An intelligent child makes his parents proud, but can we tell who he really takes after? Do we inherit the intelligence gene from our father or mother?
When the baby is born, family and friends do their own analysis: “I think he has mom’s eyes and his dad’s face” Or “it’s daddy’s head all spit out“…These little comments about physical resemblance are often true, even if the child changes over the months. So, if he looked more like the dad at birth, it could well be that as he grows up, those around you ultimately finds many more similarities with mom, or sees a nice mix of both parents And then, we must also take into account the character of the child, his personality… But from whom do we inherit it. intelligence? Several studies have attempted to define which father or mother was responsible for this transmission.
According to scientists, it is the mother who transmits genes linked to intelligence, based on the fact that maternal genes are the only ones to develop in the cerebral cortex. It is in this area that cognitive functions such as language are located. In addition, the genes for intelligence would be transmitted by the X chromosome and the woman has two. We therefore deduce that a child gets his intelligence from the mother. But before you can boast and shout from the rooftops that it is thanks to you that your child is gifted, these results often shared on social networks need to be qualified.
The link between the X chromosome and cognitive qualities had in fact been demonstrated by Robert Lehrke in a study dating from 1972, but the sample of around ten families was too small to validate this observation. Other studies have, in turn, attempted to prove the influence of the mother on the development of the child’s brain, but fathers are not excluded. Thus, intelligence would not be defined only by the X chromosome, but by many other genes.
In addition, the child’s environment and his education are essential elements to take into account for his intellectual development. Above all, researchers point out that the way parents look after their children plays a significant role in their cognitive abilities. Both the mother and the father are responsible for the intelligence of their child, no offense to some parents!