According to new research, the real sign of high intelligence isn’t how many facts you can recall; it’s how well your brain syncs up with itself when the pressure’s on.
A study out of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz has found that smarter brains show stronger “theta connectivity,” a kind of internal brainwave harmony that kicks in when your brain is working hard. Theta waves, which come along at a slow and pleasant 4–8 Hz rhythm, help coordinate different brain regions during complex tasks.
A simpler, dumber way of putting it is by comparing it to those lo-fi beats that lull you into a state of relaxed concentration, just instead of finding them on YouTube, your brain auto-generates them when you’re trying to juggle tasks or make snap decisions.
Researchers had 148 participants wear EEG caps while completing rule-switching tasks that challenged their ability to adapt. The puzzles weren’t overly difficult, just stuff like figuring out whether a number is higher than five, or whether a shape is made of smaller shapes.
Difficulty wasn’t the point. They’re trying to assess how the participants’ brains reacted to change. How fast could they pivot when the rules were suddenly shifted?
Your Brain Has a Hidden Rhythm, And It May Reveal How Smart You Are
People who scored higher on memory and intelligence tests showed stronger midfrontal theta connectivity when responding to task changes. Their brains are locked in.
This connection wasn’t as strong during cue recognition, meaning able to see the change coming, but it ramped up during actual responses, suggesting that being smart isn’t about seeing the twist coming from a mile away, but about being adequately prepared for it and nailing it when it arrives.
The researchers believe this study could open the door to a whole new world of brain research, one that focuses on the brain’s ability to coordinate its various functions. The brain might be capable of some incredible things, but if it’s not working in sync with itself, then it’s not being put to good use.
Maybe one day, it will, now that this one study has shown that it might be less about how much you know and more about how fast your brain can shift back into its high-functioning rhythms when it’s thrown a curveball.
The post Your Intelligence Might Be Determined by a Rhythm in Your Brain appeared first on VICE.
