IQ Questions
Questions About Getting Smarter - And My Answers
The following "IQ questions" will not be part of
an intelligence test. They are simply some questions that I was
recently asked by an entrepreneur who is hoping to put together
a program to make people smarter. I have paraphrased them a bit
and removed the ones related only to business. My answers will
give you an idea of what this newsletter and the website are
all about.
Is there a scientifically proven way to raise one's IQ?
There have been studies done (mostly with children) showing
an IQ increase from certain activities, including musical training
and physical activities involving hand-eye coordination. My own
IQ score has increased over 20 points. However, this may reflect
only a small actual change in intelligence. An IQ score, unfortunately,
is partly determined by how one feels that day, whether one has
learned test taking skills, and by the type of test.
I seem to recall some research showing that even a cup of
coffee can increase IQ scores on standard tests. The point here
is that while one's intelligence can be increased, IQ scores
can be raised even more easily. A higher score doesn't necessarily
mean there is a clear improvement in the brain itself, and variable
scores suggest the limitations of the tests.
Of course, those varying scores also suggest something else.
Whatever your long term or "average" intelligence quotient
is, your "functional IQ" changes from day to day. We
don't need science to prove that. We all recognize our own good
and bad days when it comes to thinking clearly and effectively.
We also can see from our own experiences that there are things
which help us think better. That 's why I report on many techniques
which are "unproven" scientifically, as long as they
are safe to try and have some evidence for them. This does not
reflect an anti-science bias. I think we need more scientific
thinking in this world, not less. But the things "proven"
by science were true, and possibly useful, before scientists
looked into them, right?
Can a human being with an average IQ become a genius?
From all the research I have read about, this seems extremely
unlikely. The actual capacity of the brain probably can't be
improved very much at this point in history. I suspect there
will be biological technologies in the future that will change
this.
Why do people want to increase their intelligence?
To get more respect form others and similar personal reasons
seem to be common motivations. Also, I often get emails from
subscribers who want to be smarter in order to advance at work.
I personally think there are far more efficient ways to do that
than increasing ones IQ, which leads us to the next IQ question:
How would a higher IQ improve one's life?
A higher IQ probably won't do much directly to improve one's
life, anymore than larger muscles will. Just as being physically
stronger has its applications, so does being smarter. But neither
is directly beneficial without other changes, or without actually
applying in useful ways the new power gained.
Using the computer metaphor, the brain is hardware and the
mind is the software. All the latest research shows that the
brain can grow new neurons. This and other research shows that
we can improve our hardware, and even raise our level of intelligence
to some extent. But the world is full of unhappy and unsuccessful
smart people - they are like computers with a lot of processing
power but no decent programs installed for using it.
I think the real key is in the "software programs."
These are the learned techniques for thinking more efficiently,
more creatively, and more powerfully in general. They make it
possible to use brainpower in better ways - ways that are directly
applicable to life's challenges.
I was recently talking about what I do to a math teacher from
a local college (and he almost certainly has a high IQ). He said,
"Are you saying there are techniques for having new ideas?"
Somehow in all of his education, he hadn't come across this,
and he was skeptical. I quickly outlined one technique and he
was able to immediately use it to produce more creative ideas.
That is the power of good software. The practical gains in
real life from developing a higher IQ are minimal in my opinion
(at least for now). Developing better ways to think is what offers
the most hope for improvement in all areas of life.
Can the work of becoming smarter or thinking better be
simplified?
This is one of the most important questions, both from the
standpoint of selling a program, and motivating people to actually
do what needs to be done. The answer is clearly yes, we can make
improving the brain and mind simpler with some work. Well-explained
exercises, easy to follow steps, CDs to listen to while driving
- there are many ways to simplify the process.
(I hope the entrepreneur who asked me these "IQ questions"
will make the product or program he creates simple and easy to
use. I hope to do the same when I create my own comprehensive
brainpower program at some point in the future.)
|
