Science says you get your intelligence from your mama

If your mother has ever praised you for being the most intelligent human being on the planet, she was also unknowingly commenting on how smart she is, too!

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According to new research featured in Psychology Spot, intelligence genes are located in the X-chromosome; and since women carry two X-chromosomes, there’s double the chance that your child will inherit their intelligence from their mother.

In a study done by the Medical Research Council Social and Public Health Sciences Unit in the Glasgow, Scotland, researchers interviewed almost 13,000 kids ages 14 -22 every year since 1994. Other factors like skin color, socio-economic status, and education were taken into consideration.

This helped researchers find that "the best predictor of intelligence was the IQ of the mother and that the ratio of young people’s intelligence varied only an average of 15 points from that of their mothers."

However, Psychology Spot reports that 40 – 60% of intelligence is hereditary and the remaining percentage depends on environment, personal characteristics, and stimulation. Basically, if you (or your child) have a high IQ but don’t aren’t challenging yourselves on the regular, your “intelligence will disperse,” so it’s important to work out your mind just like you would any other part of your body!

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BRB, gonna go call our mothers and thank them real quick!