7 Facts About IQ You May Not Know

IQ, or intelligence quotient, is one of the most common measurements to see if someone is really smart or not. In fact, people often attach high IQs to academic smarts or technical smarts. Other cases, it is said that high IQs can indicate more success, achievements or even happiness. But do these facts about IQ still hold true in this day and age? Let’s find out. 

What Exactly Is IQ And Is It 100% Accurate?

IQ is a standardized measurement of an individual’s cognitive abilities, reasoning skills and how they can use logic to solve problems. 

Children with a high IQ are more likely to understand better and get more academic success. If a grown-up has a higher IQ than average, they can do very well in academic or technical fields. 

Because IQ captures your cognitive abilities at the time you take the test, IQ scores might not be 100% accurate. Your score can fluctuate over time, especially when you hit adolescence. There are also other factors that can affect your score like nutrition, upbringing, and so on. So, IQ tests are not 100% accurate and your score only reflects one aspect of intelligence.  

💡 IQ score doesn't guarantee your success in life! While IQ measures cognitive abilities, emotional intelligence complements it by addressing the emotional and social aspects of a person’s abilities.

→ Find out EQ meaning, signs of low EQ and the difference between IQ and EQ

What Makes Up An IQ Score?

How your overall IQ is measured depends on smaller components such as genetics, environment, lifestyle and social statuses. These factors can often better or lower your IQ over time. Thus, it’s best to keep yourselves surrounded with positive and healthy factors rather than detrimental ones. 

Genetics

Your parents’ intelligence can influence your IQ score. If parents used to do well at school, chances are their offspring can do the same. Of course, this academic ability is also affected by the environment and how the parents bring up that child. 

In fact, heritability is as high as 50% - 70% according to recent studies. What’s more, the genetic influence on IQ is more pronounced as individuals grow from childhood into their late teens and adult years.

Environment

Environment plays a significant role in one’s cognitive abilities. As a child grows older, they will enter school to interact with different people. This shapes how they view the world around them and they will learn to work with information, data. Thus, they will develop reasoning skills, cognitive and logical abilities over time. Parents should invest in their kids during this period to make sure they have what it takes to get smarter and better in life. 

Ensuring a stimulating environment is key to better brain development. Parents are well-advised to provide educational toys, books, and intellectual games for children. What’s more, parents and children should engage in cognitively stimulating talks and diverse subjects. With that, children are well-prepared for a highly academic environment and can score higher on intelligence tests. 

Looking to further explore on how to improve your IQ score and develop cognitive abilities? Those are 17 effective and easy wasy to boost your brain!

Lifestyle

Lifestyle is another factor affecting a person’s IQ score. Building healthy and positive lifestyles/habits is one way to boost the score. Below are some effective habits to maintain or increase mental capacities. 

• Adequate nutrition: Try to strike a balance between all nutritions in the body to stay aware and logical during the day. 
• Sleeping 7 - 9 hours: Good quality sleep ensures high awareness and lower mental fatigues. 
• Physical activities: Regular physical exercises help the brain produce more cells and strengthen neural connections. On the flip side, a sedentary lifestyle is linked to a long-term cognitive decline. 
• Staying curious: Reading more books, traveling or being open to new horizons are key to better IQ scores. 
• Social engagement: Interactions with others challenge the brain in a very fascinating way. Social engagement requires communication, empathy and memory. Studies have shown that frequent interactions are correlated with decreased chances of dementia. 
• Instruments and languages: Knowing how to play an instrument or learning a new language makes neural connections stronger and help you retain information better. 

Socioeconomic status

Socioeconomic status can really affect how one gets access to resources that benefit his intelligence. Richer families tend to have more access to quality education, nutrition and healthcare. Poorer families, on the other hand, are limited by their budgets to ensure the best intelligence growth for their children.

• Quality education: Families doing well financially can register their kids at better-funded schools. Here, students can benefit from small-sized classes, experienced teachers, and a stimulating environment. This can lead to more effective learning, stronger academic skills, and ultimately, higher scores on intelligence tests.
• Quality healthcare: Some well-off households can even have private doctors. They hire doctors to closely monitor health and get tailored medication. This ensures healthier brain development and reduces the impact of health issues that can hinder cognitive function.
• Nutrition: Diverse meals and nutritious food correlate with higher intelligence. Rich families tend to ensure more palatable, diverse and nutrient-rich food. Thus, their children can grow up healthy and make the best out of their critical periods. Conversely, malnutrition can take a toll on cognitive functions, causing attention and memory problems.

Critical Points When IQ Can Be Changed

Do you know this one important fact about IQ? - That is your IQ level fluctuates during critical times. Genetics give us a starting point for intelligence, but our cognitive abilities keep developing. IQ grows fastest from birth to about age five, a time of huge brain development and quick language learning. Then, adolescence (ages 10-19) brings another big leap, sharpening skills like planning and thinking speed.

Even in adulthood, neuroplasticity allows for continued IQ enhancement through continuous learning and mentally challenging activities. Individuals can embrace lifelong learning and healthy habits to maximize their brain development and maintain sharp cognitive function at any age.

7 Interesting And Surprising Facts About IQ

Mind-blown enough? Uncover these 7 facts about IQ that will reshape your understanding of intelligence.

Facts about IQ #1: High IQ is statistically rare

Another fact about IQ is that high IQ scores are statistically rare.  IQ above 130 is considered rarer and refers to someone who processes more complicated concepts, and works precisely with numbers. Brilliant minds like Albert Einstein or Nikola Tesla have an IQ between 180 and 220. At this point, these historical figures could come up with more abstract theories and use maths to discover the truths.

And the rest of the population's IQ scores often fall between 85 and 115, which is an average range. People with common IQ scores can have an overall understanding of concepts, abstract thinking and moderate logical processes.

Check out: What is a high IQ? Classification and meanings

Facts about IQ #2: A high IQ does not guarantee success in life

Higher IQ does not correlate with better success. IQ is an effective measurement of your logical intelligence, and just that. In fact, many people did phenomenally well at school but ended up living a normal or even suffering from a tragic life. 

Take Christopher Langan (whose IQ score exceeds 200) as an example. He is the smartest man in America but eventually lives below the poverty line. Intelligent as he is, he abandons education and a promising scientific career (due to lack of support) to do blue-collar work. His story is a prime example of how IQ needs a suitable environment to flourish. 

Facts about IQ #3: Correlation between IQ and happiness is weak

Just like the relationship with success, there is no clear link between IQ and happiness. In fact, Nikola Tesla endured a hard-knock life, especially when he passed away. What’s more, he had a tendency to withdraw from social settings. He lived as a lifelong bachelor believing that intimate relationships will hinder his work. This poor bond with others might take a toll on his mental health, affecting his overall life quality. 

1943 marked the tragic death of the father of the AC system when he passed away in a New York hotel. Nikola had spent the final days of his life in poverty and he’d had no relationships to rely on. 

IQ is just one small aspect of life. There are other factors contributing to overall life quality such as health, relationships and so on. 

Facts about IQ #4: High IQ can define how socially smart you are

Contrary to common beliefs, IQ can actually dictate how socially smart you are besides EQ. A strong cognitive ability can enable you to analyze complex social situations, understand underlying motivations, and even predict human behavior more effectively. 

This analytical edge, combined with strong reasoning skills, can help individuals develop sophisticated strategies for social navigation. Therefore, beyond empathy, a higher IQ can contribute significantly to how adeptly one understands and adapts to social dynamics.

Facts about IQ #5: IQ is not the same as intelligence or wisdom

IQ is different from intelligence and wisdom. IQ is limited to certain cognitive abilities measured in the test, while real intelligence can come in many shapes or forms. The types of intelligence will be further discussed in the next section. 

Wisdom, on the other hand, has more to do with knowledge application. One can have high IQ but not good wisdom. For example, one scores high in the SAT test, say, 1490 but cannot give others sound advice to navigate life. Also, wisdom is how you learn from mistakes, experiences and personal perspectives. 

Facts about IQ #6: There are other types of “smart”

Do you know there are more “smarts” than just logical smart (typically referred to as IQ). Here are 7 remaining types of intelligence for you to explore: 

• Visual - spatial
• Linguistic - verbal
• Body - kinesthetic 
• Musical
• Interpersonal
• Intrapersonal
• Naturalistic

If you are not confident about your IQ, don’t worry, you might be intelligent in other aspects. 

Take a look at the highest IQ - TOP 11 Greatest mind ever recorded in the world

Facts about IQ #7: Humans are getting more intelligent

Humans are getting more intelligent as a result of improved life quality, according to the Flynn effect. There are several factors believed to have caused this phenomenon. 

• Higher quality education: Educational systems have taken major breakthroughs to provide widespread and better education for everyone. 
• Technological advancements: The Internet has given humans more accessible information everywhere they go. Nowadays, people can find some interesting topics with just a few taps. 
• Improved nutrition: Quality food is not as expensive as before, so people can buy affordable food, drinks, supplements tailored to their preferences. 
• Fewer children in a family: Modern families have fewer children compared to other families in the past. This can indicate more attention from parents to focus on the education of their children. 

Why Should You Take An IQ Test Now?

Where are you in the journey of becoming the best version of yourself? Check out our IQ test to know your intellectual potentials, plus cognitive and reasoning abilities. DISC IQ test prides itself on friendly design, accurate result and affordable price.

Check out the IQ Test right now!

Final Thoughts

Facts about IQ are cool, aren’t they? If you are unsure whether you have a higher IQ than the average person, test your IQ now at discpersonalities.com. 

Do not worry about your IQ result. Remember, the test only measures your logical and intellectual abilities. Success and happiness can come from other factors such as relationships quality, support, determination, etc. 

Besides facts about IQ,  if you are curious about your EQ or how you carry yourself at work, please do the EQ Test and DISC personality test. The journey to your true self only begins once you know your abilities, traits, and preferences!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Are IQ tests really accurate and reliable?

In short, not necessarily. IQ tests tend to offer high chances of a person’s reasoning and logical abilities. Yet, IQ tests do not encompass all types of intelligence, including emotional intelligence or creativity. One should really refer to the IQ result as a snapshot of their mental aptitudes at the time they take the test. And they can always train their brain to get smarter. 

2. Can diet, lifestyle, or daily habits impact IQ or cognitive function?

Yes. Your lifestyle and habits, if they are healthy, can positively affect your IQ score. What’s more, you should do these activities consistently to see a noticeable result. Try to stay clear of bad habits because they can ruin your efforts to increase IQ. 

3. Should Children Take IQ Tests?

Absolutely. The earlier, the better. Children taking IQ tests can help their parents know their intellectual potential. From there, parents can find ways to continue increasing the score and prepare them for future success better.