Sometimes Nurture Wins

The argument of which shapes children more: nature or nurture will likely go on forever. Yes, there are traits that are intrinsically human, like crying when in pain or laughing or smiling as a sign of happiness. However, the environment someone is raised in is just as important as the traits they are born with.

While shocking, it is not surprising that identical twins who were separated and raised in different countries could have significantly different IQs. To be clear, IQ, or intelligence quotient, is not necessarily a measurement of "intelligence". Intelligence and how it is measured is subjective and a typical IQ test is really looking at problem solving, pattern recognition, and exposure (and retention) of common subjects.

So, what about these identical twins? Well, a set of identical twins were split up and raised in different countries. One twin went to Korea and the other was raised in the United States. Remember, identical twins have identical DNA and looks, so everything about their nature should be the same. In theory, the IQ of the twins should be the same as well as they develop. Well, that would be wrong- one twin scored an IQ of 90 while the other scored an IQ of 140. Which twin had the higher IQ? You may be surprised to find that the child raised in the United States had a higher IQ. Undeniably, the environment plays a larger role than some may think in intelligence and development. The twin in the United States was raised in an intellectually stimulating environment where education and learning opportunities were frequent and readily available. Meanwhile, the twin raised in Korea was with a family that faced economic hardship, and thus had limited access to quality education and learning resources.

So yes, while nature plays a role, nurture (aka the environmental factors) matter just as much for the development of a child. If you are thinking about having children in the near future, consider your access to resources since it does in fact impact the development of children.

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