Are People Born Intelligent or Do They Acquire It?

Are People Born Intelligent or Do They Acquire It?

Studying the human brain and intelligence has been a hard task occupying the minds of scientists for centuries. It has intrigued many and represented a problematic issue. One question, however, is asked even today and has split the scientific community and that is whether people are born intelligent or do they acquire it during their lives. There is evidence confirming genetic predisposition, and on the other hand there is that confirming the influence of society, family, and other social factors. However, intelligence is usually a combination of both.

The belief that intelligence is biologically determined in the structure of the brain, and therefore to some extent genetically determined, is widely accepted. However, not all people are endowed with the same intelligence, and many believe this must have something to do with our genes and the way they interact with the environment. Some research has shown that identical twins are more likely to have the same score in an intelligence test than twins from two separate eggs that have a different genetic structure. Genetics has pointed out the importance of biological inheritance. In the same way we inherit our mother’s eyes or our father’s height, we inherit our parents’ intelligence, at least to some extent. A child whose parents have a high level of intelligence and are well educated has a better chance of being intelligent her/himself.

Genes play an important role in the development of one’s intelligence. They are transmitted from older to younger generations and sometimes can make lucky or unlucky circumstances for an individual. But does this mean that a child will be intelligent if his/her parents are intelligent? The answer to this question is yes and no. Modern medicine has shown the early development of a baby’s brain in its mother’s womb. It is a slow and gradual process, and a child may or may not inherit some of the qualities of his/her parents. We are familiar with the fact that many children have almost none of their parents’ characteristics. Many factors influence the transmission of genes from parents to a child, and many of them are not even familiar to the scientists. But what is important for us to know is that the transmission of genes is not always a certain and set process. It is often a case that genes are not transmitted from parents to children at all. Therefore, it does not necessarily mean that intelligent parents would have intelligent children.

Even though gene transmission is an uncertain process, in most cases smart parents mean smart children. It is more likely you will get your parents’ genes than of some far relative or your grandparents. In fact, if your parents are intelligent, most likely you will be intelligent yourself. Most of the sciences dealing with the human body and nature today give great importance to gene transmission and biological inheritance. Many diseases are hereditary as well. Therefore, when it comes to intelligence one must always consider the biological inheritance and genetic predisposition.

We have determined the importance of genetic predisposition by now. However, there is another point of view among the scientific community as well and that is that people are not born intelligent, instead they acquire it in their lifetime and that our mental ability is a function of social factors such as education and not one's inherent biological make-up. Intelligence is a complex term, and many factors influence it, which means that genetic predisposition is just one of those factors. It is important to remember that genes work by interacting with the environment, so social factors will also influence intelligence. Intelligence tests may be more of an assessment of social factors, such as your educational background etc, instead of assessing your cognitive abilities. This means that the genes will work together with social factors to make you an intelligent person or not. Neither genes nor social factors themselves can provide enough a person with intelligence and different abilities. It is the combination of that makes a person intelligent.

What are the factors influencing the development of one’s intelligence apart from biological predisposition? Better schooling, parenting and increased leisure time for activities are believed to have influenced the improvement of one’s intelligence. Good nutrition means an individual can function well both physically and mentally. A balanced diet will provide all the foods required to maintain the correct balance of neurotransmitters. Intelligence is surely something you can develop. This process starts from early childhood and is carried on through further education, family raising, social interactions etc. Education should be emphasized here because it is one of the best ways for developing intelligence. Through reading and learning you gain more experience, knowledge and therefore exercise and develop your mind, your brain and eventually improve your intelligence.

It is a known fact that many children whose parents are not educated, or intelligent people can be very smart and show extraordinary intelligence when working hard with teachers and learning. What does this mean? It is proof that a set of circumstances can influence intelligence and even largely improve it. It is also known that when in danger the mind works better. This is also a proof that in different environment people’s intelligence will be different. Social factors are very important for the development of intelligence. If an individual lives an easy life where no ingenuity is required, he/she has less possibility to develop their intelligence due to the stagnation of the brain work. The more you use your brain, the more intelligent you are.

Intelligence is never firmly set and can always be improved. Self – improvement is crucial for developing your skills and abilities. There are many exercises for faster reading and learning and improving your cognitive abilities. The human mind has endless possibilities, and it is therefore possible to improve it and enhance one’s intelligence. Remarkable research shows that we actively use a very small percentage of our brain mass, and people who manage to use as much of it as they can are more intelligent and wittier. With practice and hard work, people can develop certain skills they primarily thought were not particularly good at. Our intelligence thus depends not only on social and environmental conditions, but on our own will and desire to improve it.

Defining whether people are born intelligent, or they accomplish and develop their intelligence in their lives is a complex question and deserves a complex answer. Namely, both these statements are true. Humans develop partly during genetic and biological inheritance, and it determines their physical and psychological features. It is the same with brain and intelligence. There is no doubt that genes affect the development of one’s intelligence. But it is also true that social effects such as parenting and education influence one’s intelligence, perhaps even more. Therefore, people can be born intelligent or less intelligent, but with hard work, exercises, reading and education, one can always go further and develop their intelligence and improve their abilities.