Your Brain Isn’t Fixed: How Inherited Cognitive Abilities Can Still Be Improved
Are your mental abilities determined by genetics? Explore the science behind heritable cognitive skills and practical ways to strengthen your brain through lifelong learning. Some Cognitive Abilities Are Inherited. That Doesn't Mean Your Future Is. Have you ever watched someone pick up a new language in months while you're still trying to remember where the verb goes? Or met a friend who can solve puzzles in minutes but gets lost looking for the kitchen in a hotel? It's tempting to shrug and say, "They're just naturally gifted." In many cases, they might be. Research in psychology and genetics suggests that specific cognitive abilities , such as verbal skills, spatial reasoning, memory, mathematical thinking, or musical aptitude, can be strongly influenced by our genes. Even more interesting, many of these abilities appear to be partly independent of general intelligence, or IQ. At first glance, that sounds discouraging. If some mental strengths are inherite...
