大型研究发现，智商可能是基因决定的

Intelligence is broadly defined as our ability to learn and adapt, which involves problem solving, thinking abstractly and planning. But how someone becomes intelligent is difficult to assess, in part because how it is defined and measured varies. And research has been torn over whether intelligence comes from nature—meaning it’s written in our DNA—or nurture, meaning it can be taught and bestowed through upbringing.

智力被广义地定义为我们学习和适应的能力，这涉及解决问题，抽象思考和计划的能力。但是，某人如何变得聪明是难以评估的，部分原因是因为它的定义和衡量方式各不相同。关于智力是否来自自然 - 也就是说它写在我们的DNA中 - 或者说来自后天培育，这意味着它可以通过培养来教导和赋予，这样的研究一直在进行中。

Prior research has shown a strong link between this highly coveted trait and our genes. A study published in Nature Reviews Genetics in January revealed that differences in someone’s DNA can determine intelligence heritability by 20 to 50 percent. In 2017, research published in Nature Genetics linked intelligence to 52 genes.

此前的研究表明，这种令人垂涎的特质与我们的基因之间有着密切的联系。一月份在《自然评论遗传》杂志上发表的一项研究表明，某人DNA的差异可以决定其20%到50%的通过遗传获得的智力。 2017年，《自然遗传》发表的研究将智能与52种基因关联了起来。

A new study in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, the largest to date focused on whether genes predict our brain power, researchers from the University of Edinburgh and Harvard compared DNA in more than 240,000 people worldwide. Then, they looked at the subject’s scores on verbal and numerical assessments given to measure intelligence. The team found that intelligence was associated to 538 genes.

《分子精神病学》上的研究是迄今为止最大的一项关于基因是否能预测我们的大脑能力的新研究，来自爱丁堡大学和哈佛大学的研究人员比较了全球240,000多人的DNA。然后，他们通过对实验对象的语言和数字评估的分数来衡量其智力。该团队发现智力与538个基因有关。

The researchers found that some of these genes were also linked to other biological processes, which they said raises questions about the connection between intelligence and health. They also theorized that intelligence could be tested for through DNA one day.

研究人员发现，其中一些基因也与其他生物过程有关，他们说这些过程引发了关于智能与健康之间关系的问题。他们还推断，有一天智商可以通过DNA进行测试。

“This study adds to what we know about which genes influence intelligence, and suggests that health and intelligence are related in part because some of the same genes influence them,” study co-author and psychologist Ian Deary of The University of Edinburgh in Scotland, said in a statement.

“这项研究增加了我们对哪些基因影响智力的了解，并且表明健康和智力相关，部分原因是因为某些相同的基因会影响它们，”研究合作者-苏格兰爱丁堡大学的心理学家Ian Deary在一份声明中说。

But all is not lost if you don’t believe yourself to be naturally smart. In 2011, a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicated that having a source of motivation, such as money, could boost IQ score. If only making money required being smart.

但是如果你觉得自己天生不够聪明，那也没关系。 2011年，《美国国家科学院院刊》上发表的一篇论文指出，拥有诸如金钱之类的动机来源可以提高智商。如果赚钱真的需要聪明的头脑的话。