The Smartest People Usually Want This Many Kids, According To Research
A woman's IQ often affect how many kids she wants, according to evolutionary psychologist.
Katerina Holmes | Canva We, unfortunately, live in a pro-natalist world where the unspoken message is that everyone should want children and should have them in the end. Parenthood is neither destiny nor a debate. There is no single right choice.
It's a very personal decision when it comes to women choosing whether or not to have children. And because it's so personal, it's nobody else's business what she decides. If a person wants to have seven children or none, it's no one's business but her own.
Evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa's research found that as a woman's IQ increases, the amount of children she wants decreases.
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The higher a mother's IQ, the lower her desire for children.
In his book, The Intelligence Paradox, Kanazawa says that with every 15 IQ points a woman has, her desire to have kids lowers by 25 percent.
Also, according to Kanazawa's research, intelligence might be passed on to baby boys from their mother, all thanks to that X chromosome.
"General intelligence is known to be highly heritable and the genes that influence general intelligence are thought to be located on the X chromosomes. It means that boys inherit their general intelligence from their mothers only, while girls inherit their general intelligence from their mothers and their fathers," says Kanazawa.
We all remember the famous childhood rhyme, "Girls go to college to get more knowledge, boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider," and it looks like it has some truth.
Studies suggest that the heritability of intelligence tends to increase as people age, indicating that environmental factors may play a larger role in early childhood development compared to later life.
Intelligence is a core construct in differential psychology and behavioral genetics and should be so in cognitive neuroscience. It is one of the best predictors of important life outcomes such as education, occupation, mental and physical health, illness, and mortality. Intelligence is one of the most heritable behavioral traits.
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Don't forget that nurture also plays a huge part in raising intelligent kids. And in fact, it seems that it's a combination of nature and nurture that affects people, not one or the other. So, this theory is forgetting half of what is necessary for people to grow.
Studies have shown that intelligence has a significant genetic component, but no single gene has been identified as solely responsible for intelligence differences. Environmental factors, such as access to education and quality parenting, can significantly influence intelligence levels.
Our genetics may provide us with an intellectual capacity, but our environment determines whether we reach our potential. That being the case, both are equally important.
Moreover, firstborn children have also been found to be smarter, but only because parents tend to have higher standards for them than their younger children. Many factors lead to a child's intelligence, and almost most of it doesn't have to do with whether the mother wanted kids or not.
So, nice try, but women should never feel guilty over their decision to have children or not — and if you do decide to procreate, remember: kids become smarter in more ways than one.
Nicole Weaver is a senior writer for Showbiz Cheat Sheet whose work has been featured in New York Magazine, Teen Vogue, and more.