Here are additional correlates of contraceptive use and abortion cross-nationally:
More Muslims, less birth control (r = -.39)
More Muslims, less abortion (r = -.15)
More blacks, less birth control (r = -.51)
More blacks, less abortion (r = -.26)
Higher mean IQ, more birth control (r = .65)
Higher mean IQ, more abortion (r = .20)
Are gun owners mentally ill?
Some anti-gun people think owning a gun is a sign of some kind of mental abnormality. According to General Social Survey data, gun owners ...
Given the current condition of available contraception and abortion, those few individuals who have both high IQ and wish to have children have an extreme advantage to increasing their numbers. They may be a really small group, but they can be very successful at doing it and success in such a situation literally breeds success. It would be interesting to study high IQ individuals who chose large to extra large families. Is there a trend of these traits within the family. I know of one Nordic family of with 13 adult children who sort of fit this description. Most have advanced degrees and are themselves having large families. Assuming there have to be others like that, it would be interesting to follow and see what happens.
ReplyDelete" It would be interesting to study high IQ individuals who chose large to extra large families."
ReplyDeleteThis was the aristocratic tradition across Europe. Producing heirs and continuing the bloodline was an obsession. And you wanted to have multiple choices for carrying on the family name because maybe not all of your heirs would be 'worthy' heirs.
Any high-IQ person who chooses to have a large number of children faces a significant risk that some of those children will end up dumber than they are and/or poorer than they are. First, there is the issue of IQ regression to the population mean. Then there is automation, outsourcing and employment visa immigration that limit options for secure and well-paid employment. Given that most high-IQ individuals who might contemplate a large family aren't wealthy enough to leave large inheritances to their brood, these should be real concerns for them. Even the much wealthier European aristos had difficulties providing for younger sons and daughters.
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