# Can one change their own IQ?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-change-their-own-iq/231430>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [February 27, 2004, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-change-their-own-iq/231430 "2004-02-27T05:51:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Tigers2B1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@Tigers2B1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tigers2B1)\
**Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-change-their-own-iq/231430/41 "2004-02-29T22:15:05Z")

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> [@Ee-At-Oes](#):
>
> … Being in grad school for psychology I get to take a lot of these tests and I always score very high. I know that it is not because I am brighter than the other 99% but I choose to accept the good news and use it to my advantage in my belief about myself…

I’m not exactly sure what you’re saying – but I think I agree in part and disagree in part. There is quite a bit of evidence that seems to indicate that intelligence is part environmental and part heritable. Ones “environment” means both their external and internal environment. Both what you think and what you’re exposed to in the ‘outside’ world. So, if you practice logical thinking, or take on difficult mental tasks, (i.e. enrich your internal environment) you WILL become more intelligent ------- to a point.

Also, it seems that what the article you linked talks about is - “correcting” _self-limiting behaviors_ – not intelligence per se. That is, behaviors or thinking patterns that lead to self-limiting problems like not getting along with your boss or any other misunderstandings, bad attitudes / poor morale, and then reaping those results. It’s about reaping the ‘rewards’ of the potential that is already there. This is far different than say, telling someone they are the next Einstein or can run the 100 meter dash in 10 seconds and then finding that those people become Einsteins who can run 100 meters in 10 seconds. IQ remains, for the most part, consistant throughout one’s lifetime. Your IQ at 20 years old will be very close to your IQ at 40 and at 60 absent disease etc.

I’m not saying that there isn’t an environmental aspect to intelligence - but those who seem to indicate that there isn’t strong genetic factor in intelligence are blowing smoke. There is quite a bit of evidence out there that indicates otherwise. In fact, the consensus is that intelligence is somewhere between 40 and 80% heritable.

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