What influence do you feel the environment has on intelligence? For more than a decade, the scientific community has been divided between proponents of genetic determinism and those who believe that the environment plays an important role in the development of intellect. The reality, it should be acknowledged, is somewhere in the middle, where the environment may influence the expression of important genes in the brain, influencing intelligence considerably more than previously thought. According to research, your environment might genetically affect your IQ, and if you want to know the result of your IQ, you can use the online iq test free.
What is epigenetics?
The scientific study of inherited variations in gene expression that are not connected with changes in the fundamental DNA sequence is known as epigenetics. Scientists have known for a long time that humans are not born with a fixed set of mental faculties when it comes to intelligence. Rather, as children grow, environmental variables continue to impact their ability. Children who grow up in resource-rich situations with loving parental care are considerably more likely to become clever and well-rounded than those who grow up in extreme poverty, endure neglect, or face blatant violence. This type of research is required to help us understand how environmental influences impact adolescent intelligence during childhood and adolescence. This is especially true in light of ongoing climate change, which has the potential to trigger a chain reaction of environmental disasters ranging from severe weather to crop failures and lengthy droughts throughout most of the world. Stress and negative life events are examples of environmental variables that might alter gene activity, resulting in structural changes in our genome. These epigenetic modifications allow the human genome to adapt to its surroundings, allowing our DNA to be passed on to the next generation of cells and sending information that decides whether or not a certain gene will be activated and under what conditions.
Stress and the environment
For example, during periods of high stress, such as the persistent fear of violence or poor nourishment, physiological changes in the body can modify gene function by adding or deleting a chemical group that essentially switches genes off or on. Childhood stress is known to have an effect on cognitive function as we age, while it is difficult to tell how much of this is due to neurobiological changes and how much is due to epigenetic alterations. According to Science Alert, it is a leap to argue that anyone epigenetic modification guarantees us a life of riches, sickness, or, in this case, intellectual supremacy. In contrast to other environmental factors, epigenetic modifications can theoretically be handed down to future generations.
IQ test scores
Scientists were able to see how individual variances in IQ test scores are connected with both epigenetic alterations and differences in brain activity under the impact of the environment in a report published in the journal Translational Psychiatry. Intelligence testing has always been associated with controversy, often for good cause. However, there is presently no precise response to the question of whether the human intellect is genetic, molded by upbringing, or the consequence of work and dedication.