You’ve been thinking about intelligence in the wrong way. Almost everyone assumes that intelligence is a genetically programmed trait like eye color—set from birth and unalterable. Yet the extensive body of research on human intelligence demonstrates that this assumption is false. Our best data show that IQ, the most common measure of intelligence, fluctuates within a person’s lifetime as well as from generation to generation. This is our conceptual starting point: IQ scores are changeable. This central fact raises the all-important question of what causes IQ scores to shift up or down. The question is interesting, certainly, but it is also tremendously important, because it implies that with the right environment intelligence levels can be increased intentionally. This possibility holds implications for you and for the world around you. It is the conceptual centerpiece of Future Bright.
For a moment, imagine a world in which the average person’s intelligence is much higher than it is currently. Would such a world be different than the present one? Now consider what it would be like if your own intelligence became significantly higher. At a minimum, the prospect is intriguing, perhaps so much so that you might feel compelled to learn more about it and, if possible, to put some of the presented ideas to the test. All these possibilities engage our imagination because intelligence is not a trivial quality with marginal importance to the world. Intuitively, we know it’s crucial. More than ever, in fact, intelligence is essential to living an effective life. The skilled use of the human mind has always been important, but in the 21st century intelligence has moved to center stage as the key resource of effective human activity. To be optimally effective, people in every walk of life must be equipped to think, work, and live intelligently. Intelligence is therefore pivotal to individual and collective survival and success, and to prosperity.
Future Bright advances a powerful idea: Human intelligence is modifiable. This idea clashes with the outdated but still widely held assumption that intelligence is determined at birth and fixed for life. This book shows, instead, that intelligence can shift from generation to generation, a fact proven by the discovery of rising IQs in the 20th century. As the work and life experience of the human population morphed radically, so did intelligence. IQs rose steadily around the world. The power of life experience to raise intelligence also holds for individuals. Research tells us that, with the right kinds of experience, intelligence can be learned and IQ scores will rise in parallel.
Learnable intelligence is more than an interesting fact; it’s vital to everyday life. That’s because intelligence is foundational to success in every major arena—in schools, on the job, and in the broader contexts of life. More than that, learnable intelligence is essential for the survival and prosperity of organizations, economies, and nations—and indeed the entire planet. These startling ideas form the core of Future Bright. Together, they present a vision of human potential for the individual person as well as the collective good.