The Flynn Effect: Why Are We Getting Smarter?
The Flynn effect states that our minds change. We are getting smarter and have improved our abstract reasoning. However, an increase in IQ scores is not always associated with satisfaction or happiness. It is true that we solve certain problems better every time. Yet the emotional aspect is still unknown.
Much has been written about this theory since 1994. Then researcher James R. Flynn of the University of Otago in New Zealand shared the following news: The population’s IQ shows a sustained rise. This has been established since the beginning of the 20th century.
In addition, other scientists and human intelligence experts such as Joe Rodgers of the University of Oklahoma point out another interesting aspect. The increase in the scores occurs every year.
Rogers came to this conclusion after examining intelligence tests conducted over the past 30 years such as the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). This gets a lot of attention and makes us think. Does this mean that our grandchildren will be geniuses compared to us?
The Flynn Effect and Technological Advances
The Flynn effect tells us that today a child will score about 10 points more on an intelligence test than his parents. According to this effect, it seems that the future of humanity goes hand in hand with much more skilled and refined minds possessing greater potential.
However, experts in human intelligence have clarified some essential aspects. That rise in IQ reflected in intelligence tests does not mean that our “gross” brain potential is increasing in the same way.
The improvement in our intellectual performance has taken a remarkable leap since the industrial revolution. Aspects such as education, better nutrition or technological progress are incentives that laid the foundations for our minds to progress.
The Flynn effect is directly linked to society and to technology
In other words, intelligence advances as society develops. We do it to adapt better. After all, we have to be attuned to this world where information flows much faster. It is important that we are part of every technological advancement, every change and every innovation.
In intelligence tests, another fact has been observed: the increase in the speed of reaction and the ability of today’s children to establish relationships between objects.
Children’s abstract thinking and also the speed of their perception improve year after year. Neurologists tell us that all this could be a result of the new technologies. Interactive screens, games and virtual realities require quick responses. This changes the way the human brain processes information.
Not only are we getting smarter but… are we getting happier?
Actually, we should talk about personal satisfaction rather than happiness. We now know that, year after year, people show greater ability to solve problems. They renew and facilitate the progress of our society. Does this mean that we also experience higher levels of satisfaction and/or personal well-being?
Jean Twenge is a professor of psychology at San Diego State University. He has published an article in the journal American Psychological Association that invites us to reflect on this. Some authors are already calling the new generation iGen.
It consists of adolescents who are clearly unhappy. Experts describe them as “hyperconnected” boys and girls who are dissatisfied and immature.
Technological dependence thus creates a new and complicated scenario. Technology is constantly evolving and becoming more and more complex. For many people, the way we treat ourselves and others has changed.
This is also about the way we understand ourselves and the world. The Flynn effect makes us more intellectually proficient. However, we also need to learn how to survive in an increasingly technological and sophisticated context.
The Flynn Effect and the Theory of Transhumanism
On the other hand, there is a strange fact worth mentioning: the theory of transhumanism. According to this philosophical movement led by David Pearce and Nick Bostrom, two professors at Oxford University, the future of humanity looks very bright indeed.
They claim that humanity will make an evolutionary leap in the next century. We won’t just be smarter then. However, our society will also be solely focused on being happy.
Then why will this happen? Essentially, this will be due to advances in gene theory, pharmacology, intracranial stimulation and molecular nanotechnology. They will eradicate diseases and drastically slow down the aging process.
So we can focus on having fun. Or, on the contrary, we can become melancholic creatures living in a technological society. However, there is really only one thing we can do: focus on the present.
We need to focus our minds and intelligence on personal well-being as well as intelligence. After all, a few extra IQ points are useless if we are unable to create a more fulfilling reality.
