The heritability of IQ

Let’s break it all down. I’m Naomi—psych grad, content creator, SEO girlie, and lowkey obsessed with how the brain works. So if you’re into science, psychology, or just trying to win arguments at brunch, keep reading. 🍳🧠

1. What Even Is IQ? And Why Do People Care? 🧠

So let’s start at square one: What is IQ, actually? Like, you’ve probably heard someone say, “That dude has a high IQ,” but what does that really mean?

🔎 IQ = Intelligence Quotient

IQ stands for “intelligence quotient”, which is just a fancy way of saying how someone scores on specific tests designed to measure cognitive abilities. These aren’t vibes-based tests—they’re super structured and aim to measure stuff like:

• 🧩 Logical reasoning (Can you solve puzzles or spot patterns?)
• 🗣️ Verbal skills (How strong is your vocabulary and language use?)
• 🧮 Quantitative reasoning (Can you math?)
• 🧠 Working memory (How much info can you hold in your head and use?)
• ⚡ Processing speed (How fast can you do all the above?)

So an IQ test isn’t measuring how street smart, emotionally intelligent, or creative you are. It’s more about raw cognitive horsepower, if you will.

🧪 Where Do IQ Scores Come From?

IQ tests usually give you a score based on a normal distribution—aka a bell curve—with 100 as the average. Most people fall somewhere between 85 and 115. Only a tiny percentage score super high (like genius-level 130+) or super low.

But here’s the twist: IQ scores are relative, not absolute. You’re being measured against people your own age, and the test is adjusted to keep the average at 100. So if we all got collectively smarter (hello, Flynn Effect), the bar moves. Wild, right?

🤔 Why Is IQ Even a Thing?

IQ became a thing in the early 1900s with psychs like Alfred Binet, who was just tryna figure out which French school kids might need extra support. Fast forward to now, and IQ testing is a whole industry—used in schools, the military, clinical psych, and sometimes even hiring (though that one’s a bit controversial 👀).

💼 So…Why Do People Care About IQ?

Because IQ has been linked—not determined, but linked—to a bunch of real-life outcomes that people care about, like:

• Academic performance 📚
  Higher IQ usually means you’ll do better in school. Like, it predicts grades and test scores more accurately than anything else.
• Job performance 💼
  Especially in jobs that require problem-solving, learning new info fast, or making tough decisions.
• Income & social mobility 💸
  People with higher IQs, on average, tend to earn more over time and move up socioeconomically.
• Health & longevity 🏥
  Not even joking—some studies have shown that higher IQ is associated with better health behaviors, fewer accidents, and even longer life.

So yeah, IQ has some major real-world weight behind it, even if it’s not the whole picture.

2. What Is Heritability? (And No, It’s Not “Destiny”) 🧬

Alright, pause. Before we get all excited about genes and intelligence, let’s clear up a major misunderstanding that trips people up all the time.

Heritability ≠ “how much of your IQ comes from your genes.” I know it sounds like it should mean that, but nope—that’s not how it works. So let’s break it down properly.

🧠 Heritability: The Real Definition

In psychology and genetics, heritability is a statistic. Yeah, like a math thing—not a life sentence. It tells us this:

How much of the variation in a specific trait within a population can be explained by genetic differences between individuals.

That last part? 🔑 It’s about differences between people in a group, not about individuals. So we’re not saying you are 60% smart because of your genes and 40% smart because of your environment. That would be nonsense.

Instead, if IQ has a heritability of 0.6 (aka 60%), that means 60% of the differences we see in IQ scores between people in that group can be linked back to genes. The rest is chalked up to environment and randomness.

🎯 A Real-World Example (Because Stats Need Stories)

Let’s say we test 1,000 18-year-olds from a middle-class suburb. They’ve all had decent schools, stable homes, and good nutrition.

• If most of the variation in their IQ scores comes from differences in their genes, we’d say IQ has high heritability in that group.
• But if they came from all kinds of neighborhoods—some dealing with poverty, food insecurity, trauma—then environment might play a way bigger role, and the heritability of IQ in that group would be lower.

Heritability isn’t a universal score. It depends on context—who you’re studying, when, and where.

🧬 Heritability Can Shift (Yup, It’s Not Fixed)

Here’s another thing people sleep on: heritability isn’t locked in. It can change depending on the range of environments people experience.

• In equal, supportive environments → genes matter more → heritability goes up.
• In chaotic or unequal environments → genes have less influence → heritability goes down.

So like, in developed countries with good healthcare and schools, heritability of IQ might be super high. But in developing areas or under-resourced communities, environment dominates the picture, and heritability could be low AF.

💡 Heritability ≠ Unchangeability

This part’s huge. Just because something is heritable doesn’t mean it can’t be changed.

Height is highly heritable (around 80%), but we’ve still gotten taller over the last 100 years because of better nutrition and health care. Same goes for IQ—heritable, but not immune to growth.

In fact, interventions like early childhood education, enriched learning environments, and proper nutrition have been shown to boost cognitive abilities, especially in kids who started with fewer resources.

❌ What Heritability Is Not

• ❌ It’s not the percentage of a trait caused by genes.
• ❌ It’s not the same across all populations.
• ❌ It doesn’t mean the trait can’t be changed.
• ❌ It doesn’t tell us how important genes are in general.
• ❌ It definitely doesn’t justify inequality, discrimination, or giving up on people.

Basically, heritability is a group-level stat, not a blueprint for your life. It explains variation in a population, not who you are as a person.

🔁 Quick Recap

• Heritability = how much differences in a trait (like IQ) between people can be traced back to genetics.
• It’s not about individuals, and it’s not fixed or fate.
• High heritability ≠ no room for change. Your environment still matters.
• It can vary by age, culture, socioeconomic status, and more.

3. So…How Heritable Is IQ? 📊

Okay, here’s where things start to get real interesting. We already talked about what heritability is (it’s about group differences, not individual destiny), but now let’s get into the numbers and what they actually mean for IQ.

Spoiler: It’s not one-size-fits-all. IQ heritability changes over time, depending on your age, your environment, and even the type of study being used.

🧒🏾 Childhood (Ages 5–10): Heritability ≈ 0.4 to 0.5

So when kids are still little—like early elementary school age—IQ is only moderately heritable. Around 40% to 50% of the differences in IQ scores between kids can be chalked up to genetics.

Why so low? Because at this stage, environmental stuff hits hard. Things like:

• How much language a kid hears at home 🗣️
• Whether they’re getting enough nutrition and sleep 🍎🛌
• Exposure to books, playtime, and emotional support 📚🧸
• Access to early education 🏫

These things can level the playing field or widen the gap, depending on the situation. For younger kids, the brain is still in major development mode, and outside influences carry a lot of weight.

👩🏽‍🎓 Teen Years (14–16): Heritability ≈ Up to 0.7

Once puberty hits and the teen brain starts leveling up, IQ heritability starts climbing. We’re talking up to 70%, depending on the study.

What’s going on here?

• Teens start to make their own choices—what they read, who they hang with, what they’re interested in.
• Those choices are often influenced by natural tendencies, which are rooted in genetics. Like, a kid who’s genetically wired to be curious might choose to dive into science TikToks or books while someone else might avoid all that.
• Your brain structure and function become more stable as you grow, and genetic influences start to show up more consistently in test scores.

This doesn’t mean environment stops mattering—it just means your genetic potential has more room to express itself as you age and start shaping your own path.

👩🏾‍💼 Adulthood (18+): Heritability ≈ 0.7 to 0.8

By the time you hit your late teens and early twenties, heritability of IQ usually hits its peak. Studies have estimated 70% to 80% of the IQ variation among adults can be linked to genes.

So yeah, genetics becomes a bigger player here—but only because most adults live in more stable environments where the basics (food, school, internet, etc.) are already handled. In those conditions, genes have more space to do their thing.

Also, at this stage:

• Your brain is more fully developed
• You’ve had years of building habits that match your strengths
• You’ve been actively selecting environments that reinforce your cognitive style (whether you realize it or not)

This is why two adults raised in totally different homes might still end up scoring similarly on an IQ test if they’re genetically similar (like twins, for example).

👶🏽 IQ Heritability Changes Over Time—But Why?

Great question. Scientists think it has to do with gene-environment correlation—aka, the idea that as you grow, your genes start influencing the environments you choose, and that creates a feedback loop. 🌀

Example: A kid who’s naturally good at reading might get praised for it, so they read more, which makes them even better. That loop strengthens their abilities and amplifies the genetic component.

Also, your brain matures at different rates depending on the region. Some areas linked to executive functioning (like planning, working memory, and attention) don’t fully develop until your 20s, which means genes tied to those skills might not fully show up until later in life.

📌 IQ Heritability by Age

4. Genes Matter…But So Does Your Zip Code 🏚️➡️🏡

Okay, so this is the plot twist most people don’t see coming. We’ve been talking about how IQ can be super heritable, especially as people get older. But here’s the gag: that heritability depends a LOT on where you grow up. And I mean, a lot.

So when we say your zip code matters, we’re not being poetic. We’re talking real science, and a game-changing 2003 study by psychologist Eric Turkheimer and his team laid it all out.

🧪 The Study That Shook the Table

Turkheimer and his colleagues looked at over 700 pairs of twins from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. What they found was wild:

• In low-income families, the heritability of IQ was close to zero. 😳
• In high-income families, it jumped up to around 0.72.

Translation? In poverty, genetics barely show up in IQ differences—the environment completely takes over. But in wealthier settings, genetics shine through.

🍞 Poverty Isn’t Just About Money

This isn’t just about whether a family has cash. We’re talking about everything that tends to go with low-income life:

• Unstable housing
• Poor nutrition
• Chronic stress
• Fewer learning materials
• Underfunded schools
• Less access to healthcare
• Limited emotional bandwidth from stressed-out caregivers

All of these factors chip away at a kid’s ability to develop to their full potential. You could have the most “genetically gifted” brain on the planet, but if you’re navigating survival 24/7, there’s no bandwidth for high-level cognitive development.

It’s like trying to grow a flower in dry soil with no sunlight. 🌱💔

🧬 Why Genetics Matter More in Wealthier Settings

On the flip side, when basic needs are met—like having enough food, books in the house, a decent school, and caregivers who aren’t overwhelmed—then a kid’s natural abilities (aka their genetic predispositions) get to actually show up.

• Kids have more choices.
• They can follow their interests.
• They’re more likely to get diagnosed early if they need help.
• They get access to enrichment activities, tutors, therapy—you name it.

When the floor is solid, the ceiling gets higher.

This is why heritability numbers aren’t static. They depend on how much room a person has to grow.

📊 Why This Changes How We Think About IQ

This totally reshapes how we understand intelligence and potential. A low IQ score from a kid in a tough environment isn’t always a reflection of their actual cognitive ability—it’s often a reflection of what they haven’t had access to.

It’s also why early intervention matters so much. The earlier you can pour resources into a kid’s life, the more likely they are to close the gap—and maybe even surpass expectations.

🚨 But Not Everyone Agrees

Just to be real with you—this isn’t totally settled science. Some researchers have found different results in different countries or age groups. Others argue that the range of environments in studies like Turkheimer’s might still be too narrow. So there’s debate, for sure.

But the overall pattern keeps showing up: The harsher the environment, the less influence genes have on IQ. That says a lot about how much potential we’re leaving on the table when we let inequality run wild.

5. Twin Studies Are the MVPs of This Research 👯‍♀️

If we’re talking about how much genes influence IQ, twin studies are basically the gold standard. Like, they’re the OGs. The blueprint. The Beyoncé of behavioral genetics. 💅🏾

Why? Because twins let researchers tease apart the roles of nature (genes) and nurture (environment) in a way that no other method really can. And yes, the numbers they found are mad compelling.

🧬 First, a Quick Twin 101:

• Identical twins (monozygotic): Came from the same egg → share 100% of their DNA.
• Fraternal twins (dizygotic): Came from two different eggs → share about 50% of their DNA, just like regular siblings.

📈 Let’s Break Down the Numbers

🧠 What Do These Numbers Really Tell Us?

Let’s unpack that:

• Identical twins raised apart scoring similarly? That’s the clearest sign that genes are doing serious heavy lifting. They grew up in different homes—maybe different cities or even countries—but their IQs are still closely matched? That’s wild.
• Fraternal twins raised together are less similar than identical twins raised apart. So even in the same environment, having only half the same genes brings down the similarity. Again, genetics showing off.
• Adopted siblings scoring way less alike? Even though they shared a home, their different genes result in pretty different IQ scores. That’s more proof that shared environment doesn’t have as much long-term impact as people think—especially once kids grow up.

These correlations grow stronger with age. In early childhood, the shared environment (like toys, routines, parenting) has more influence. But by adulthood, genes are calling more of the shots—especially when people have the freedom to shape their own lives.

👶🏾 What About When They’re Young?

These correlations grow stronger with age. In early childhood, the shared environment has more influence. But by adulthood, genes are calling more of the shots—especially when people have the freedom to shape their own lives.

🚫 But There Are Some Caveats

Not everyone agrees on the exact numbers or methods. Like:

• Some people argue that identical twins are treated more similarly than fraternal twins, even by strangers—and that could inflate the similarity scores.
• Others point out that twins reared apart often still grow up in somewhat similar environments (like both being placed in stable adoptive homes).
• Plus, cultural and socioeconomic contexts can affect how heritability plays out. Twin studies in Sweden might look different than those in, say, rural India.

💡 Why It All Matters

These studies show us that IQ isn’t just about how you’re raised. Genetic differences play a major role—especially in adulthood. But at the same time, the fact that identical twins aren’t identical in IQ proves that environment still matters too.

Twin studies don’t say “you’re born smart or not.” What they really say is, genes give you a starting point—but what happens after that depends on a whole lot more.

6. Your Brain Grows With You (Literally) 🧠📈

Okay, time for a glow-up story—but make it biological. Because one of the coolest (and most underrated) things about IQ heritability is how it changes over time… right alongside your brain.

This isn’t just a metaphor—your brain actually grows, restructures, and levels up in major ways between childhood and adulthood. So let’s talk about why IQ heritability rises with age and what your actual neurons have to do with it.

🧠 The Brain Is Not Born Ready

At birth, your brain is basically a work in progress. Sure, the blueprint’s there—but the structure? The pathways? The power? That stuff’s still under construction. Between the ages of 5 and 20, your brain goes through intense upgrades:

• Gray matter (responsible for processing info) increases early, then prunes down to become more efficient.
• White matter (which connects brain regions) keeps building into your mid-20s, boosting coordination and speed.
• Synaptic connections—the little bridges that let neurons talk—go through cycles of explosion and refinement.

It’s giving… software updates and hardware replacements, tbh. 💻🧠

🧬 And Yup, Genes Are In the Mix

Genes play a major role in guiding this development:

• They influence how fast your brain matures
• They affect which areas develop earlier or later
• They shape how efficient your neural networks become over time

🧠 + 🧬 + 🌍 = Reinforced Intelligence

Here’s where it gets even more interesting: As your brain develops, you gain more control over your environment—and the environments you choose tend to match your natural tendencies.

This is where gene-environment correlation (aka G-E correlation if you wanna be fancy) kicks in:

• If you’re genetically curious, you’re more likely to grab books, ask questions, watch explainer vids, etc.
• If you’re naturally detail-oriented, you might lean into puzzles, coding, or math games.
• If you’re sensitive to sound or rhythm, you might dive into music or language learning.

Basically, your genes nudge you toward certain behaviors and spaces. And once you’re in those spaces, they nurture the very traits that brought you there. It’s a feedback loop—your genetics influence what you do, and what you do strengthens the influence of your genetics.

Wild, right?

👏🏽 So What Does This Mean for IQ?

It means that by the time you’re in your late teens or early 20s:

• Your brain’s architecture is mostly settled
• You’ve shaped your life around your strengths
• Your IQ reflects more of your genetic potential—because your biology and your environment have been vibing together for years

This is exactly why IQ heritability is low in little kids and high in adults. It’s not because your environment stops mattering. It’s because your genes start to influence the kind of environment you create for yourself.

7. Can Environment Still Boost IQ? 100% YES. 🧠💥

Let’s get one thing straight—just because IQ has a genetic component, that doesn’t mean it’s locked in like your height or eye color. Far from it. Your IQ isn’t tattooed on your brain. It’s more like a flexible skill set that can grow, strengthen, and shift depending on what life throws at you—and what you’re exposed to.

So while heritability matters, it doesn’t cancel out the power of a good environment. In fact, some of the most meaningful gains in IQ (especially early in life) come from environmental upgrades—the kind that don’t require perfect genes, just better support.

🌱 Real-Life Factors That Can Boost IQ

Let’s break down the stuff that actually makes a difference:

✨ Early Education Programs

Think: Head Start, Montessori, and other high-quality preschool programs.

These environments introduce kids to structured learning, critical thinking, emotional regulation, and peer interaction at a time when the brain is crazy plastic. And the earlier this starts? The bigger the potential long-term impact. Studies have shown that kids in quality early ed programs tend to score higher on IQ tests and perform better academically later on.

🥦 Good Nutrition

This one’s huge, especially in the first few years of life. The brain is literally built from nutrients like:

• Iodine: Deficiency during pregnancy or early childhood can lower IQ by 10–15 points.
• Iron: Important for oxygen transport and overall brain energy. Deficiencies can impact memory and focus.

🏡 Safe and Stimulating Homes

This includes basic stuff like:

• A calm, non-chaotic household 🧸
• Emotional warmth and responsive parenting 🫶🏽
• Space for creativity and play 🎨
• Limited exposure to chronic stress and trauma 😔

📚 Access to Books, Tech, and Enrichment

More books, puzzles, building sets, art supplies, and even screen time (yes, if used well) can help kids develop problem-solving skills and curiosity.

It’s about the quality and quantity of cognitive stimulation. When kids are surrounded by engaging tools, their brains are constantly learning—even during play.

💬 Parent-Child Convo Quality

It’s not just whether parents talk to their kids—it’s how they talk:

• Asking open-ended questions
• Naming feelings
• Explaining why things happen
• Reading together and breaking down stories

This builds vocabulary, reasoning, memory, and emotional IQ—all of which influence traditional IQ test scores later on. 💬🧠

📈 The Flynn Effect: Proof It’s Not All Genetics

Here’s where things get really spicy: The Flynn Effect.

Over the past century, average IQ scores have increased by roughly 15 points worldwide. That’s like an entire standard deviation. 🤯

No, our genes didn’t magically mutate. This is 100% an environmental thing.

Scientists think it’s because:

• Education systems got stronger and more universal 🏫
• People are exposed to more abstract thinking (hello, internet) 🌐
• Healthcare improved, reducing brain-harming conditions 💉
• Family sizes shrank, so kids got more attention 👶🏽
• People started spending more time in cognitively demanding environments (work, media, social life) 🧠📱

Basically, modern life is throwing way more mental challenges our way, and our brains have adapted to that. IQ tests are picking up on it.

8. The Whole Race and IQ Thing? Yeah, That’s Trash. 🚮

Let’s go ahead and shut this one down right now, because it keeps creeping into conversations where it absolutely doesn’t belong.

Yes, individual IQ differences can be heritable—we’ve talked about that. But trying to link average IQ differences between racial or ethnic groups to genetics? That’s not only scientifically wrong, it’s also dangerous, lazy, and rooted in straight-up bias. 👎🏽

And no, this isn’t just about being politically correct—it’s about facts, data, and what the research actually says.

🧬 Genetics ≠ Race

First off, let’s get real about race. From a biological standpoint, “race” is not a clean genetic category. Humans are wildly genetically mixed, and the small genetic variations that do exist between people don’t align neatly with the racial labels society uses (Black, White, Asian, etc.).

In fact, there’s more genetic variation within racial groups than between them. So even trying to treat race as a biological variable in IQ research is already shaky ground.

📊 What the Research Really Says

• IQ gaps between racial groups exist, but they are not due to genetics.
• These gaps are 100% better explained by environmental differences—things like poverty, school quality, nutrition, exposure to stress, access to books, medical care, and so on.
• When those environmental gaps shrink, so do the IQ gaps. That’s already happening in some countries.

📉 The Flynn Effect Has No Favorites

Speaking of the Flynn Effect (that steady worldwide increase in IQ scores we talked about earlier), it affects all groups. Everyone has been rising together, which tells us IQ is responsive to environmental shifts.

If IQ were mostly genetic at the group level, we wouldn’t see that kind of consistent rise across all demographics, countries, and ethnicities. Period.

🧪 Bad Science ≠ Good Arguments

Some people still try to argue for genetic differences in racial IQ averages by misusing or cherry-picking data. Here’s why those arguments don’t hold up:

• Confounding factors: Socioeconomic status, neighborhood conditions, school quality, lead exposure, and trauma can all affect IQ—and they often correlate with race because of systemic inequality.
• Sampling bias: Many of the earlier studies excluded poor or minority populations, or didn’t control for important environmental variables.
• Faulty logic: Just because IQ is heritable within individuals doesn’t mean group-level differences are genetic. That’s like saying people grow taller with good nutrition, so height gaps between countries must be genetic. That’s… not how any of this works.

📢 Environmental Injustice ≠ Genetic Inferiority

We need to stop using IQ as a weapon to justify racism, classism, or any kind of superiority narrative. If a group of people is scoring lower on IQ tests, the question should be:

What systemic barriers are keeping them from reaching their potential?

Not “Are they genetically inferior?” (That question is trash and should stay in the garbage.)

IQ is influenced by access—to books, teachers, healthcare, emotional support, and more. And in societies where access is not equal, IQ gaps are going to reflect that inequality—not innate ability.

✊🏾 Let’s Get Clear

• Intelligence is not racially coded.
• Heritability does not mean destiny—and definitely not at the group level.
• When we reduce environmental inequality, the IQ gap shrinks.
• Racist interpretations of IQ science are not just wrong—they’re harmful.

So let’s stop giving air to bad-faith arguments dressed up in pseudoscience. IQ is complex, multifaceted, and shaped by a thousand factors. Race-based genetics? That’s not one of them.

9. But Why Do Genetics Even Matter Then? 🤷🏽‍♀️🧬

Okay, so by now you might be thinking, “If environment plays such a huge role in IQ, why do we even care about genetics?” And that’s a very valid question. The answer? Because genetics still matter—but not in the way most people think.

Genes aren’t about slapping a “smart” or “not smart” label on someone. That’s lazy and not how human development works. Instead, genes give us insight into why people respond differently to the same world. They help explain the variation—not the value—of intelligence.

🧠 Same House, Different Minds

Let’s take two siblings raised in the exact same household—same parents, same bedtime, same rules, same SpongeBob marathons. Yet somehow, one’s a math whiz and the other writes killer poetry. Or one’s always asking “why,” and the other’s more chill and quiet.

That difference? It often comes down to genetic individuality.

Even kids raised side-by-side can have:

• Different cognitive strengths (like verbal vs. spatial ability)
• Unique temperaments and attention spans
• Varied learning styles and memory skills
• Personal preferences that lead them down different life paths

These aren’t just environmental quirks—they’re often shaped by biological differences in how their brains are wired. Genetics explains why the same environment doesn’t create carbon-copy outcomes.

🔁 It’s Not One Gene, It’s a Vibe (aka Polygenic)

We’re not talking about one magical “smart gene.” Intelligence is polygenic, meaning it’s influenced by hundreds (maybe thousands) of small genetic variants that each have a tiny impact. It’s like a giant recipe made up of subtle ingredients—some boost memory, others enhance focus, some affect processing speed, and so on.

Put all that together and boom—you get your unique cognitive potential.

But how that potential plays out still depends on things like:

• Whether your school can actually support your learning style
• If your health and nutrition are taken care of
• Whether you’re given space to explore your interests
• How much encouragement and feedback you get along the way

So yeah, genes matter, but they don’t act alone. They need the right context to shine.

🧬⚖️ Why Knowing This Actually Helps

Understanding that IQ is both heritable and flexible helps us build better systems—not worse ones.

It tells us:

• 👶🏽 Some kids will naturally thrive in traditional schools. Others may need different supports—and that’s okay.
• 💸 Just because someone is behind in IQ doesn’t mean they’re “less than”—they might not have had access to resources that match their genetic potential.
• 🎯 Blanket approaches to education, health, or parenting miss the mark because people’s needs aren’t one-size-fits-all.

So instead of arguing about whether intelligence is “born” or “made,” we should be asking:

How can we give every kid what they need to grow into their best brain?

📚 From Science to Solutions

This is where genetics can actually guide smart, compassionate policy:

• Early childhood programs that adapt to individual learning styles
• Targeted support for kids in under-resourced schools
• Health screenings to catch nutritional deficiencies or developmental delays early
• Culturally competent education that acknowledges how identity shapes learning

All of these can help bridge the gap between potential and reality.

Because knowing that genetics are part of the picture doesn’t mean we give up. It means we plan better. We invest smarter. And we stop pretending every kid starts at the same line in the race.

10. Bottom Line: You’re More Than Your Genes

IQ is partly heritable, but it’s not destiny. It doesn’t measure kindness, creativity, hustle, or how you show up for people. Intelligence is multi-dimensional, and no test can fully capture your vibe, potential, or purpose.

🧬 Genetics may set the stage, but environment directs the show. And if you give people the right support? They can absolutely glow up mentally, emotionally, and socially.

💡 Bonus: Wanna Test Your IQ?

Okay, not to plug my day job too hard, but if you’re curious about your cognitive strengths or just wanna flex your brainpower a bit, we’ve got super accessible online IQ and aptitude tests. 🧠✨ They’re designed to be fair, fun, and actually meaningful—no gatekeeping here.

Got questions? Or random psych thoughts? Hit me up in the comments or on socials. Let’s keep it nerdy and real. 💬💕