Boosting your IQ: The Science and the Scam

April 8th, 2009

Q. Does clicking on a “Test your IQ” advertisement mean you’re smart or dumb? A. Probably the latter. For a variety of reasons, most IQ tests don’t offer any accurate insight into your intelligence. Similarly, many IQ training techniques often use deceptive means to artificially produce “higher” test scores. This article seeks to show why many of these tests are misleading, what IQ really is, and how to truly become smarter.

What IQ Is

IQ (Intelligence Quotient) is the score one receives when writing a standardized test of intelligence. The test is usually administered by a trained, qualified psychologist. It is used to statistically compare one’s intelligence to that of the general populace. If your IQ is 100, you’re as intelligent as most people. The IQs of a population tends to follow a bell curve, as shown.

What IQ Is NOT

IQ is not many things:

• It’s not a home test: IQ tests are meant to be administered in tightly controlled environments by trained professionals. The widely used WAIS-IV basic IQ test package costs over $1000.
• It’s not a trivia game: Bona-fide IQ tests don’t evaluate cultural or historical knowledge, or use images or references that one culture might recognize over another.
• It’s not a measure of ability: IQ is a measure of one individual element of overall ability. As such, it is not a reflection of ability to “get things done”. Social graces, emotional intelligence (EQ), plain old luck, and many other factors combine to form true ability.

IQ measurement was originally meant to be used in very specific circumstances, until the concept was commandeered by public perception. Because correlations between IQ and success were found and exploited, it became an easy sell to simply say “We’ll boost your IQ, and you’ll succeed in life.” The public bastardization of the term “IQ” continues today, particularly by internet advertisements, appealing to the uninformed. This happens much to the chagrin of intelligence experts, including the creators of the tests themselves.

Why Care about IQ?

The public misperception is that having a high IQ causes success (e.g. better job performance, higher income, etc.). High IQ merely indicates a correlation with success, or in other words, it slightly increases your odds. Nevertheless, it is still unclear if this is due to the IQ itself, the lifestyles that promote high IQ, or other factors altogether.

At most, we can only marginally increase our intelligence, and only with significant effort and lifestyle changes. It requires hard work to get slightly smarter, and chances are you won’t be any more successful in life. So is it worth it?

Probably not.

But there are other advantages to exercising our brains that shouldn’t be overlooked: increased mental confidence, significantly lowered risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s, plus it’s just good practice. The brain is a “use it or lose it” tool, so a little mental exercise proves a better use of time than vegging away to another Seinfeld rerun.

How to Really Boost IQ

Many “IQ boosting” techniques actually teach test-taking skills. After a period of training, they provide sample tests designed to demonstrate your “improvement” by giving obviously wrong choices that are easily eliminated, bettering your odds of choosing the correct answer. Whilst being good at taking tests is useful, it is more of a parlour trick than actual intelligence.

There are two main components to legitimate intelligence that we can focus on building:

Crystallized Intelligence (gC)

gC is measure of how resourcefully one uses previously acquired knowledge and experiences.

How to Boost gC: A breakthrough clinical method for building gC has not been found, although nutrition and mental stimulation have shown to play a role. The anecdotal suggestion to boost gC is to engage in activities and games that require recollection. Good examples are Scrabble or crosswords. Reciting old memories, such as the multiplication table, can also help rekindle old knowledge, which extends the existence of the memory.

The brain is an efficient machine. Memories that have gone unused tend to fade away, making room for new knowledge. We can bring back the old memories and give them new life, simply be remembering them. In this way we are exercising the memory itself. On the other hand, if we do not recall old memories, nor do we develop new knowledge, our brains wither.

Fluid Intelligence (gF)

gF is a measure of ability to solve new problems on the go, without relying on prior knowledge. For our purposes, we will focus on two components of gF: ability to retain sequences in our short-term memory bank, and ability to focus on a problem without distraction.

How to boost gF (short-term memory): A 2008 joint study between the Universities of Michigan and Bern found that after practicing “dual n-back” mental exercises over a mere 19 days, gF scores increasing by over 40%. Dual n-back training requires memorization of two difference types of sequence simultaneous (e.g. a sequence of numbers and a separate sequence of sounds presented at the same time). While the findings of the study have not yet been corroborated in a range of situations, the initial results are promising and difficult to dispute.

How to boost gF (focus): The reigning champions of focus are Buddhists. Their very practice requires them to meditate on a topic for extended periods of time, controlling wandering thoughts and focusing closely. When Buddhists’ brains were imaged in a University of Wisconsin study, the effects were clear: significant development the prefrontal cortex which, among other things, controls conflicting thoughts. The anecdotal evidence can be found with Tiger Woods, who regularly practices meditation to improve his focus, and clearly his game.

Thinking Points

In summary:

• Forget “IQ”, it has become a buzz word.
• Exercising mental function has many advantages, notably staving off dementia and Alzheimer’s.
• Boost crystallized intelligence (mental resourcefulness) by routinely engaging long-term memory exercises, such as word games.
• Boost fluid intelligence (problem solving ability) by working on your short-term memory and focus:
  • Boost short-term memory by performing dual n-back exercises.
  • Boost focus by meditating routinely.
• Mental fitness, much like physical fitness, requires an ongoing daily investment of time and effort.

There you have it. The reasons it’s easier to stay dumb.