Centuries of gender stereotyping may have been swept aside in one instant after new research reveals what many of us have suspected all along – your intelligence is handed down from your mother.
The research, mentioned on the Psychology Spot website, had plenty of Mensa-mums across the land nodding in agreement when it mentioned a number of studies linking intelligence levels to genes inherited from the mother.
Many of the studies cited research claiming that the genes which are linked to intelligence, sit on the X chromosome. One scientist took the hypothesis further claiming that since women have two X chromosomes they are therefore `twice as likely to inherit the characteristics related to intelligence.’
Of course in the wider science community, there is still debate about the validity of the research, with many declaring the inheritance of intelligence as a complex matter due to the fact there are so many variable components.
Regardless, this newest research linking mums to your IQ is backed up by some fairly convincing longitudinal studies. One Scottish study in particular involving some 12,686 young people who have been interviewed every year since 1994 showed particularly illuminating results. Even taking into account several factors like skin colour, education levels and socio-economic background, the best predictor of intelligence consistently came down to one specific element: the IQ of their sweet mamas.
As usual, we should have listened to our mums all along.
