WASHINGTON – There’s been an interesting turn in the ongoing Battle of the Sexes.
Women might just be smarter than men.
For the first time since IQ testing began, women’s scores have surpassed those of men.
The Daily Mail reports that renowned IQ testing expert James Flynn plans to publish the results in an upcoming book.
“In the last 100 years the IQ scores of both men and women have risen but women’s have risen faster,” Flynn tells The Daily Mail. “This is a consequence of modernity. The complexity of the modern world is making our brains adapt and raising our IQ.”
Previously, women’s IQ scores have been as many as five points behind men’s.
The scores Flynn used to make his assesment were based on tests done in Canada, western Europe, New Zealand, Argentina, Estonia and the United States. Women scored marginally more than men in Argentina, Estonia and New Zealand, The Daily Mail says.
A possible explanation could be that women have a higher potential intelligence than men, but have only begun to realize it recently.
Flynn also told The Daily Mail that people are beginning to adapt as the world becomes more complex and more abstract thought is needed.
“The full effect of modernity on women is only just emerging,” says Flynn.
WTOP’s Veronica Robinson contributed to this report. Follow WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
