Intelligence Is Inherited From The Mother

Scientific studies have shown that we inherit our intelligence from our mothers. Read more about the findings in this article.

In today’s society, women have regained ground in terms of previously imposed gender gaps. One of the consequences of this is that, for example, single mothers can support their children and give them what they need.

Mothers also don’t have to look for an intelligent man in order to produce intelligent children. According to research, their children’s intelligence is completely in their own hands.

Why is it said that intelligence is inherited from the mother?

The theory claims that certain genes, which scientists call “conditioned genes,” respond in different ways, depending on their origin. Conditioned genes are recognized as such only when they are inherited from the mother.

Therefore, if a conditioned gene appears as an inheritance from the father, even if it is the same, it goes unnoticed. The same also happens with other types of genes that activate only through paternal inheritance.

We already knew that intelligence was an inherited factor, but we never knew its unique origin. Previously it was thought that both parents had an equal input that alternated depending on unknown factors.

It was recently discovered that the mother’s cells usually target the brain.

Earlier research had already shown that female genes make an important contribution to the development of the thinking ability. Because the genes that determine intelligence are mainly found in the X chromosome, fathers can also pass on intelligence.

However, the chances of the intelligence being inherited from the mother are higher.

Most genetic diseases that affect cognitive abilities are mapped to the X chromosome. As a result, the chance that a mother will pass on such a disease is also greater because she has two X chromosomes.

The research

To conduct this research, scientists tried to create rats that possessed only the genes of the mother or father.  However, the results were not good, as all the embryos died immediately upon implantation in the uterus.

This led to a curious discovery: there are maternal conditioned genes that enable the development of the embryo. But conditioned genes from the father are also needed to develop the tissues that make up the placenta.

The scientists concluded that the importance of these conditioned genes goes far beyond the formation of the fetus. They hypothesized that brain functions may also be linked to the development of these genes.

Finally, they were able to demonstrate that importance. They edited some of the genes and experimented with mice whose genetic content mostly came from one of the parents.

The results were as follows: The mice with the most maternal genes had larger heads and brains.

On the other hand, those with more genetic material from the father had smaller brains and heads. Their bodies were also disproportionate; those with bigger heads had smaller bodies and vice versa.

They also noticed that while the cells from both parents were present in the brain, the cells that came from the father were more focused on food, aggression and survival in general. However, the mother’s cells had the upper hand in those areas of the brain that control cognitive functions.

Intelligence is not just inherited

Obviously, you inherit about 40-60% of your intelligence on average . The rest is developed through stimulation and from the environment. Therefore, while we inherit intelligence from our mothers, they can help us in other ways as well.

Our intellectual development has a lot to do with the stimuli and incentives we receive. The emotional support and security we feel is also important.

Mothers give us the space to develop our talents. The secure bond we have with her makes us feel more confident and motivated to explore and persevere.

Mothers encourage us not to give up too soon. They teach us to solve problems. In this way we learn to deal with frustration and in this way we learn to bring out and strengthen the best in us.

The way we interact with our mothers allows development in many parts of the brain.