James Flynn, a researcher who studies intelligence, has noted that IQ’s have been rising over the last 100 years. This increase is called the Flynn Effect and has been amazing.
When IQ tests were first developed 100 years ago, 100 was set as the average IQ. Ninety-five percent of people had an IQ between 85 and 115. Since then, the average IQ score has increased by about 30%. The average IQ score today is a score that was held by 2-3% of the population 100 years ago. (IQ test scores are periodically renormalized back to 100 so the increase has been “masked.”)
Why has this increase happened? Researchers aren’t sure but the potential factors are:
- Better nutrition
- More stimulating environment
- People are more familiar and comfortable taking tests
- Better education of young people
- Infectious disease prevalence, in particular malaria, has been reduced
- Lead levels have been reduced
Maybe it’s a combination of all the above. One is tempted to point to recent advances in education, e.g., Sesame Street, or stimulation, e.g., social media. But the increases have been happening steadily for 100 years.
The increase has also occurred across all regions of the world. The IQ gain in Europe is 21 points, Africa 14 points, Asia 28 points and Oceana 20 points.
The score increase would have been higher were it not for us senior citizens.
The IQ score summarizes a person’s ability across several areas of cognitive ability including fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence. Fluid intelligence involves the ability to reason and think flexibly. Crystallized intelligence refers to the accumulation of knowledge, facts, and skills acquired throughout life.
Wisdom and experience (crystalized intelligence) does increase over time. On the other hand, fluid intelligence peaks at 30 and then declines for the rest of your life. As you get older you get more set in your ways and approaches to new tasks and challenges. The increase in the number of senior citizens drags the overall IQ score down.
It is moderately distressing that, at the age of 70, my fluid intelligence peak is long gone. I am 40 years past peak.
In fact, I am well passed peak in a very large number of areas. Below are a set of abilities/capabilities and their peak age:
Learning a new language 10
Remembering unfamiliar names 22
Life satisfaction peak 69
Strength 25
Average age of fastest 28
marathoners
Bone mass 30
Chess playing 31
Average age when Nobel Prize 40
winner makes their big discovery
Understanding other people’s 50
emotions
Arithmetic skills 50
Vocabulary 70
Feel best about your body 70
Psychological well-being 82
My championship chess playing days are behind me, my window to win a Nobel Prize has closed, and my ability to remember names is not what it used to be. But I am holding strong on life satisfaction, sense of well-being and comfort with my body.
Plus, I know a lot of words.