Intelligence poorly related to brain size

[The Straight Story]

Intelligence poorly related to brain size


LONDON, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- British scientists say they've found brain size is much less related to the complexity of an organism's thought and behavior than is currently assumed.

Professor Lars Chittka of the Queen Mary's Research Center for Psychology at the University of London and Jeremy Niven of the University of Cambridge examined the brain size of a broad range of organisms, ranging from insects to vertebrates. They also analyzed the complexity of behaviors, social structures and mental processes of the organisms.

The scientists said they concluded animals with bigger brains are not necessarily more intelligent.

Chittka and Niven said a honeybee's brain weighs only one milligram and contains fewer than 1 million nerve cells, while a human brain weighs more than 1.25 kilograms (about 2.75 pounds), and contains an estimated 85 billion nerve cells. Yet the honeybee can count, categorize objects, understand the meaning of "same" and "different," and differentiate among shapes.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/11/25/Intelligence-poorly-related-to-brain-size/UPI-15201259159497/

[no_hypocrisy]

1. There's intelligence and the potential for intelligence.

You can be born with a predisposition to be intelligent but it could elude you if you are denied (or you deny yourself) the opportunity to develop your brain universally. Education, critical thinking, curiosity, challenging your memory, problem-solving, using both hemispheres of your brain (logical and spatial/creative thinking).

And unfortunately, though public poicy says otherwise, intelligence is not a commodity that is desired universally as it inadvertently produces informed, questioning citizens and consumers.

I got off topic, but what I'm getting at is it's not so much what you're given but how you use it, not discounting your inate potential.