Jonnyboi
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Several factors can influence a country’s average IQ:
- Infectious Diseases: A 2010 study demonstrated that countries with high rates of infectious diseases generally have populations with lower average IQ scores. These diseases can negatively affect cognitive development. Africa is the continent most affected by infectious diseases.
- Dietary Habits: A 2024 study showed that children with good dietary habits have higher IQs than other children. Therefore, countries with good dietary habits (and less food poverty) tend to have higher average IQs.
- Intellectual Activities: A 2022 study found that regularly playing chess can increase children's IQs. Another 1962 study showed that bilingual children score higher on intelligence tests than children who speak only one language. Thus, regular intellectually stimulating activities within a country’s culture tend to raise its average IQ.
- Genetics: A 2013 study on over a thousand twins demonstrated that IQ is influenced between 50% and 80% by genetics.
Genetics provides a solid foundation upon which the environment can build further. Thus, good genetics combined with a good environment tend to increase the average IQ score. The global average IQ should therefore gradually increase, as confirmed by a 2014 study, which observed a 2.31 IQ score increase per decade. This phenomenon is known as the Flynn Effect.
However, the purpose of the IQ test is to classify the population around an average of 100. The algorithm of the international IQ test should therefore adapt to this increase to maintain the IQ average at 100 with a standard deviation of 15.