Brain Size And IQ: 8,000 Scans Test The Link

Brain Size And IQ: 8,000 Scans Test The Link

 

Scans of over 8,000 people were analysed by scientists searching for a link between IQ and brain size.

For 150 years scientists have suspected that a bigger brain means a higher IQ.

But the link may be much small than previously thought.

Now, a new study finds that having a larger brain only has a very small link to a higher IQ.

The results of brain scans from over 8,000 people were analysed by scientists at the University of Vienna and elsewhere.

Dr Jakob Pietschnig, who led the study, said:

“The presently observed association means that brain volume plays only a minor role in explaining IQ test performance in humans.

Although a certain association is observable, brain volume appears to be of only little practical relevance.

Rather, brain structure and integrity appear to be more important as a biological foundation of IQ, whilst brain size works as one of many compensatory mechanisms of cognitive functions.”

So, what makes the human brain superior is the connections not its size — relative or otherwise.

This is why, although women have smaller brains than men (on average), there is no difference in IQ between men and women (on average).