Education is the Most Reliable Way to Increase Intelligence
Most biohackers are interested in increasing intelligence, be it through nootropic supplement or with various new habits. There are many novel ways of increasing intelligence being discover all the time. However, a recent study done by researchers at The University of Edinburgh in the U.K. argue successfully about the best and most solid way to improve intelligence.1 It’s nothing new though–the best way to raise your IQ score is to get more years of education.
A Ton of Data Shows that Education Raises IQ
The study found that each year of education raises your IQ from 1-5 points. Taking college courses is the most evidence-based way to improve IQ score. It should be noted that this U.K. study is a meta-analysis, a study of many studies. This means there are a large body of scientific studies to demonstrate the power of education in improving intelligence in a clearly measurable way.
Lasting Improvement in Brain Power
The authors explained just how much data they looked at, saying, “Across 142 effect sizes from 42 data sets involving over 600,000 participants, we found consistent evidence for beneficial effects of education on cognitive abilities of approximately 1 to 5 IQ points for an additional year of education. Moderator analyses indicated that the effects persisted across the life span and were present on all broad categories of cognitive ability studied. Education appears to be the most consistent, robust, and durable method yet to be identified for raising intelligence.” The improvement in intelligence from more education is lasting and reliable. Maybe it’s time to explore starting some new college courses? There are a mind-boggling number of ways and places to get more college experience!
- Ritchie, S. J., & Tucker‐Drob, E. M. (2018). How much does education improve intelligence? A Meta-Analysis. Psychological Science, 29(8), 1358–1369. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797618774253
