IQ testing… should we believe it?

“IQ? John’s intelligence is below average?! How does a piece of paper determine my child’s intellect, my child is smart whether this test agrees or not” John’s mother stormed out in disappointment and disbelief when she received her 3 year old John’s IQ results. IQ testing is one of the most frequently used methods to measure one’s intellect. Although some people find it misleading and unreliable (like John’s mom) IQ has been shown to correlate with many future positive outcomes. In this short blog, I am going to describe some of these correlates and try to provide some solace to John’s mom and plenty of others by explaining some of the ways to improve one’s IQ.

Swedish researchers show that lower IQ scores correlate with higher suicidal feelings. They also demonstrate that higher IQ parallels with higher confidence and creativity. In addition, their study determined that individuals with an IQ over 115 expressed fewer difficulties within different job positions.

So does that mean that one’s IQ is a life sentence predicting the potential of individuals leading to either a life of prosperity or of inevitable failure? To a certain extent yes, but not quite. It has been shown that breastfeeding increases IQ by 3–8 points (and no I am not advocating for adult breastfeeding). Another suggested way to enhance IQ is playing strategy games. 2 scientists have devised a strategy logic game and have shown that participants that consistently play this game had improved IQ scores. Video games in general seem to improve IQ; Tetris in particular leads to more efficient brain activity. Last but not least, reading has been shown to enhance one’s critical thinking and ability to comprehend which translates into an increased IQ level (so who knows, you might just have increased your IQ by a couple points since you started reading this post, you’re welcome).

John is 21 years old today, completing his studies at McGill University and will be graduating in a few months. So I guess IQ isn’t that good of a predictor after all?

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