were better learners than almost anyone else imagine you're sitting in class listening to a lecture on American history or cell biology some students will retain more information than others.
Retain more information
Their memories are geared towards certain kinds of stimuli either verbal or visual if you have a strong verbal memory you learn the best from lectures speeches and conversations you retain and process spoken language quickly and efficiently but if you're a visual learner lectures aren't your strong suit instead you prefer diagrams and displays which show information in a visual way so how do these two types of learning relate to music.You may ask after reading and memorizing music adults with musical training demonstrated fantastic verbal memories in fact their verbal skills significantly outperformed everyone else in the study but they're not bad visual learners either their visual scores remained on par with the average visual learning in other words musicians have a knack for both types of learning.So what are these results mean for you if you learn an instrument you may become a capable learner across the board absorbing both verbal and visual stimuli if you can learn in more diverse ways your brain can process more information than the average person and understand subjects from a variety of angles oh but that's not all musical training does for your brain a second study from 2009 in the Journal of Neuroscience found that music actually reconstructs the brain scientists call this brain plasticity brain plasticity means the structure of your brain can change in response to your environment if your environment is more musical those changes become more dramatic your brain is the most susceptible to change during major periods of development like adolescence and young adulthood during these periods of significant growth musical training strengthens the regions of your brain associated with learning memory motor skills and auditory skills not to mention.
It's also emotionally and creatively stimulating so pick up the piano fish your old guitar out of the garage learn a song or two or just fiddle with the strings you don't have to be a world-class musician a little practice goes a long way number three strengthening your hearts physical and intellectual performance go hand-in-hand a study from 2009 published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the sciences of the United States of America discovered a close relationship between intelligence and athleticism we often think of brains and brawn as natural enemies but physical fitness is a great way to increase your IQ but not in the way most people think lifting weights and building muscles isn't going to strengthen your brain but conditioning your heart might in this 2009 study participants with strong cardiovascular systems were some of the most intelligent well why because the heart supplies the brain with oxygenated blood your brain needs that blood to think process and retain information oh and that's not all the heart also communicates with the brain in several different ways neurologically the two organs transmit nerve impulses back and forth controlling integral bodily functions your heartbeat for example stems from signals in the brain the heart and brain also exchange information through hormones pressure waves and neurotransmitters so even if your heart can't think it plays an important role in all kinds of cognitive and psychological functions so physical fitness isn't just for athletes intelligent people need to challenge their bodies too and that way your brain gets everything it needs to perform at its peak number four mastering a new language in our society language is everything we use language to express ideas concepts and philosophies we use it to tell stories and document our history to communicate and build relationships without language humankind would never have evolved into the global force that we are today that's why understanding language is such a key component of our intellectual abilities people who understand language excel socially and professionally in our society so what's the best way to improve your understanding of language learning a new language is a great place to start in a 2012 study from the journal neural image researchers found that bilingual adults have a huge neurological advantage over adults who speak only one language you see learning a new language is a lot like musical training .
Musical training
It challenges specific regions of the brain on a regular basis forcing those regions to expand the two most important regions are the hippocampus which controls learning and memory and the frontal lobe which moderates problem-solving and language comprehension adopting a new language leads to a higher concentration of gray matter in both the hippocampus and the frontal lobe more gray matter allows for more complex cognitive developments and more development means a higher IQ on the best part of this powerful technique like all the others on this list is that you can start at any time there are dozens of classes tutors and books that can teach you a second language in no time you can even use interactive apps on your phone which turn language comprehension into an educational game by taking advantage of these resources you won't just learn a few new tricks you'll expand your brain and you'll increase your IQ for years to come.
Thanks for reading: Does IQ Really Measure How Smart You Are? 4 Powerful Techniques to Increase Your IQ, Sorry, my English is bad:)