Are differences in IQ to blame for income inequality?
London Mayor Boris Johnson sparks a debate over the relationship between wealth and smarts
Last week, London Mayor Boris Johnson made a very controversial assertion that differences in IQ levels help explain income inequality. Here are his remarks:
This started a massive public argument not only in England, but in economic circles generally. While some claimed that Johnson was "telling it like it is," Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg condemned the mayor's remarks as "careless elitism." Others questioned the concept of IQ altogether.
On Tuesday, radio talk show host Nick Ferrari asked Johnson some impromptu questions from an IQ test. Johnson did not fare so well.
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To be fair, those are some pretty tough questions, especially when they're thrown at you with the expectation of an immediate answer.
But the real question is whether a person's IQ score even matters. IQ is not necessarily even a very good measure of how smart you are. Intelligence — and the ability to succeed in life — is far more multi-dimensional than IQ.
According to professor Howard Gardner of Harvard University, intelligence can be measured along seven different dimensions: Visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, social, emotional, linguistic, and logical-mathematical. At most, an IQ test tries to measure three of these: Visual-spatial, linguistic, and logical-mathematical. Some people see even more dimensions — creativity, memory and retention, reaction time, etc.
Furthermore, scientists have already investigated the link that Johnson made between IQ and inequality. A 2007 study in the journal Intelligence found that although people with higher IQs tend to earn a little more, there is no direct correlation between IQ and wealth:
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Sorry, Boris. IQ is not a satisfying explanation for wealth inequality.
Indeed, there is a much stronger correlation — as measured by the famous Stanford Marshmallow Experiment — between self-control and wealth.
The experiment gave children a choice between one marshmallow placed in front of them, or two marshmallows if they could wait for 15 minutes. The study found that children who took the first marshmallow grew up to be more likely to have multiple health problems, have a criminal record, be a drug addict, be a single parent, and have less wealth. The child who exercised self-control and waited 15 minutes was more likely to flourish.
So self-control is an important attribute for success in life. But can it be taught? Is that the best way to tackle the growing inequality between rich and poor that is emerging in Western countries?
Lots of studies have since shown that children are able to develop self-control strategies, and that self-control is like a muscle that needs training to develop its full strength. A 2012 paper by German academics concluded:
In other words, like most questions of policy, it's a complicated issue. Unfortunately, some politicians are only too happy to simplify matters by suggesting poorer people just aren't very smart.
John Aziz is the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also an associate editor at Pieria.co.uk. Previously his work has appeared on Business Insider, Zero Hedge, and Noahpinion.
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