Why your “cuz” is smarter than you: Unraveling the IQ test

A long time ago, humans invented the concept of intellectual quotient to measure intelligence and discover who had the most privileged minds in our society. Some time later, we found out that these tests aren’t as reliable as we thought they were for two main reasons. The first is that the smartest being is your “cuz”, who always knows more than you about everything: politics, religion, sports… and he’ll never turn down an opportunity to show his superior intellect. Want to know the second thing? In this post we’ll unravel the myth of the IQ test.

A study done by scientists Adrian M. Owen, Adam Hampshire and Roger Highfield in 2012 brought to light another problem that this test has.

Our brains use different parts for different thought processes, which is why you need independent tests for measuring reasoning, memory, and verbal skills in order to get an accurate measurement of someone’s intelligence. The IQ test only measures specific aspects of our cognitive abilities.

The research also discovered that smokers and those with anxiety do worse in these kinds of tests, while those who play video games do better on reasoning and short-term memory tests. This is good news for current generations of gamers and youtubers, which also explains how someone is able to live off of playing video games. These people are not stupid. Not in the least.

Another criticism of intelligence tests is that people who are used to tests or exams will be more comfortable, while those who don’t have experience with assessments will be nervous and likely not perform as well. This is usually the case of those with a university degree, who later say is worthless. Obviously, the best way to grow your brain is at the School of Life, where your “cuz” graduated magna cum laude.

IQ tests can also be biased toward a certain racial or cultural group. It’s difficult to create a test like this without inadvertently showing some cultural bias. People have tried to design tests that only use graphics and images, without any language, but many scientists have said that it’s impossible.

In summary, new discoveries have shown that it is impossible for an IQ test to measure a person’s capabilities with only one parameter, as the human brain is too complex. There are highly rational, but forgetful people, just like there are people with a knack for languages but don’t do as well in other areas.

If you want to accurately assess your brain functions or professionally stimulate your brain, you should do scientific programs. CogniFit has a complete online battery of tests that are able to measure 20 different fundamental cognitive functions: attention, memory, planning, etc. Each of these abilities is perfectly defined and subject to an objective control. These tests assess various cognitive abilities, covering different kinds of intelligence. Whatever you do, you’ll never get a score quite as high as a certain family member, but there are brain training exercises that can help get you closer. Let’s get cracking!

Molly Minchew

Molly is a writer specialized in health and psychology. She is passionate about neuroscience and how the brain works, and is constantly looking for new content from interesting sources. Molly is happy to give or take advice, and is always working to educate and inspire.

This post is also available in: Spanish