IQ is an Interesting Measure in our World.
It's got a Long History of Use.
Not all of those Uses have Been Positive.
It has also been a Source of Misinformation and Bad Science for Many Years.
I've Discussed some of the Research and Misinformation in the Past.
If you utilize those Methods, you can Easily Increase your IQ by More than 10 Points in 1 Year.
I've utilized some of those Methods Myself.
It is a part of how I got into Mensa, requiring an IQ Score in the Top 2% of the Population.
Which brings me to something interesting that I've been Reading Recently.
IQ is Falling...
Or, at least this is what certain organizations are Claiming.
Technically, this is Still a Highly Debated Subject...
But it is Worth Asking...
Could IQ Be Falling?
Is Intelligence Decreasing?
If so...
What could be Causing It?
I have some Theories.
Now, first to consider is whether it is Possible for IQ to be Decreasing?
Despite the Fact that for Nearly 70 Years it has been Increasing Worldwide?
Could the Trend be Changing?
Sure.
That is Absolutely Possible.
If a Score Can Go Up, there is No Reason for it to be Impossible for it to Go Down as well.
Now, if we want to be Boring, we could try to Claim that it is a "Fluke" in the Data or something that would "Inevitably" Happen.
Things Can't Go Up Forever, Right?
But I think there are Better Possibilities to Consider.
Let's Look at the Factors that can Increase IQ.
Now, the Common One people consider is Education.
Research has shown that IQ increases 4.3 points per year of education in young adulthood, and 1.3 IQ points per year in adults in mid-life.
But what happens if the Quality of Education Diminishes?
Well, IQ would Arguably Decrease.
This is the Factor that Many People are Blaming as "The" Reason that IQ Appears to be Decreasing.
Is it Possible?
Sure.
But I haven't seen Evidence to Prove This True.
There are also Other Factors to Consider.
Some with Better Data to Support the Theory of Decreasting IQ.
For Instance...
Nutrition.
Creatine Alone can Increase IQ by Over 10 Points in a Year on its own.
We also Know that a Lack of Proper Nutrition Decreases Cognitive Function.
Plus, to Problem Solve Effectively, You Need Energy (Mg-ATP), and there is a Growing Magnesium (The "Mg" in Energy) Deficiency in Today's World.
If Proper Nutrition can Increase IQ, then it is Reasonable to Believe that Deficient Nutrition will Lower IQ.
There is plenty of Evidence to Support Decreasing Nutrients in our Food Supplies.
Yet, we can find Other Possible Causes as well.
For Better Problem Solving, We Need Flow States.
Flow is where we Perform our Best.
What Do We Need for Flow States?
Focus.
It is a Key Ingredient.
Lack of Focus prevents us from Finding Flow.
Losing Focus Can Drop Us Out of Flow Early.
No One would Debate that our Ability to Focus has been Diminishing.
If we are Unable to Focus, we would also see our IQ Similarly Fall.
Another Direction that we could Look at is Memory.
This is Another Area where we are Seeing Decreases in Many Populations.
In fact, we see Alzheimer's Developing in People at Younger and Younger Ages.
In China, a 19-Year-Old was recently Diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
If Memory is Decreasing, then IQ would similarly be at Risk of Decreasing.
All of these are Possibilities.
But I think there is Another Potential Possibility that is Far More Likely...
What do IQ Tests Measure?
Some aspects of the tests tend to Include...
Vocabulary.
Working Memory.
Math.
Analogies.
What do All of these Have in Common?
We No Longer Need To Do Them.
Computers, Calculators, Cloud Storage, and AI are some of the Technological Improvements that have made these Unnecessary for the Modern Human.
Now, when IQ Tests were Originally Created, these Technologies Did Not Exist.
If you wanted to be a Smart Individual during those times...
You Needed these Skills.
Nothing would do it for you.
You either had to Figure it out with Your Own Brain...
Or You Couldn't Figure It Out.
That Simple.
But Today?
Many of these Processes are Done For Us.
Even if we "Know" How they Work and "Could" do them with Our Brain, it is Not Required for Us to Do Them Ourselves.
If you are Unsure of a Word...
Find an Online Dictionary or Thesaurus to give you the Word within Seconds.
If you're doing a Math Problem...
Pull Out the Calculator and Have Your Answer in Seconds.
If you Need to Remember Something...
Upload it to Your Second Brain on any Cloud Storage in Seconds.
If you Need to Retrieve Information...
Ask AI to Find It for You, and Search through Multiple Databases to Narrow Down Everything to get the Needed Information in Seconds.
All of these No Longer "Need" to be Done By Us To Succeed...
Which brings us Back to the Original Question...
Is IQ Decreasing?
Let me Propose Another Possibility...
Perhaps IQ Test Scores are Decreasing...
But that Does Not Mean that IQ Itself is Necessarily Decreasing...
What we are seeing is a Model of Intelligence being Replaced.
Current IQ Tests are Outdated.
Interestingly, they also Seem to Miss What Makes Human Beings so Incredible.
It is Why We, as Humans, Continue to Develop Technologies to Do Certain Tasks, so that We Can Focus on Where Our Abilities are Best.
If we Combine Our True Talents as Humans, with Technology, and Fix the Health and Wellness Problems We've Developed...
Who Knows what will become Possible.
I am Not Convinceed Intelligence is Decreasing.
I Believe It is Evolving.
Are You Ready to Go Beyond Leadership?
Tired of Broken Algorithms and AI Slop?
Excited to Dive Deeper into Psychophysiological Mastery?
Want to Change The World?