Not IQ, Not Memory: Scientists Say This Trait Could Predict Intelligence

Many studies have been performed in an effort to quantify and predict intelligence. However, the way that intelligence is measured is varied and debated. A 2023 meta-analysis from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provided a thorough investigation of the relationship between personality traits and multiple types of intelligence. Their findings established a significant relationship between intelligence and the specific personality trait of openness.

The definition and measurement of openness derive from a well-known and frequently taken personality test referred to as "The Big Five." As implied from the title, this test measures how much you exhibit each of five different personality traits, typically represented by the acronym OCEAN: Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Within each of these larger traits, the authors included "facets and aspects," which serve as more specific qualities that relate to each of the traits. For instance, some facets of openness include introspection, curiosity, ideas, and fantasy. Meanwhile, the aspects of openness are experiencing and intellect.

While traits generally related to openness had been linked to intelligence in previous studies, this project was the first that operated on such a large scale, with an extensive analysis that included 2 million people and measurements developed from 100 years of research. Of course, this remains only a correlation, and further research will be required to determine whether there is a causal link.

There are various types of intelligence, each with its own challenges and controversies in terms of accuracy and measurement. For this study, the authors looked at invested and non-invested cognitive abilities. Invested intelligence refers to acquired knowledge, meaning things that have been learned and retained over time. Meanwhile, non-invested intelligence reflects the ability to process information and exhibit fluid reasoning, which is the ability to solve problems and think abstractly.

The authors assessed cognitive ability according to the organizational framework established by "The SAGE handbook of industrial, work & organizational psychology." Some of the categories within cognitive abilities included visual and auditory processing, memory, and decision speed. An interactive map allows a closer look at how each personality trait and aspect relates to the measured categories of intelligence. Given that this was a meta-analysis, it is difficult to know how consistent the determination of these characteristics was across each of the studies included.

Assessing intelligence is a somewhat risky business because there are so many different ways to define and approach it. While perhaps the best-known measure, the IQ test isn't always an accurate test of intelligence has been repeatedly demonstrated as flawed. But beyond the scientific issues surrounding such attempted quantifications, these assessments have a history of being negatively used to promote problematic ideologies and policies. Therefore, reading too much into how one measures up in any given test for intelligence is generally not useful.

As acknowledged by the authors, the data presented in this study are merely correlational. Which means that, while traits of openness might indicate that you are more likely to score high on certain measures of intelligence, we cannot know whether intelligence is actually a product of openness. Interestingly, openness had the closest relationship with invested intelligence in this study, with the specific facet of non-traditionalism standing out. This personality trait indicates a willingness to question dogma and display consideration for unconventional values.

This could naturally lend itself to the thought that perhaps one could become more intelligent and develop more invested knowledge by embracing a general sense of openness to experience. Studies that have investigated changes in personality traits defined by "The Big Five" show that these scores often remain similar across adulthood. While this suggests that personality traits are very stable and don't generally exhibit much fluctuation, we don't know how much this would be altered in cases of a concerted effort conducted over time. Nonetheless, if you managed to cultivate the trait of openness, it's worth remembering that this still does not necessarily mean that you would experience an increase in intelligence.