One of the most popular questions people around the world ask when they’re seeking out, researching, or looking into taking an online IQ test is whether or not their IQ will stay the same, or whether it might worsen or improve.
It’s an understandable question: the vast majority of us want to think that we will become wiser, cleverer, or more mentally agile as we age, and we also worry about the opposite occurring as we get older. Indeed, most of us are familiar with the notion that our intelligence ‘peaks’ at a certain point in life, and that after that point, our minds become a little less sharp and able to undertake complex calculations, spatial awareness problems, or reliable cognitive functions.
The fact is, the notion of wisdom has little to nothing to do with IQ tests, and even the best certified IQ tests online will be unable to test for such a nebulous and subjective aspect of our intelligence. IQ tests work almost exclusively on measuring our ability to carry out calculations, solve logical puzzles, and deal with verbal reasoning and spatial awareness. Our ability to reflect, communicate ideas, and give advice – the fundamentals of what we normally consider to be wisdom – cannot be measured in such a direct or simple way.
Intelligence in Children vs Intelligence in Adults
Despite this previous point, there’s no getting away from the fact that an individual’s cognitive development is fundamentally tied to his or her age. We all know that as a child grows, their intelligence grows with each and every year. By the end of adolescence, the brain’s cognitive development will have stabilised, and IQ tests have shown that 18 year olds, for example, only score slightly higher than 16 years.
Should the individual stay healthy, their IQ will be more or less stabilised from the age of 18 to the age of 65, which is the point when cognitive function does begin to deteriorate (although not necessarily, and there are plenty of cognitive exercises one can do to remain sharp and mentally agile).
As such, it’s fair to say that adults aged between 18 and 65 can be compared with reasonable accuracy and reliability, and that one’s IQ will remain more or less the same once adulthood has been obtained.
