From Cracked, Jack O'Brien on 6 dumb celebrities who are way smarter than you think. Many scholars and critics warn that TV and the Internet are dumbing us down — but, if that's true, why are children around the world performing better on IQ tests? From The Wall Street Journal, are we really getting smarter? Americans' IQ scores have risen steadily over the past century — James Flynn examines why (and more); and Bryan Caplan reviews Are We Getting Smarter? Rising IQ in the Twenty-First Century by James Flynn (and more). If the significance of the “Flynn Effect” is appreciated, we will stop looking at IQ trends as exotic numbers and see them as signs of social problems, changing social relationships, and what aging does to our minds. From This Side of the Pond, Marie Cummings on the Flynn Effect and teens, and on IQ and generational differences. Which genes are responsible for intelligence? Kayt Sukel wants to know. Intelligence and the stereotype threat: Annie Murphy on how social factors can have a powerful influence on intelligence. If intelligence is the norm, stupidity gets more interesting: One researcher wonders if scientists, instead of seeking genes that can account for intelligence, should be trying to find mutations that can erode it.
