Latest IQ News

IQ tests carried out on about 70,000 Scottish children in 1947 are helping scientists discover how our lifestyle affects our mental abilities. The findings suggest that smoking, obesity, poor diet, and the lack of physical exercise have a detrimental effect not only on one’s body, but also on one’s IQ. On the other hand, being socially engaged and exercising regularly could increase your brain power.

A group of scientists at the University of Warwick, who conducted a study on 1,057 students between the ages of 11 and 18 regarding their views on family, education and free time, suggests that gifted students may be listening to Heavy Metal music in order to alleviate their negative emotions caused by peer pressure.

We’ve all been baffled by drawings of so-called impossible objects – like staircases leading to nowhere and fountains starting and ending at the same place. But when do we develop the ability to detect impossible objects? You might be surprised by the answer! Researchers have found out that even an infant as young as 4 months is able to recognize such visual illusions.

Last night, the popular TV show “Test The Nation” aired on Canadian TV. The show, which made its debut in the Netherlands in 2001 and has been a huge sensation in many countries around the world, is a live IQ test that everybody in the respective country can take in an attempt to measure how smart each nation is. Canadians took the test yesterday and the results are in! Click here to check them out!

University of Virginia researchers have discovered that children with sleeping disorders like snoring, gasping, tossing and turning have lower scores on vocabulary IQ tests, which are believed to be the most reliable predictor of children’s IQs.

Scientists have gathered the most convincing evidence so far that certain parts of our intelligence may be influenced by our genetic makeup. The team, led by Washington University researchers, confirmed a correlation between the gene CHRM2 and performance IQ, which is responsible for visual-motor coordination, logical and abstract reasoning, and spatial perception.

Recent studies suggest that mothers that include seafood in their diet during pregnancy may give birth to children with higher IQs. The results come as a surprise, because seafood is a common source of mercury, which is believed to have a detrimental effect on developing fetuses.