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IQ, explained in 9 charts

Nobody wants to be a number. But there is one number that probably says a lot about you, whether you know it or not: your IQ, or intelligence quotient. (President Donald Trump recently bragged to Forbes that he would "win" if his IQ test score was compared to that of his Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson.) IQ is often dismissed as antiquated, misguided, or less important than personality traits. But according to Stuart Ritchie, an intelligence researcher at the University of Edinburgh, there's a massive amount of data showing that it's one of the best predictors of someone's longevity, health, and prosperity. And psychologists have been able to replicate these findings over and over.

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 IQ is a really stupid concept

Too many of us use the terms “IQ” and “intelligence” as if they’re interchangeable. They’re not. An IQ score isn’t a magical signifier of smarts; it merely quantifies your ability to take a particular kind of test. Wealthy, white Westerners tend to perform among the best on these exams, but that doesn’t mean they’re smarter than the rest of the world. Research increasingly indicates that the advantages that group enjoys—like better education and healthcare—set them up for success on such evaluations.

Articles of Interest

Are we becoming more STUPID?

IQ scores are decreasing - and some experts argue it's because humans have reached their intellectual peak.

Are You Smarter Than Your Grandfather? Probably Not.

Senility isn’t the answer; IQ scores are increasing with each generation. In a new book, political scientist James Flynn explains why.

Can We Stop Confusing IQ With Intelligence?

'Life smarts' is very different from book knowledge.

Emotional Intelligence: Is EQ the New IQ?

Emotional intelligence has become a hot topic in the world of business and education. Since the early 1990’s emotional intelligence has moved from a fluffy, obscure concept to a well researched and popular term today.

Emotional Smarts Tied to General IQ

The same brain regions that perform cognitive tasks may also provide social intelligence, according to a new study.

How to Raise Our I.Q.

Professor Nisbett provides suggestions for transforming your own urchins into geniuses — praise effort more than achievement, teach delayed gratification, limit reprimands and use praise to stimulate curiosity — but focuses on how to raise America’s collective I.Q. That’s important, because while I.Q. doesn’t measure pure intellect — we’re not certain exactly what it does measure — differences do matter, and a higher I.Q. correlates to greater success in life.

If we were really smart, we’d get over our fixation on the IQ test

Scores are falling across the world, provoking headlines of ‘dumbing down’. But what does it measure anyway?

IQ Isn't as Fixed as Once Believed

A teenager's IQ can rise or fall up to 20 points in just a few years, in a finding that pinpoints unexpected variations in a measure of intelligence often used to predict school performance and job prospects.

IQ scores reflect motivation as well as ‘intelligence’

Ever since there have been IQ tests, people have debated what they actually measure. Is it “intelligence”, is it an abstract combination of mental abilities, or is it, as Edwin Boring said, “the capacity to do well in an intelligence test”? Regardless of the answer, studies have repeatedly shown that people who achieve higher scores in IQ tests are more likely to do well in school, perform well in their jobs, earn more money, avoid criminal convictions, and even live longer. Say what you like about the tests, but they have predictive power.

IQ Tests Aren’t Just Bad Science—They Favor the Privileged, Scientists Say

“The tests turn out to correlate very highly with socioeconomic status and it’s sort of a way of laundering that,” an expert tells us.

Rational and Irrational Thought: The Thinking That IQ Tests Miss

No doubt you know several folks with perfectly respectable IQs who repeatedly make poor decisions. The behavior of such people tells us that we are missing something important by treating intelligence as if it encompassed all cognitive abilities.

Stop Talking About Race and IQ

Take it from someone who did.

Ways to Inflate Your IQ

Many people think of IQ as a genetic trait, like brown eyes or short legs: You're born with it and you're stuck with it. Now, a growing body of research is showing that a person's IQ can rise—and even fall—over the years.

Why IQ matters more than grit

Today there's an endless supply of psychological books and TED talks that are dismissive of IQ, or argue that it can be supplanted.

Yes, IQ Really Matters

Critics of the SAT and other standardized testing are disregarding the data.

You Have a Surprising Amount of Control Over Your IQ

Though of course it's easier to let it drop than it is to boost it.

Resources

IQ Research

The complete test consists of 3 sets of 15 questions, gradually increasing in difficulty. In each question, the subject is asked to identify the missing element that completes a pattern.

What is IQ — and how much does it matter?

IQ tests reflect some parts of this, but don’t always predict success.