Algorithms have swarmed everywhere, from our social networks scrolling by our fingertips to automatic vehicles we drive. With all of these innovations, our intelligence seems to develop. However, we are still unsure if we are evolving to a brighter species—considering that many people are not getting high IQ scores.
Are we getting more intelligent? This is a question that is being dealt with for centuries now. With the technological advancements around us, we might have already reached the peak of our intelligence.
History of IQ testing
Questions about intelligence have been hanging around for a long time. If it weren't for psychologist Alfred Binet's eagerness to help students, the IQ test would not materialize.
To identify which students have difficulty and need assistance in education, Binet was sponsored to conduct a test to determine their intelligence quotient. Binet, together with his colleague Theodore Simon developed the IQ testing, which includes unspoken issues. These areas include problem-solving skills, attention challenges, and memory tests. Later, the IQ test would be known as the Binet-Simon Scale.
The success of the test was then brought to the United States. Lewis Terman, a psychologist at Stanford University, standardized the test with the help of American subjects. In 1916, the developed test was first published as the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale.
Since then, it was the standard used for IQ testing. Even though it has gone through a series of revisions, the Stanford-Binet scale is still used. It was a popularly a part of assessments in the U.S. and other parts of the world.
Peak of human intelligence
Denmark requires men liable to military duty when they turn 18. Part of the assessment is taking an IQ test, the same test that is being used since the 1950s. Over the years, more and more Danish men are passing the IQ scores.
According to the University of Copenhagen psychologist Thomas Teasdale talk with New Scientist, the IQ of Danish men are surprisingly surged that the average scores from the 1950s IQ test wouldn't be enough to pass the assessment today. Almost all are getting high scores, and it might be the new average. However, with the IQ test results increasing, research conducted by PNAS showed what could be a possible reverse Flynn effect on IQ for other countries throughout the 20th century.
Reverse Flynn effect
The Flynn effect theory describes that education and nutrition improve IQ scores. Aside from the attribution of basic needs, new technology such as devices and the internet can also help people think abstractly, leading to increased IQ scores.
On the other hand, the "reverse" Flynn effect was then proved by one of Science Direct's studies. It was revealed that since 1975, there was an average of 0.2 points in IQ score drop rate every year, a total seven-point decline in IQ scores between generations. Another study shows the same negative results from France, United Kingdom, and Sweden.
Are we getting smarter?
Science Alert posed a question if humans are actually getting smarter, and the simple answer is ït is hard to explain". Multiple factors affect our decision to say if we are getting more intelligent or not.
Some countries exhibit the Flynn effect, while others, the reverse. But one study by BMJ shows a strong, significant possibility to tell if we are getting smarter. According to the study, people with higher IQ survives up to 76 years of age. It declares that mental ability is one of the essentials to predict the length of life before death. So far, the study is only one of few concrete studies to prove whether our intelligence is declining or not.
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