March 24, 2023 at 1:05 pm

New Study Identifies Surprising Group of People Who Overestimate Their IQ

by Ashley Dreiling

A new study found that in addition to young men, older women think their IQ scores are significantly higher than they are. The research considered each subject’s intelligence quotient (IQ) and emotional quotient (EQ), surprisingly, women overestimated their IQs as they got older.

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Using IQ to test the nuances of intelligence is controversial among scientists. While the single assessment is limiting and doesn’t account for social and environmental factors, IQ has been linked with higher results in life achievements, such as economic and academic success.

This latest study, published in Brain and Behavior, measured people’s self-estimated intelligence (SEI), whether their perceived IQ is close to their actual IQ. SEI studies are well documented among young people, but the authors wanted to extend their age parameters.

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The research team tested a sample of 159 young people (90 women) and 152 older people (93 women, with an average age of 72), with a range of SEI questions on their SEI before examining their IQ and EQ.

It turns out young men overestimated their IQ and EQ by between 5-15 points, confirming previous study results. Surprisingly, the new research found that older women also reported a higher SEI. Also, participants who perceived themselves to be more attractive had higher SEIs, suggesting that self-confidence may be a factor in the findings.

The authors hope their work leads to more age and SEI testing, as it appears the two are linked. It’s also good to take the word of older women and younger men with a grain of salt.

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