Family

The Smarter You Are — The Fewer Children You Want, Says Study

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mom holding baby

It's a very personal decision when it comes to women choosing whether or not to have children.

And because it's so personal, it's nobody else's business what she decides. It has no effect on others, right? If I want to have seven children or none, it's no one's business but my own. I don't even need a man to do it anymore, just a quick stop to the sperm bank. 

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This evolutionary psychologist is arguing otherwise.

According to Satoshi Kanazawa's research, intelligence might be passed on to baby boys from their mother, all thanks to that X chromosome.

"General intelligence is known to be highly heritable ... and the genes that influence general intelligence are thought to be located on the X chromosomes ... It means that boys inherit their general intelligence from their mothers only, while girls inherit their general intelligence from their mothers and from their fathers," says Kanazawa. Hear that boys? Girls are smarter. 

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However, even in his own book, The Intelligence Paradox, Kanazawa says that with every 15 IQ points a woman has, her desire to have kids lowers by 25 percent. I'm not the best at math, but this doesn't seem to be adding up?

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So, does that mean intelligent ladies are actually holding humanity back by not having babies? Maybe I'm holding humanity back because I realize I wouldn't be the best mother, or I don't have the time to raise a whole human being. That doesn't seem like holding anyone back.

If you ask us: no. The thing is, humanity isn't owed our eggs.

Nobody is owed our eggs or our reasons for wanting to have children or not, or how many we have or not. Also, nature isn't the only thing that leads to smart children. Don't forget that nurture also plays a huge part. And in fact, it seems that it's a combination of nature and nurture that affects people, not one or the other. So this theory is forgetting half of what is necessary for people to grow.

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For example, government assistance like affordable housing has been shown to help parents spend money on things to help their kids learn, which then leads to smarter kids.

Firstborn children have also been found to be smarter, but only because parents tend to have higher standards for them than their younger children. There are many factors that lead to a child's intelligence, and almost most of it doesn't have to do with whether the mother wanted kids or not. 

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So, nice try, but women shouldn't feel guilty over their decision. Babies become smarter in more ways than one!

Nicole Weaver is a love and entertainment writer. Find her on Twitter for more.