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Are Women Smarter Than Men? – The Latest Study Report
Every time, we are subjected to the same tired headlines, which typically take the form of “Girls outshine guys” or some other variant on the same general theme. When it comes to intelligence, does it matter if a person is male or female, or is there no significant difference between females and males? Or is it just that girls tend to have a higher IQ? Well, numerous studies have found that men and women have equivalent levels of intelligence.
Who Is Smarter, Men Or Women? A Scientific Study
Further, decades of research have demonstrated without a reasonable doubt that men and women score similarly on tests of general intelligence (IQ). However, this is not the case when assessing levels of emotional intelligence (EQ). It is necessary to investigate and gain an awareness of the subtle and not-so-subtle distinctions that exist between the ways in which men and women express and comprehend their emotions.
People frequently look to gender as a location to put names to feelings in order to better understand them. Such assumptions have labeled women as everything from the “fairer sex” to overly sensitive and men as emotionally distant to explosive. In contrast, men have been portrayed as being emotionally detached. You’ll discover that not a single one of these stereotypes is accurate.
Emotional intelligence, also known as EQ, is the capacity to understand and manage one’s own and other people’s feelings and respond appropriately in social and work settings. It has been found that emotional intelligence accounts for 58% of productivity in all sorts of employment and that 90% of top workers have high levels of emotional intelligence.
Historical Perspective Of Smartness
Women were historically regarded to be mentally inferior due to their somewhat smaller skulls. The mind of an elephant dwarfs ours by the same reasoning! When it relates to brain size, bigger does not necessarily equate to quality.
Gender stereotypes have evolved significantly during the previous century. Today, when specifically questioned, the majority of people say that men & women are equally intelligent. In most nations, public support for intelligence-based gender stereotypes is uncommon.
However, implicit assumptions regarding gender and intelligence vary significantly. Still readily seen is covert and indirect support.
How Men And Women Are Performing In Different Skills
– Naturalistic intelligence
A person who is strong in naturalistic intelligence demonstrates empathy, recognition, and comprehension of living & natural things (animals, plants, geology, and so on). Naturalistic intelligence is often referred to as the intelligence of nature. It is the intellect of people who work with animals, such as farmers, biologists, and veterinarians.
According to the findings of the study, teenage boys do not have a significantly greater naturalistic intelligence than teenage girls. Despite this, the researchers did not find any statistically significant differences in the naturalistic intelligence of either gender based on their gender.
Since nature has bestowed upon each and every one of us natural qualities that are present in every human person, this could be due to the fact that variances have become so negligible, as nature has endowed us all with these natural qualities. There is no difference between males and females with regard to the fundamental components that make up musical and naturalist intelligence, respectively.
– Musical intelligence
The ability to recognize, understand, and create rhythms and melodies are what we mean when we talk about musical intelligence. This is the intelligence of singers, musicians or music teachers, musical copyists, instrument makers, lyricists, and other people who work in the music industry.
The studies show that boys and girls are the same in regard to their sensitivity toward music. It has been demonstrated that both of them share the same affinity for music. Both types of adolescents incorporate music into their daily lives in the same way by listening to music as they do duties around the house or do their homework at home.
– Logical-mathematical intelligence
The fact that girls have a better average performance hides the significant variances that exist across individual participants. In most of the countries in which these tests, as well as others, for example, the PASEQ and SACMEQ, as well as the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, are administered.
And it has been found that boys have a tendency to perform better on tests in mathematics and science. This is despite the fact that girls have been found to have consistently better reading and writing skills across all of the tests.
The Middle East is the only location in which boys do not appear to have an advantage when it comes to mathematics. This male edge in mathematics is so ubiquitous that a gender disparity is evident even when comparing the findings of Chilean twins of different sexes.
It’s true that men have a higher average math score than women, but only when they’re much younger.
– Existential intelligence
Existential intelligence is the 9th category of intelligence that Gardner’s original theory proposes should be added. He defined the ability to probe deeper issues about existence and life as one of the characteristics of existential intelligence.
People that have this kind of intelligence often ponder the “great questions” in life. For example, why we are here, what our lives are for, and how our activities fit into the grander scheme.
Individuals who possess existential intelligence:
- Think in terms of the long term.
- Think about how your current actions will affect the results in the future.
- An interest in the mysteries surrounding the life and death meanings of both life and death
- Strong interest in and concern for the welfare of other people
According to the study regarding Existential Intelligence, girls lead boys.
– Interpersonal intelligence
Since men are often larger than women, they also typically have larger brains. On the other hand, there is no guarantee that intelligence is proportional to size. Instead, intelligence is predicated primarily on neural connections, which are formed when we learn something new through either experience or study.
In the past, women’s IQs have been shown to be up to five points lower than those of males, but these days, women are outperforming men in these kinds of examinations. According to the research conducted by Rex Jung, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of New Mexico, men typically have more grey matter in their brains.
In comparison, women typically have white matter. In spite of the fact that the distinctions between the sexes are, once again, readily apparent, it would appear that the evolutionary struggle between the sexes may, at least for the time being, be evaluated as a draw.
– Linguistic intelligence
According to studies, women have an edge in reading and speaking skills. On the global PISA reading examination, girls significantly beat boys in all nations, and all variances are significant statistically. Girls surpassed boys by over 30 points on the PISA exam (2018). In OECD countries, on average, 28% of boys didn’t reach a reading competence level of 2.
Girls invest more time reading and reading for pleasure than boys, which undoubtedly contributes to the gender disparity. Numerous historical and current gender inequalities in mathematics ability, according to some psychologists, may be attributable to the fact that girls are more likely than boys to get reading encouragement.
Parents were, and perhaps still are, more inclined to perceive a daughter’s reading performance as a natural talent. In contrast, a son’s reading accomplishment is more likely to be viewed as the result of diligent study. This disparity in perspective may deter girls and women from pursuing mathematics-related studies and careers.
– Bodily–kinaesthetic intelligence
Physical kinaesthetic intelligence is the physical self’s intelligence. It encompasses the ability to control one’s body movements and to manipulate objects deftly. This intellect is possessed by athletes, artisans, mechanics, doctors, etc.
In physical kinaesthetic and visual-spatial intelligence and intrapersonal skills, girls’ adolescents scored higher than boys’ adolescents, and the T-test revealed the difference to be statistically significant.
Expression of bodily-kinaesthetic intelligence differs between male and female respondents. It has been discovered that female kids are more expressive than their male counterparts in terms of coordination and physical restlessness. Regarding Kinaesthetic Intelligence, the respondents are uniform.
– Intra–personal intelligence
The intelligence of the inner self is intrapersonal intelligence. A person with a high level of this intelligence may quickly access their own emotions. They can easily distinguish between a variety of inner emotional states and use this knowledge to enhance and direct their life. This demonstrates the intelligence of counselors, theologians, independent business owners, etc.
According to the study, both groups of adolescents scored nearly identically on the dimension, and no significant differences occurred. Regarding Intrapersonal Intelligence, girls lead boys.
– Spatial intelligence
It was also noted at the time of the British Psychological Society Annual Conference that men had a higher capacity to think of objects in three dimensions, which helps with navigation. This topic was presented and discussed during the conference.
Even infants as young as three months old display gender-based behavioral differences. It’s possible that activities like hunting, fighting in competitions, and other activities that were common in the past served to ingrain talent in males.
Are Women Smarter Than Men?
Decades of studies demonstrate that men and women have the same general intelligence when comparing intelligence and gender (IQ).
When it comes to labeling emotions, gender is the most common criterion used by individuals. Constantly repeated are generalizations like women are too emotional and males are emotionless.
According to sources, it has evaluated the emotional intelligence of over a million individuals, and it is evident that women have the advantage. The overall EQ score of women was a few points higher than that of males. Women are statistically more adept at manipulating their emotions.
Do Gender Differences Really Matter In Actual IQ?
In terms of IQ, there is no difference between men and women, according to psychologists and intelligence specialists. There is no “wiser sex.” This concept was debunked, however, only with the emergence of objective IQ testing measures.
In a famous social psychology study, parents were asked to rate their children’s IQ. Sons received much higher intelligence ratings than females. This discovery has been duplicated globally.
Perceptions may be especially influential on their children’s intellectual self-image and are also associated with future academic success.
Self-esteem differences between men and women could also be a big factor since individuals with higher self-esteem seem to have a more positive view of all parts of their lives, including their intelligence. Girls and women report much lower self-esteem compared to boys and men. This gap appears early in adolescence.
Does Age Affect Someone’s IQ?
Age is a factor that can undoubtedly have an effect on a person’s IQ score. Studies on adolescents have shown that, on average, IQ rises with age, which makes sense when one considers the ways in which general life circumstances and academic experience (such as going to school) can modify both the mind and the intelligence.
On the other hand, there is a great deal of divergence of opinion concerning how intellectual capacity develops with age. In modern times, intelligence has come to be considered the capacity to comprehend one’s surroundings and adjust one’s behavior accordingly through the utilization of innate capabilities and acquired information.
In short, your IQ will remain the same as you get older. Although, the average level of intelligence of people generally drops as they become older.
What Is The Key Emotional Intelligence Influencing Someone’s Smartness?
Emotional intelligence (EQ) is a flexible quality that you can improve with effort. There is a consistent trend in the data that hints at some exciting possibilities for the explanation of the gap.
Let’s take a look at some of the most important aspects of emotional intelligence that influence a person’s overall intellect.
– Self Awareness
Self-awareness is the extent to which you comprehend your feelings in the present as well as your inclinations, i.e., the kind of individuals and circumstances you manage well and the ones that set you off. This is the only category in which males and females score identically.
It is also an area where guys have a poor reputation. Generally, people assume that males aren’t in tune with their sentiments or don’t comprehend them. This is obviously not the case.
In an effort to evade accountability for their acts, males, too, have a tendency to join this bandwagon by portraying a lack of awareness or comprehension of their feelings.
– Self Management
Once you are conscious of your emotions, you engage in self-management. Effective self-management entails directing one’s emotions to produce the desired action since emotions cannot be eliminated. In this one category, men outperformed women.
Also, the best reason why men and women have different levels of emotional intelligence is how we are raised. Men are typically regarded as emotionally “tough” and in control of their emotions when it comes to self-management, which may explain why they score slightly higher than women.
– Relationship Management
Emotional intelligence reaches its pinnacle in relationship management. It needs the coordinated use of social awareness, self-management, and self-awareness to improve your interpersonal interactions.
You cannot expect to gain the most from your relationships with others until you comprehend your emotions, recognize their emotions, and adapt your manner on the fly based on this information.
As you will read in social awareness, women have a modest advantage in relationship management.
– Social Awareness
Social awareness is the extent to which you comprehend the feelings and experiences of others. This needs the ability to read body language and some other nonverbal gestures, as people typically do not express their emotions verbally.
This is a sector where women significantly outperform males. In contrast to men, women are socialized to practice and develop this ability from early childhood. Incorrect or not, women are supposed to care for others. This offers them an advantage in terms of social consciousness.
Men, to their disadvantage, are not rewarded in the same manner as women for social awareness, and this continues into adulthood.
Conclusion
Often, gender is a factor in recognizing a person’s aptitude and abilities. Parents and instructors must always pay extra attention to teenagers of both sexes who possess multiple intelligences. If adolescents with more significant potential in a certain area are supported and driven, they will be able to recognize their potential and reach their maximal level of talent in that area.
However, until more is discovered about which gender is smarter, I will agree with Harry Belafonte. Men smart (Women smarter!). The 1952 song by Norman Span states that “the woman of today is smarter than the man in every way.”
FAQs
- Can the IQ change over time?
Yes. However, the exact age-related changes in IQ and intelligence are the subject of vigorous discussion. According to studies, a person’s intellectual development begins to decline in their 20s, although their intelligence significantly increases with age.
- Does your IQ increase with age?
Individual cognitive factors determine whether or not the average IQ of a community increases with age. However, it has been established that crystallized intelligence increases with age. Intelligence crystallized is defined as the capacity to apply knowledge gained through experience to solve a problem.
- What can cause a decline in IQ?
Aging can cause a fall in IQ test results due to a reduction in physical capabilities. In addition to excessive drug and alcohol use and degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cognitive decline is also connected with excessive drug and alcohol use and degenerative diseases.
- Is the structure of the brain differ depending on a person’s gender?
Possibly. The results of general intelligence tests imply that there may be no significant differences between the cognitive abilities of men and women in general. However, it seems that men and women grow their brains differently and are more or less capable of doing certain types of cognitive tasks. Although boys’ brains are larger, girls’ brains mature at a quicker rate.
- Are girls more intelligent than boys?
To a certain extent, yes. However, they are also behind boys in a variety of significant areas.
