近朱者赤：和聪明的人在一起会变聪明

　　Next time you raise an eyebrow at the views of your partner, friend, sibling or colleague, remember they could be helping to make you smarter.下一次当你被伴侣、朋友、兄弟姊妹或同事的观点惊到时，请记住他们可能会帮你变得更聪明一点。

　　New research shows that intelligence is not fixed but can be boosted throughout adulthood by family members, bright mates and intellectually stretching careers.一项新研究显示，智力不是固定不变的，而是在整个成年期都会受到影响，家庭成员、聪明的配偶以及拓展智力的职业都会促进智力的提高。

　　Stimulating households where people talk, make jokes and challenge each other can boost IQ levels by several points, as can jobs that mentally energise employees.可以谈话、说笑、互相叫板的这种活跃的家庭，以及能激励员工思考的工作，都可以使智商水平提高几分。

　　The study challenges the commonly held notion that intelligence is ‘static’ by the age of about 18.人们普遍认为，智商到了18岁左右就“静止”了，此研究否认了这个说法。

　　Current scientific consensus suggests that intelligence is controlled by genes, with environmental factors such as schooling and nutrition playing a part up to this age. After this point, IQ scores stabilise.目前科学界的共识表明，智力由基因控制，教育和营养等环境因素在18岁之前也有一定的影响。18岁之后，智商就稳定了。

　　But James Flynn, Emeritus professor of political studies and psychology at the University of Otago in New Zealand, argues that people can ‘upgrade’ their own intelligence throughout their lives.但是新西兰奥塔哥大学政治学和心理学退休荣誉教授詹姆斯?弗林说，人们能一辈子“升级”自己的智商。

　　He believes intellectual stimulation from others is crucial as the ‘brain seems to be rather like a muscle – the more you use it, the stronger it gets’.他认为，他人的智力刺激非常关键，因为“大脑似乎和肌肉非常像——你用得越多，就越强壮。”

　　However, the reverse is also true – so people who share a home or workplace with the intellectually challenged risk seeing their IQ levels nosedive as a result.然而，反过来说也成立——所以，与脑筋不太好使的人同居一室或一起工作，会有智商直线下降的风险。

　　Professor Flynn analysed US intelligence tests from the last 65 years and correlated the results with people’s ages. This enabled him to compile new IQ ‘age tables’.弗林教授分析了美国过去65年的智力测试，研究了测试结果与年龄的相关性。通过这项研究，他编制了新的智商“年龄表”。

　　He found the ‘cognitive quality’ of a family alters the IQs of all members, especially children.他发现一个家庭的“认知特性”能改变所有家庭成员的智商，特别是孩子。

　　It can ‘lift’ or hold them back, depending on the ‘gap between their brightness and that of their siblings and parents’.他们的智商提高或降低，取决于“他们本人的智力水平和兄弟姐妹、父母智力水平的差异”。

　　A bright ten-year-old with brothers and sisters of average intelligence will suffer a five to ten point IQ disadvantage compared to a similar child with equally bright siblings, the ‘age tables’ revealed.“年龄表”显示，一个10岁大的聪明孩子，如果兄弟姐妹智商平平，智商会比有同样聪明的兄弟姐妹的相似孩子低5到10分。

　　However, children with a low IQ could gain six to eight points by having brighter siblings and special educational treatment to help pull them up.但是，低智商的孩子，如果有更聪明的兄弟姐妹，并受到特别的教育，智商就可以提高6到8分。

　　Professor Flynn, whose book, Does Your Family Make You Smarter?comes out next month, also concluded that although genetics and early life experiences determine about 80 percent of intelligence, the remaining 20 percent is linked to lifestyle.弗林教授也总结说，尽管基因和早年人生经验决定80%的智商，还有剩下的20%受生活方式的影响。弗林教授的书《你的家庭让你变聪明了吗？》将在下月出版。

　　This means that people can raise their IQ, or allow it to fall, by ten points or more.这说明人们可以提高自己的智商，或任其下降，幅度可达10分或更多。

　　Professor Flynn suggests that the best way to boost IQ levels is to socialise with bright friends, find an intellectually challenging job and marry someone cleverer.弗林教授建议说，提升智商最好的方法就是和聪明的朋友交往、找一个挑战智力的工作，以及同比你聪明的人结婚。

　　Vocabulary

　　raise an eyebrow: 扬起眉毛（表示吃惊、不信或轻度反对）consensus: 共识nosedive: 暴跌

　　英文来源：每日邮报

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