study
This is why intelligent brains often tick more slowly
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Do smart people think faster than less smart people? A recent study suggests the opposite: intelligent people sometimes even seem to think more slowly.
We often equate intelligence with speed. If you are smart, you think, work and answer in record time – right? A new study from Berlin comes to different conclusions: people with a high IQ often need longer for complex tasks. But there is an important reason for this.
A group of researchers from the Charité in Berlin, together with a colleague from Barcelona, have 650 brains for their study examined. To be more precise, the neurologists simulated the brains of 650 real people on the computer. The team led by Prof. Petra Ritter, head of the brain simulation section, found out that intelligent people – i.e. those who achieved a higher result in an IQ test – can solve simple problems faster than less intelligent people when it comes to more complex tasks however, need more time.
Intelligence study using brain simulations
The researchers’ simulation showed that people who solve problems more slowly had better synchronization between the different brain regions. Those who solve complex tasks very quickly, on the other hand, showed lower synchronization. The latter apparently ensures that these people are more likely to jump to conclusions when making decisions instead of waiting until upstream brain regions have carried out the necessary steps to solve the problem.
The participants with higher intelligence quotients took more time to solve complex tasks – so their brains worked more slowly. However, they also made fewer mistakes than the faster people with lower IQs. Petra Ritter explains: “It is the right balance between stimulation and inhibition between the nerve cells that influences decisions.”
Faster decision does not mean better result
In everyday life, this could mean that smart people hit the brakes faster at a red light than less smart people, because this problem does not require complex processing of different brain regions. However, if they are to work out the optimal route for their journey, intelligent people will probably take longer than less intelligent people. Because the brain of the latter will probably find a way faster – but it may take longer because there are more traffic lights, for example. The faster solution is not always the best here.
“For more complicated problems, you have to hold things in working memory while you look for other solutions and then reconcile them,” explains Michael Schirner, a scientist in Ritter’s lab. “This collection of evidence for a certain solution sometimes takes longer, but then also leads to better results.”
This means that smarter people make simple decisions quicker than less smart ones, but take more time to solve difficult problems. Your brains then work slower – but usually achieve a better result.
Sources used: bihealth.org, mdr.de, nature.com