Dr Rajiv Desai

THE INTELLIGENCE

January 23, 2010 by Dr Rajiv Desai

THE INTELLIGENCE :
Abbreviations used: IQ = Traditional intelligence quotient.
EQ = Emotional intelligence quotient.
Intelligence of a living organism is defined as ability to receive,understand,process, memorize,comprehend,rationalize,learn,think and judge various sensory inputs from environment in a given circumstance and come out with best possible solution to the problem posed by environment and/or perform better in environment.Humans use brain for intelligence.
I will not discuss the other meaning of intelligence;the information gathering.
Every scholar in psychology has defined intelligence differently and there is no consensus about definition of intelligence and so my definition is open to criticism.
Even a virus shows intelligence by adapting mutation for survival.
Even a bacterium shows intelligence by synthesizing an enzyme to inactivate antibiotics.
For lower species, intelligence is meant for survival and reproduction but for higher species like humans, intelligence could be anything from socializing to abstract thinking to reasoning to imagination to creativity.If another species higher than humans exist in Universe, then, it can analyze human intelligence better than humans analyzing human intelligence.Also, whatever humans have scientifically discovered in last 200 years, already exist in human body for thousands of years without knowledge of humans.For example;electricity exists in every nerve of body albeit in weaker strength,sound waves are converted into electric currents in cochlea of our ears just like microphone,light falling in eyes is converted in electrical currents which is interpreted in brain as visual image just like a camera etc.
The building blocks of life,namely, DNA and RNA are made up of non-living atoms like oxygen,hydrogen,carbon,nitrogen and phosphurus; and creation of life from these non-living atoms is intelligence and therefore consciousness of a life-form is proportional to its intelligence.Consciousness means awareness of one’s own existance.Even though both plants and animals have life, the consciousness of plants is lesser than animals due to lesser intelligence.Higher is the intelligence, greater is the ability of a life-form and therefore people with lesser intelligence tend to follow people with higher intelligence.
Obviously,non-living objects like door,moon,table,water etc have no intelligence. Artificial intelligence is the intelligence exhibited by a machine/computer that appears to think like a human and simulate human intelligence.It is used in medical diagnosis, videogames, stock trading,web search engines and robot control.However,since the creation of life from non-living atoms is intelligence, a machine/computer can never possess consciousness,spontaneity and reproductivity of humans and therefore artificial intelligence is as good as artificial limb or prosthetic valve in heart.
Theory of general intelligence suggests that intelligence is a general cognitive ability that can be measured and numericlly expressed.
Theory of multiple intelligence suggests that there are 8 components of intelligence,namely,logical(mathematical),linguistic(verbal),spatial(visual),kinesthetic(bodily),musical,intrapersonal,interpersonal and naturalistic intelligence.
Triarchic theory of intelligence suggests that there are 3 components of intelligence,namely,analytical(problem solving),creative(dealing with novel situations) and practical(smartness)intelligence.
Emotional intelligence(EI) is defined as ability of an individual to manage one’s own emotions and/or manage emotions of others successfully for better intrapersonal and interpersonal relations.EI does not mean merely being nice nor giving free rein to emotions.EI means being intelligent emotionally.EI can be measured by EQ tests.
Smartness is defined as ability to adapt to one’s environment.
Common sense is defined as instinctive and spontaneous ability to make sensible and reasonable decision without having specialised knowledge.
IQ is defined as 100 times the tested mental age divided by chronological age.It was measured in children using this formula with the help of IQ tests.Originally,IQ measurement started in school children to detect children with lower intelligence with the intention to train them.Now a days, IQ is measured in children and adults using statistical methods.IQ measures the cognitive ability of an individual for specific purpose with specific tests like learning,calculating,analyzing etc.IQ only measures linguistic,logical and spatial intelligence but EQ measures intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligence.Interestingly,EQ correlates well with IQ but the converse is not true.A wise person is bound to be intelligent but an intelligent person need not be wise.
IQ tests have limitations including racial/cultural/linguistic bias,lack of objectivity,higher score for better prepared,different results at different times for same person etc.
Normal IQ is 100,IQ less than 70 is mental retardation and more than 140 is genius. 68 % people have IQ between 85 to 115. 16% people have IQ less than 85 and 16 % people have IQ more than 115.
IQ score of an individual is relatively stable throughout life span but can change due to environmental factors.Intelligence correlates well with academic success,job performance, health, literacy and longevity.Intelligence directly leads to socio-economic advancements like enhanced education,occupation,income and inversely leads to social pathology like criminality,unemployment,poverty and children outside marriage.
Flynn effect suggests that average IQ scores increase with generations, more so in lower IQ groups.Children born in the year 2000 are more intelligent than children born in the year 1950 because scientific and technological advancements like TV/computer/cell phone etc are easily available to them which give their brains more inputs and brains perform better with more inputs.There is a strong correlation between economic growth(GDP) and increased Flynn effect.
There are 10 billion neurons in human brain which are interconnected to form a functioning brain which can be trained to improve its function.Majority of people use less than 1 % of potential brain power.The ratio of brain weight to body weight,and the volume and location of grey matter correlates well with intelligence.Human beings are emotional animals.Emotions have been inherited as survival instincts which are manifested due to neuronal activation and release of chemical neuro-transmiters in the hippocampal and amygdala region of brain.What emotional intelligence does,is to control,with the help of cerebral cortex,the primitive survival instincts like fear,anger and lust released by the amygdala region of brain,to improve intrapersonal and interpersonal relations which makes a person successful in life.Elderly individuals with diffuse atrophy of brain and loss of volume of grey matter have reduced inhibitory control over amygdala resulting in lower EQ, unintended prejudice(racism) and inappropriate social behaviour.
Table 1: Comparison between traditional intelligence and emotional intelligence with specific reference to context.

People can see that emotional intelligence does involve traditional intelligence but vice versa is not true.
What happens if you have low EQ ?
1) 75 % of careers are derailed due to emotional incompetence.
2) 70 % of reasons why customers are lost in business.
3) 50 % of marriages fail.
4) 50 % of time is wasted in business due to lack of trust.
5) Suicide is one of the leading cause of death in youth.
6) Impulsive behaviour is more likely to cause violence in adolescent.
7) Gifted children are isolated socially.
8) Doctors get sued for negligence.
9) Unhappy life.
10) 75 to 90 % visits to family doctors are due to mental stress related problems.
People can see that low EQ leads to everything bad right from suicide to violence to unemployment to divorce.
The genesis of intelligence can be divided into DNA component and environmental component.DNA component is due to hereditary factors and environmental component include nutrition,family,education,experience,health and socio-economic factors.DNA component is predominant with 75 % contribution to IQ and environment contributes 25 % and more importantly, environmental factors become ineffective after adolescence.Also, DNA component can make a person adapt to environment as well as create suitable environment.The adaptability to environment and the creativity of suitable environment is proportional to DNA ability,at the same time, environment can affect DNA performance.Various studies have shown that identical twins having same DNA brought up in different environments have highly similar IQ, more than fraternal twins brought up togather, and much more than adopted siblings.The heritability of intelligence,measured in children is 0.5 and in adults is 0.8; suggests that IQ is substantially heritable and there is a strong genetic influence in possessing intelligence.
Difference in variation in heritability of intelligence is found between developed nations and developing nations, which means that even though intelligence is heritable, it is not necessarily unchangeable.Poverty and suppressive environment can prevent development of good intelligence despite having good genetic factors.
When national IQ is plotted against religiousness of people and GDP per capita, it is found that people with higher IQ are less religious and people with lower IQ are poorer.Also,fertility and intelligence are inversely proportional.Also,higher IQ people have less morbidity and less mortality due to disease.Also,children with high IQ are more likely to become vegetarian and non-smoker in adulthood.
Table 2 : National IQ is plotted against GDP per capita and religiousness of people.
Country-National IQ–GDP(PPP)per capita(dollar)—% of religious people
1) Japan–105———-34000——————–12
2) Britain-100———-36500——————-33
3) France–98———–33200——————-11
4) America-98———–48900——————-59
5) China—98————6000——————-low
6) Canada-97————-39100——————30
7) Russia–96————15800——————14
8) Indonesia-89———–3900——————95
9) Brazil–87————-10100—————–77
10) India–81————-2800——————92
11) Pakistan-81———–2600——————91
12) Bangladesh-81———-1500—————–88
People can see that poor nations have lower average national IQ. Also,people with lower IQ are more religious because religion provides answer to many questions in their minds.
Table 3 : Worldwide IQ scores of various populations
IQ—-Population
105–East asians
99—Europeans
91—Inuits
87–Southeast asians and amerindians
85–Pacific islanders
84–Middle east,south asia and north americans
67–Sub-saharan africans
62–Australian aborigines
People can see that Chinese/Japanese have higher IQ and Africans have lower IQ. Also,a study in America found that average IQ of american black is lower than average IQ of american white but IQ tests have many limitations and therefore there is no conclusive evidence to link IQ with race/caste/tribe.In fact, it is not the lower intelligence of ethnic minorities which leads to their lower social status but their lower social status leads to lower intelligence.The lower social status of ethnic minorities/castes/tribes leads to lesser opportunities given to their brains for intellectual development compounded by co-existing poverty leads to their lower intelligence despite adequate genetic factors.Also,there is no statistically significant difference between IQ of different gender.Children who are breast fed have higher IQ than children who are formula fed possibly because breast milk gives adequate nutrition to developing brain than formula feed.
YES, there is a definite correlation between intelligence and poverty as well as intelligence and fertility.Intelligence is inversely proportional to poverty and fertility. How and Why ?
Optimum functioning of brain needs adequate water,glucose and stress-free environment.Majority of poor people do not have adequate access to potable fresh water for daily consumption and majority of poor people are malnourished resulting in inadequate supply of water and glucose to brain.Also, poor people live in stressful environment with poor education.So all the 3 factors,namely, water,glucose and stress-free environment are not available to the brains of poor people resulting in lower intelligence.Also, lower intelligence leads to poverty and hence the vicious cycle continues indefinitely.
Intelligence is inversely proportional to fertility.Higher is the intelligence of an individual/species, greater is the ability to survive which leads to lesser need to reproduce more for that individual/species.Interestingly,poverty and fertility are strongly linked.So we have large segments of human populations who are poor,overpopulated and with lower intelligence.Their lower intelligence leads to poor telephone/electricity service,poor education,unemployment,lower agricultural yields,lower GDP,poor development and worsening poverty.
CONCEPT OF ALTERNATIVE LIFE:
Alternative life is defined as a life devoid of DNA/RNA.If non-living atoms can combine to form macromolecules which simulate DNA/RNA but with different composition,and which can replicate spontaneously in suitable environment, then, alternative life is possible and such a life could have alternative intelligence superior to our intelligence.There is a strong possibility of alternative life with alternative intelligence in the universe.
THE MORAL OF THE STORY :
1) Intelligence is a link between life and non-living matter.
2) Emotional intelligence correlates well with traditional intelligence but the vice versa is not true.
3) Large segments of human populations are caught in the vicious cycle of poverty,higher fertility and lower intelligence.
4) Humans use less than 1 % of potential brain power and therefore every human being has a potential to augment intelligence, no matter whatever is the genetic and/or environmental factors.
Dr.Rajiv Desai.MD.