Is it true that people who have a larger skull are smarter?
2006-12-27 11:56:09 · 5 answers · asked by <3DA<3 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
no
supplement (edit as another answer was just plain stupid): The intelligence depends on the structure of the brain, not the size. Is an elephant smarter than you? No! Is a horse smarter than you? I hope not! Get the point?
Furthermore, the skull of a human male is bigger than a female skull (on average, of course). Are men more intelligent then women? Even if men like the think this is the case, it is not. Actually women have better results at school, for example (at least in Germany). But generally, i think men and women are of equal intelligence. Differences which might be observed, can be attributed to cultural influence.
2006-12-27 11:58:57 · answer #1 · answered by Dr. Zaius 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am an MD. This question has been evaluated scientifically, and if you plot IQ against skull size in normal humans, the "scattergram" that results looks like a horizontal hotdog, with no particular indication of high IQ being more prevalent in larger brained individuals. Furthermore, it is clear from other studies that high IQ has mostly to do with how efficient the brain is organized, and not the total cell mass.
When comparing modern humans to our immediate fossil precursors, there is indeed thought to be a rough approximation of larger brain size correllating with higher IQ, but even this is not an absolute. Our immediate precursor, Cro-Magnon man, had a slightly larger brain than modern humans, but was he smarter? Most people think not. Neanderthal man had a clearly larger brain than moderns, but his brain was rather abbreviated in the frontal area where high IQ is thought to reside, but was much more massive in the occipital area where vision resides. Was Neanderthal man smarter than us? Highly doubtful. Could he see better? Maybe. I hope this helps.
2006-12-27 13:52:15 · answer #2 · answered by Sciencenut 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No.
Hydrocephalic children have huge skulls and are generally severely retarded.
2006-12-27 11:59:28 · answer #3 · answered by Jerry P 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
LARGER SKULL MEANS LARGER BRAIN.
MORE BRAIN = MORE INTELLIGENCE
BUT
MORE INTELLIGENCE != SMARTER
THAT IS WHY WE HAVE BAD POLITICIANS, THEY ARE SMART BUT NOT NECESARILY INTELIGENT
2006-12-27 12:00:35 · answer #4 · answered by herzeis 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just because you have more mass doesn't make you smarter.
A gorilla's brain is bigger then yours,but I would bet you are more intelligent.
2006-12-27 14:00:38 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋