The size of human brains varies greatly, and we’re talking about adults here, not youngsters. Men’s brains are larger than women’s brains. Is this to say that men are normally wiser than women? Is there a correlation between brain size and intelligence? Does it affect someone’s capacity to reason and form logical assumptions?
How Does Brain Size Correlate to Intelligence?
Whatever it may sound like, we humans enjoy measuring things and, eventually, measuring ourselves against others, who have the luxurious house, the expensive car, the most expensive clothing, the richest, and so on. So, contrary to what politically correct proponents may assert, size does matter. What about minds? There was a widespread assumption in the nineteenth century, which persists in certain circumstances now, that the higher and broader the forehead, the wiser the individual.
A broader forehead implies a larger brain. The assumption is that we can’t accurately assess the size of the neural system and link it to the owner’s mental abilities. Unfortunately, we lack a satisfactory explanation for how smart behavior emerges.
In Numbers, The Human Brain
The human brain continues to develop until the age of 30 to 40. According to a survey of 46 mostly European people, the average man’s brain size is 1,274 cubic cm, whereas the average woman’s brain is 1,131 cubic centimeters. However, the range is wide, with persons having brain sizes ranging from 1,053 to 1,499 cubic cm.
After death, the brain of Russian author Ivan Turgenev was extracted and weighed 2,021k, whereas the brain of French novelist Anatole France weighed just 1,017g. Hence, postmortem measurements are not as useful as those from living and healthy brains.
Is It True That Having A Larger Brain Makes You Superior?
This is a contentious issue since the relationship between brain size and IQ is not fully understood. We, humans, prefer to think of ourselves as the world’s monarchs, far wiser than any animal, which would also make us the animals with the largest brains, but this is not the case. Elephants and whales have far larger brains than humans. A man’s body-to-brain ratio is similar to that of a mouse.
Isn’t it still not good enough? So, instead of comparing human brain mass to that of animals, how about comparing human brain mass to that of other humans? Some argue that there is a correlation.
Scientists have been able to quantify living brain volumes and relate them to IQ using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Research published ten years ago indicated that the association between IQ and brain capacity was constant in the 0.3-0.4 range. A study of 20,000 human individuals has found an “IQ” gene that accounts for higher intracranial capacity and high IQ.
Nonetheless, neither of these investigations is particularly persuasive. Albert Einstein, the twentieth-century thinker, had a normal-sized brain. Did it deter him? Not, at all! The difficulty is that we’ve only scraped the surface with this subject since the issue is deeper than it appears. Humans continue to struggle.
Is intelligence defined just by IQ test results? Is it true that brain power solely refers to a larger brain? A new line of studies is currently underway to explore the intricacy of molecular and cellular arrangement of synapses. How it may impact a brain’s computing capabilities.
Conclusion
After knowing the details regarding the brain size correlates to intelligence, we can say that there is no clear yes/no. It totally depends on the situation.
