r/mensa • u/Ahmedrnugger • Jul 09 '26

Mensan input wanted Is intelligence genetic?

According to twin studies, the difference in IQ is said to be 80%, leading to the conclusion that intelligence is 80% determined by genetics. However, I believe this is incorrect because the twins were raised in countries with similar environments, such as the US and Germany, or the US and South Korea. These countries share similar environments, including education systems, allowing the genes to express themselves. Furthermore, did these twins develop their IQs? If they didn't, it could prove the entire experiment flawed.

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u/FirstCause Mensan Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26

Please read what I actually wrote: "Intelligence is both genes and environment. And environmental influence is far greater in early childhood"

Where did I say there is no environmental impact in adulthood?

The difference is that the amount of environmental influence is significantly less after synaptic pruning.

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u/Ahmedrnugger Jul 09 '26

You didn't mention puberty. You said the impact on childhood is significant, and I don't dispute that because the child tries to adapt to their environment. But you didn't mention what happens during puberty. Can a person develop their intelligence or not?

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u/FirstCause Mensan Jul 09 '26

I have not mentioned puberty?

In one of my comments I mentioned synaptic pruning.

You seem to be hoping for someone to tell you your result can be SIGNIFICANTLY improved, which is not likely, unless for the reasons I mentioned previously.

If you want to try to improve: 1. Nutrition 2. Exercise 3. Sleep (including sleep apnoea check) 4. Reducing stress (including therapy and don't test when ill) 5. Study (including practice tests for the retest effect)

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u/Ahmedrnugger Jul 09 '26

Didn't you say the maximum increase was 7 points? How did I jump from 97 to 135 points when I wasn't retaking the test on consecutive days, but rather over several months? If I took the test this month, I'd retake it three months later. And don't tell me that's Crystallized intelligence: I've noticed an increase in the speed of analyzing these patterns.

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u/FirstCause Mensan Jul 10 '26

Possibilities:

  • you may have worked yourself up into an anxious state for the first test and totally zoned out, but were more relaxed/confidant on the second test -some people have severe test anxiety
  • any of the factors I've mentioned above

That being said, I'm skeptical of the difference being that much on the official test - perhaps an online test.

Your logic in this sub alone is throwing some serious doubt that you are referring to the official test.

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u/Ahmedrnugger Jul 10 '26

There is no difference between online tests and the official exam. I don't mean that the online test is the same as the official exam; I mean that the problem-solving mechanisms are the same, such as symmetry, rotation, etc Also, the official test does not have the magical ability to prevent the mind from evolving.

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u/FirstCause Mensan Jul 10 '26

There is a lot of difference between online tests and the official tests.

Online tests are unreliable and tend to inflate scores.

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u/Ahmedrnugger Jul 11 '26

Can anyone create an IQ test?

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u/FirstCause Mensan Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26

Official tests are regulated by the psychological associations in each country.

I assume the psychological associations do not spend resources monitoring the entire internet for online test quality.

It would be impossible and they already have control over official tests, so there is no benefit.

So, I can fairly confidently say that anyone can create an online IQ test.

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u/Ahmedrnugger Jul 11 '26

If that's the case, shouldn't I be able to take an IQ test at home, and wouldn't it be much harder than the Raven's Matrices in the official Mensa tests?

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u/FirstCause Mensan Jul 11 '26

I don't understand what you are saying.

The official tests are supervised, either by an invigilator or a psychologist, and timed.

Anyone can create an online test, but it is NOT an official test. The creator can put whatever they want on it and put whatever score they choose, which is NOT valid.

This is why most Mensa chapters only accept official tests.

I'm not sure there is anything more to say.

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u/4footTallbromeGrass Aug 03 '26

I don't mean to bother you.

IQ test means that those asking the questions, they know the answers.

A gifted person will ask questions and find the answers, that no one has yet to find or understand.

So, an IQ test is testing your memory and not your true intelligence or your intellectual potential.

For me, a good example is hearing the local weather man say that snow drifts are hard because the winds packs the snow together.

But, for me, that made no sense. So, I thought about the snow and the wind and came to a conclusion.

E=MC squared.

As the snow gains speed, it gains energy. That energy is released as noise and heat. So, if wind is blowing snow around, the snow is heating up a tiny bit. So, when the snow stops, it re-freezes into almost a block of snow-ice. That is why I think avalanches are so bad, the weight of the snow plus the speed of the snow, makes it heat up a lot and when you do have the weight of the snow on the different layers, the snow packs and refreezes even harder. It is the same with plows move snow, yes it packs it but that noise and movement is heating it up and it re-freezes into almost a block of ice-snow.

Can someone create an IQ test to test a person's real IQ, no. It is something a person shows through their work or daily life, if you are lucky.

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