• Question: can your personality affect your intelligence?

    Asked by parapassion to Fiona, Jane, Joanna, Michelle, William on 22 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Joanna Brooks

      Joanna Brooks answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      Hello again! Intelligence in general is thought to be mostly genetic but I think personality can play a role – if you are a person who likes to learn and discover things then you may be more likely to take part in science activities like visiting a science museum for example. So in this case it’s natural that you may become more intelligent about science – your personality played a role in this by driving you to do certain ‘scientific’ things.

    • Photo: Michelle Murphy

      Michelle Murphy answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      Wow great question. Yes I think so, if you are a stubourn person who doesnt want to study/do homework or sit still to work out a problem it might affect how much you learn. I think personality traits like this could affect how intelligent you are by how much you learn but not your potential to be intelligent if you change your mind and decide to study tomorrow. Although intelligence is thought to be a genetic characteristic.

    • Photo: Jane Henry

      Jane Henry answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      Personality relates to your temperament rather than level of intelligence, but different personalities set about things in different ways. Those high on Openess are more interested in the bigger picture. Those lower on this dimension are usually better at details.

    • Photo: William Davies

      William Davies answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      People’s ‘intelligence’ is affected by various factors – by the genes they inherit, by their environment and by their general health. I guess people with a curious personality, who are ambitious, who enjoy reading/writing/speaking to others, and who stay fit and healthy are more likely to increase their knowledge base and become more ‘intelligent’.

    • Photo: Fiona Randall

      Fiona Randall answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      Hi Parapassion, there is a good question. The capability of your brain to do things and your intelligence can be influenced by your personality. Some people are super clever but don’t have the motivation to work. Others are middle of the road in intelligence but highly motivated so still do really well by studying lots.

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