1 00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:05,280 Have you ever wondered how intelligent you are 2 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:07,600 compared to your friends, your colleagues 3 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:09,120 and the rest of the nation? 4 00:00:09,120 --> 00:00:12,160 Are you worried that your smartphone is making you stupid 5 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:14,600 and can the latest science make you cleverer? 6 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:17,240 We're measuring the brainpower of the British public 7 00:00:17,240 --> 00:00:21,080 in the largest intelligence test of its kind ever undertaken. 8 00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:22,880 All across the country, 9 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:25,120 more than a quarter of a million of you 10 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:28,320 have taken part in our ground-breaking test 11 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:30,840 that's been analysed by leading experts 12 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:34,800 to help transform our understanding of intelligence. 13 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:38,800 Now we can even reveal how factors such as your lifestyle 14 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:42,640 and social media use can affect your brain power - 15 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:45,840 and what we can all do to be a little bit smarter. 16 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:51,440 Tonight, we're in Glasgow, at BBC Scotland, to unveil... 17 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:55,480 When grown adults can be outsmarted by ten-year-olds... 18 00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:57,880 Which are the brainiest parts of the country... 19 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:01,760 ..and whether your gender really can affect your intelligence. 20 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:05,000 So, if you want to play along, learn how to boost your brainpower, 21 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:07,800 and find out just how intelligent Britain is, 22 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:09,240 we have the answers. 23 00:01:15,960 --> 00:01:19,920 So far, a whopping 250,000 of you have done our intelligence test 24 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:24,240 and, tonight, some of you will be battling it out here, in the studio. 25 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:25,880 Our online quiz was designed 26 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:28,520 by scientists at Imperial College London 27 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:31,160 to measure our ability to solve problems. 28 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:36,200 Our attention span, verbal abilities, emotional intelligence, 29 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:39,080 spatial awareness and memory. 30 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:42,760 Analysed alongside a detailed lifestyle questionnaire, 31 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:45,320 the results can help us identify our strengths 32 00:01:45,320 --> 00:01:47,240 and improve our weaknesses. 33 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:50,800 And, by drilling down into this unique dataset, 34 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:56,160 we can understand the nation's intelligence like never before. 35 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:57,200 Here in the studio, 36 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:00,080 we've got teams who volunteered to help us show 37 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,920 how different factors - such as age, gender and hobbies - 38 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:06,000 could impact our intelligence 39 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:07,320 and what we can do about it. 40 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:11,880 We've got a team of youngsters here and a team who are, 41 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:13,760 shall we say, a bit more experienced? 42 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:15,240 There are men versus women. 43 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:16,840 And we've got some avid gamers... 44 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:18,920 Playing against voracious readers. 45 00:02:18,920 --> 00:02:21,000 How are you all feeling, everyone? Ready for battle? 46 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:22,440 Oh, yes. Yes. 47 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:24,200 And you can play along at home. 48 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:27,400 Go online, to The Great British Intelligence Test website, 49 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:30,280 at the address on-screen now, to play the games yourself. 50 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:33,120 First, we're going to look at one of THE most important elements 51 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:36,600 of intelligence - our ability to solve problems. 52 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:39,960 We asked you if you think this critical skill 53 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:42,280 is affected by age. 54 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:45,000 The sort of people who'd be best at problem solving... 55 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:47,760 ..I don't even know. Sorry. 56 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:50,240 People who've studied a lot of physics and maths. 57 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:52,800 The likes of my dad, that was a chemistry teacher. 58 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:55,520 I probably would say people...probably in primary school. 59 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:57,040 18 to 22, maybe. 60 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:58,560 Somebody in their 40s. 61 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:00,320 Probably around your 50s. 62 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,280 So you've got good knowledge behind you. 63 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:08,200 To find out how age affects our ability 64 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:09,960 to solve some tricky problems, 65 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:12,560 we're going to be pitting a team of youngsters, 66 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:17,000 all in their 20s, against a team who've clocked up a few more miles - 67 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:19,880 they're between their 40s and their late 60s. 68 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:22,880 Nigel, you're a lecturer in genetics, right? 69 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:26,400 I am, yes. So, do you consider yourself a good problem solver? 70 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:28,600 I'd like to think so. Yes. 71 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:31,400 How about you, Tushin? You do lots of puzzles with your son, right? 72 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:33,440 I do. He's just done his 11+. 73 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:34,880 With your help? 74 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:37,320 I'd say that I did some with him. 75 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:38,960 THEY LAUGH 76 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:40,760 OK. This is our older team. 77 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:42,680 Over here, we have our younger team. 78 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:44,400 Joshua, what do you think? 79 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:45,840 Is youth going to win out? 80 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:48,280 I hope so. I'm not too optimistic. 81 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:49,720 You know what, though? 82 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:51,920 I noticed you staring down the other team earlier on, 83 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:54,120 so I get the sense you're quite a competitive person. 84 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:55,600 Absolutely. 85 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:58,240 Lucie, who do you think would be better at this kind of task - 86 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:00,160 parents or kids? 87 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:03,320 I would say parents, I think they've got a bit more experience. 88 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:05,960 OK. She's rooting for you guys. 89 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:08,440 We're going to see how this plays out. OK. 90 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:10,200 Like all problem-solving, 91 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:12,720 what you need to do is identify the issue, 92 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:15,480 analyse it and decide what to do next. 93 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:17,120 Here's how this game works. 94 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:20,520 What you'll see is two grids, like this, 95 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:23,000 and your job is to create a shape 96 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:25,040 from all of these coloured blocks here 97 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:27,680 to match the silhouettes on the right-hand side. 98 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:30,840 Tap on these blocks to destroy them, like this. 99 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:36,120 But you need to be careful because, if there is nothing below, 100 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:38,600 then these blocks are going to fall, like that. 101 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:40,920 So, what you need do is, you need to imagine the shape 102 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:43,320 that's going to be created before pressing. 103 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,560 Now, first up, we're going to have our older, 104 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,240 and some would say wiser, team. 105 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:51,280 You're going to take it in turns between you. 106 00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:53,680 Everyone happy? Yes. All right, take it away. 107 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:02,840 It's surprisingly tough, this game. 108 00:05:02,840 --> 00:05:04,640 Harder than it looks. 109 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:11,560 Oh, bad luck. Bad luck. 110 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:18,440 You have to have a picture in your mind what's going to happen. 111 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:20,480 Well done, Tushin. Very nice. 112 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:29,240 Unlucky, Margaret. 113 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:37,160 Fantastic. Very good, very good. 114 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:41,080 OK, see if you can get this one. 115 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:45,080 Well done. OK. 116 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:47,320 Ah, you were just about getting on a roll then. 117 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:49,960 OK. Between you, you got three points. 118 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:52,200 OK. Younger team, think you can beat that? 119 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:53,600 Yeah. Why not? 120 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:55,840 Confidence, I like it. OK. 121 00:05:55,840 --> 00:05:57,320 Everyone happy to give it a go? 122 00:05:57,320 --> 00:05:59,280 Yeah. Right. Take it away. 123 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:05,600 Oh, straight in. Amazing. 124 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:11,880 Ah, unlucky. 125 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:16,840 Oh, my goodness me. 126 00:06:16,840 --> 00:06:19,640 I didn't even look at the screen before you'd pressed that one. 127 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:28,160 It's not looking good for you guys. 128 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:29,640 It's not looking good. 129 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:34,440 Very good. 130 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:43,360 So, here we have the scores. 131 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:45,840 The younger... Older, three points. 132 00:06:45,840 --> 00:06:48,600 Younger, the winners there, with five points. 133 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:50,880 I think that's what counts as a decisive victory. 134 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:52,200 Well done, younger team. 135 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:55,280 Older team, don't worry, though, you're not alone 136 00:06:55,280 --> 00:06:57,000 because, thanks to all of you at home 137 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:58,640 who have already taken his test online, 138 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:01,040 we also have a national picture 139 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:03,080 of this exact same puzzle. 140 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:06,920 It turns out that the best problem solvers in the country 141 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:09,040 actually came from Bristol. 142 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:13,000 So, something good in the water going on down there. 143 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,280 We also saw a connection with the amount of 144 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:17,080 fruit and vegetables that you eat. 145 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:18,920 So, the more you eat, the better the result. 146 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:21,080 Though, of course, we don't know whether 147 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:23,000 the greens could be making us clever 148 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:26,240 or whether clever people simply make healthier food choices. 149 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:30,520 But the biggest factor, by far, in this was age. 150 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:34,280 You can see how problem-solving ability is highest 151 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:37,600 when we're in our 20s and then slowly declines 152 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:39,520 as we as we get a little bit older. 153 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:41,280 So, there you go, younger team. 154 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:43,480 You're in your prime! Enjoy it while it lasts. 155 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:45,920 And, older team, here's an intriguing fact for you. 156 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:48,960 If you have a look at this graph here, OK? 157 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:52,000 The average performance of someone aged 40 158 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:54,040 is about the same as a 12-year-old. 159 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:56,680 So, Tushin, you and your son, 160 00:07:56,680 --> 00:07:59,240 turns out you're quite well matched. Yep. 161 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:01,520 But it's really important, in all of this, to say that 162 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:03,440 there are other aspects of intelligence. 163 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:06,040 It's not just all down to problem-solving. 164 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:09,120 We all have different strengths and weaknesses, 165 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:10,720 and those can change 166 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:12,120 across our lives. 167 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:13,760 How do we know this? 168 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:15,200 Well, Michael, over to you. 169 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:16,520 Thank you, Hannah. 170 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:18,280 Right, it's time to meet the person 171 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:21,120 who devised our test and analysed the results - 172 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:23,720 Dr Adam Hampshire from Imperial College, London. 173 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:25,160 Welcome, Adam. 174 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:28,160 Now, I was blown away by the number of people who applied. 175 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:30,440 I mean, 250,000 people doing that online test 176 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:31,960 is pretty awesome, isn't it? 177 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:34,000 It's a phenomenal number of people. 178 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:38,320 It's the equivalent of about 125,000 hours of testing 179 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:41,080 or, end-on-end, more than 14 years. 180 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:42,640 With these sorts of numbers, 181 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:45,040 we can ask very interesting questions 182 00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:47,960 that pertain to how different types of human intelligence 183 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:51,560 relate to things like social demographic variables, 184 00:08:51,560 --> 00:08:53,800 lifestyle variables, personality 185 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:56,840 and perhaps, particularly uniquely in this study, 186 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:58,960 we also look at technology use. 187 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:01,440 Absolutely. So, as well as asking people to do 188 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:02,960 the sort of intelligence tests, 189 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:05,840 we got them to fill in lots of other details about themselves. 190 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:07,320 Yes, exactly. 191 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:10,480 Some people would say that all IQ tests really measure 192 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:12,480 is people's ability to do IQ tests 193 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:14,440 and it's nothing more than that. 194 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:15,920 What would you say? 195 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:18,360 I would say that those tests have been very useful 196 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:20,200 from a research perspective. 197 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:23,040 They're predictive of how people do in education or in their jobs. 198 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:26,320 But groups like mine, what we're focused on trying to do 199 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:29,280 is use that information to develop tests that measure 200 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:31,320 the types of intelligence that have their basis 201 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:33,400 in different systems in the brain. 202 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:36,200 This gives us a much finer grain 203 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:39,280 on a person's intelligence profile. 204 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:41,280 And perhaps just to give you an example of that, 205 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:43,920 if we use the classic intelligence test, 206 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:46,400 obviously 50% of people would do worse than average. 207 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:50,480 Now, on our test, round about 90% of people do better than average 208 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:51,920 on at least one test. 209 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:53,880 And so what you're able to do is identify 210 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:55,400 where your personal strengths are. 211 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:57,160 You can play to your strengths. 212 00:09:57,160 --> 00:10:00,000 Perhaps you can also try and improve where your weaknesses are. 213 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:01,640 Thank you very much, Adam. 214 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:05,240 Now, Hannah, you very kindly pointed out that people my age 215 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:07,800 have much worse problem-solving abilities. 216 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:10,000 Do you have any other bad news for me? 217 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:12,760 Oh, yes. There's plenty more bad news for you, I'm afraid, Michael, 218 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:15,800 because it's not just problem-solving ability, I'm afraid. 219 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:19,160 Now, it won't be any surprise to learn that our memory 220 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:21,960 also gets worse as we get older, 221 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:23,960 as does our spatial intelligence - 222 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:27,400 which is what we use to help us park a car - 223 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:30,160 and our ability to focus without getting distracted. 224 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:32,880 These are all results from our intelligence tests 225 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:34,400 and they show that, by our 40s, 226 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:37,680 when we feel like we're at the prime in our work and in our life, 227 00:10:37,680 --> 00:10:41,320 we are, in fact, in cognitive decline 228 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:43,480 and, by our 50s and 60s... 229 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:45,720 Well, Michael, sorry. 230 00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:48,880 Fortunately, I have had plenty of time to come to terms with that. 231 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:51,680 Now, if you want to find out how good your brain is for your age, 232 00:10:51,680 --> 00:10:54,640 go online to the Great British Intelligence Test website, 233 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:56,480 at the address on-screen now, 234 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:58,520 and test your problem-solving 235 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:00,240 and reveal your brain age. 236 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:03,240 But the big question in all of this is obviously - why? 237 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:06,760 Why is it, when we should be older and wiser, 238 00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:08,480 do we get worse at problem solving? 239 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:10,080 Well, here's a clue. 240 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:12,800 It's a ruler, and we're going to be doing a reaction time test. 241 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:15,360 So, up you get! What I want you to do is stick out your hand. 242 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:16,440 This one here, please. 243 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:17,800 And fingers like that. 244 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:19,680 And I'm going to drop this ruler in a moment, 245 00:11:19,680 --> 00:11:21,480 and you're going to catch it. 246 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:23,600 I want to catch it as low down the ruler as I can. 247 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:25,680 You're going to try and grab it as quickly as it can. 248 00:11:25,680 --> 00:11:27,760 Ready, steady, go! OK. So, that's pretty good. 249 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:29,560 You're about halfway down. 180 millimetres. 250 00:11:29,560 --> 00:11:30,720 180 millimetres, indeed. 251 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:33,240 Now, the point of this test is to measure your reaction time. 252 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:34,880 It's quite a crude test, obviously, 253 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:36,720 but your reaction times are, in turn, 254 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:38,920 a measure of your cognitive processing speed - 255 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:41,000 so the speed at which your brain is working. 256 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:43,200 So what happens if we get you to do it? 257 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:44,640 Let's have a go. OK. 258 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:46,960 Do you want a longer ruler? MICHAEL LAUGHS 259 00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:50,240 All right! Has anyone got a metre stick... 260 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:52,160 ..that we can borrow? I'm super-confident. 261 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:54,680 You're quite competitive, aren't you? I am, yes, exactly. 262 00:11:54,680 --> 00:11:56,800 OK. All right. OK. When am I going to drop it? 263 00:11:56,800 --> 00:11:58,320 When am I going to drop it? 264 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:00,040 Oh! Pretty similar, OK. 265 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:02,760 So, maybe, I think that's probably unlikely, frankly, 266 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:04,480 because the honest truth is 267 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:07,560 that Hannah's brain is almost certainly processing information 268 00:12:07,560 --> 00:12:09,240 faster than mine. 269 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:11,000 And she has nothing to be smug about 270 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:13,080 because, in fact, research has shown 271 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:16,280 that processing speed peaks in our early 20s, 272 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:17,720 some time ago, 273 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:19,360 and decreases steadily after that, 274 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:22,200 and this could be part of the reason why some of our mental abilities 275 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:23,800 decline with age. 276 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:25,440 Cheeky. All right. 277 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:27,080 But what is it is that makes one brain 278 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:28,880 cleverer than another in the first place? 279 00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:31,400 Well, to find out if there is something in the way their brain 280 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:33,800 is structured that sets them apart, 281 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:37,000 I enlisted the help of a famously clever chap. 282 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:44,000 Bobby Seagull is someone who has 283 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:46,840 proved his intelligence beyond doubt. 284 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,240 He's a mathematician, author, teacher 285 00:12:49,240 --> 00:12:51,720 and University Challenge semifinalist. 286 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:54,920 Emmanuel, Seagull. 287 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:56,480 GDP. Correct. 288 00:12:56,480 --> 00:12:57,720 Emmanuel, Seagull. 289 00:12:57,720 --> 00:12:59,880 A dome. A dome is correct, yes. 290 00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:01,200 APPLAUSE 291 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:03,680 You're a pretty smart guy, Bobby. Reasonably. Reasonably. 292 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:05,880 I'm kind of curious. I wonder whether it's something 293 00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:07,720 about your brain that makes you different. 294 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:10,080 I've always thought it's about my character, my spirit, 295 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:11,920 it's my determination that's got me places. 296 00:13:11,920 --> 00:13:14,000 Maybe you're wired differently. 297 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:15,680 Maybe, we'll see. 298 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:20,760 To find out whether clever brains are different, 299 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:24,280 Bobby is going to have his brain scanned. 300 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:25,960 This will take about 25 minutes. 301 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:30,080 Experts at the University of Edinburgh 302 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:32,480 have been studying thousands of brains, 303 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:35,560 searching for anything that might make some cleverer 304 00:13:35,560 --> 00:13:37,240 or faster than others. 305 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:39,560 OK, we're just going to start scanning 306 00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:41,600 and it's going to get very noisy. 307 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:43,520 Are clever brains bigger? 308 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:45,400 Are they wired differently? 309 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:47,400 Are you all right there? 310 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:51,920 Revealing the secrets of Bobby's intelligence is Dr Simon Cox. 311 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:56,480 Your brain volume is extremely average... Oh. 312 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:58,480 ..if not a little bit lower than average. 313 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:00,760 Shall I just go home now? "Lower than average"? 314 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:02,960 A little bit, a little bit. Smaller brain? 315 00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:04,360 That's correct, yes. 316 00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:05,880 Oh, Bobby! 317 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:08,400 Clearly, when it comes to intelligence, 318 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:10,440 brain size isn't everything. 319 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:12,920 But is there something in Bobby's scans that could help 320 00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:15,720 to explain why his brain works so well? 321 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:18,200 This is a really nice example of the grey matter, 322 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:20,840 these grey areas around the outside of the brain here, 323 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:23,640 which is where the majority of our brain cells sit. 324 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:25,320 Bobby's got a very healthy brain, 325 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:27,520 nicely filled out into the...into the skull. 326 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:29,480 Small brain, but densely packed. 327 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:33,640 It's a way of keeping all of his quiz knowledge in there. Strongly. 328 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:37,080 Yeah. And where all the kind of computation happens as well. 329 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:39,720 It seems that individuals that have more grey matter 330 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:43,000 have slightly higher cognitive ability. 331 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:44,960 But Simon's research has shown that 332 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:48,240 it's not just having more grey matter that's important. 333 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:50,080 Crucial to the speed of thinking 334 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:51,680 is another part of the brain, 335 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:53,160 the white matter. 336 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:55,360 The white matter of the brain, so you can see it here... 337 00:14:55,360 --> 00:14:57,800 The actual white stuff? Exactly right. 338 00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:00,640 The actual white stuff houses all of the diverse connections 339 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:03,640 across all of these different areas of the brain. 340 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:06,520 A more detailed scan of Bobby's white matter 341 00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:10,520 shows that it's made up of a complex network of connections 342 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:12,000 or neural pathways. 343 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:16,080 These are routes between different areas of the brain 344 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:18,600 and how the information is being transmitted along them, 345 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:20,160 from one area to the next. 346 00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:22,360 So, to give you an idea of the scale here, 347 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:24,560 each one of these little lines, 348 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:27,040 there are about 50,000 or so in this scan 349 00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:29,800 that we've identified, but there are hundreds of billions 350 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:31,320 of actual connections in your brain. 351 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:33,920 They would stretch four times around the Earth. 352 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:37,080 It's not just the volume of connections that matters, 353 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:41,040 what's crucial is how well signals travel along these routes. 354 00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:43,920 And there's a substance that plays a critical role in this. 355 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:49,640 They are insulated by a white, fatty substance called myelin - 356 00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:54,120 what that allows for is efficient communication of these signals. 357 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:56,080 You're literally thinking slower 358 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:58,520 if your white matter isn't well-insulated? 359 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:01,000 That's absolutely right. 360 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:04,640 Simon's research suggests that these well-insulated pathways 361 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:07,880 and fast communications are something that clever brains, 362 00:16:07,880 --> 00:16:10,920 like Bobby's, have in common. 363 00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:14,760 Perhaps this can help explain why Bobby is so quick on the buzzer. 364 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:16,800 Emmanuel, Seagull. 365 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:18,080 Albert Einstein. 366 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:19,520 Correct. 367 00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:24,320 So if one of the things that characterises intelligent brains 368 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:27,400 is better connections, what's happening in brains like mine 369 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:29,200 that are slowing with age? 370 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:30,800 Joining us is Professor Alan Gow. 371 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:32,440 Welcome, Alan. 372 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:35,120 So what is actually going on in our brains as we get older? 373 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:37,760 So, as our thinking skills slow down as we age, 374 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:40,360 there's a number of factors that might explain that. 375 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:42,800 One of them is the amount of myelin we produce 376 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:45,160 and, although we believe we continue to produce myelin 377 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:47,480 through the lifespan, that slows down. 378 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:51,080 As we get older, there is damage that accrues to the myelin. 379 00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:55,160 The signals might not transmit as smoothly, as fast. 380 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:57,240 And also there may be some interference 381 00:16:57,240 --> 00:16:59,000 between neighbouring connections. 382 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,480 Right. So, quite a few frayed connections up there. 383 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:03,520 What other changes do you see in the brain? 384 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:04,840 You see these two images here. 385 00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:07,280 These are images from people of the same age... 386 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:09,360 Yeah. ..but this one here, on the left-hand side, 387 00:17:09,360 --> 00:17:12,040 can you see we have these quite obvious areas... That's not good. 388 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:13,880 ..of white, really bright white? 389 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:16,120 That is showing us the areas of the brain 390 00:17:16,120 --> 00:17:18,480 where there's been damage to the white matter. 391 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:22,720 One of the things underlying that may be the damage to myelin. 392 00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:26,160 Another process that we see is this a process called atrophy - 393 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:30,160 that's a general shrinking of brain volumes as we age. 394 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:32,880 And if we look at the next image of people of the same age, 395 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:34,880 the brain on the left-hand side, 396 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:39,280 there are some extra gaps between the brain tissue and the skull. 397 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:42,240 That suggests that person has probably experienced 398 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:43,760 a bit more shrinkage. 399 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:45,360 Of course, to test that properly, 400 00:17:45,360 --> 00:17:48,600 we really want to scan the same people multiple times. 401 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:50,240 Right. OK. That's very striking. 402 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:52,280 And all these changes are inevitable? 403 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:54,840 Well, no. Two images. 404 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:56,880 People of roughly the same age, 405 00:17:56,880 --> 00:17:58,960 but different experiences. 406 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:01,440 The amount of shrinkage, atrophy, we might experience, 407 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:05,880 the amount of damage to white matter varies from person to person. 408 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:08,200 And what we're really interested in understanding then 409 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:10,960 is what are the lifestyle or behavioural factors 410 00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:13,800 that might predict how well we maintain 411 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:16,040 our brain health as we age. 412 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:17,680 And these are the big questions 413 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:19,280 we'll be exploring throughout the show. 414 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:20,760 Thank you very much, Alan. 415 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:23,400 Now, how our lifestyle affects our brain health 416 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:26,560 and intelligence is one of the hottest areas of research. 417 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:27,840 There is evidence that, 418 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:30,040 as our lifestyle has changed down the years, 419 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:31,880 so has our intelligence. 420 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:33,720 Hannah, what's the news? 421 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:36,160 Well, one of the brilliant things about intelligence tests 422 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:38,800 is that they have been around for a very long time 423 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:41,600 and that means that we can see how our intelligence 424 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:43,800 has been changing over time. 425 00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:46,920 And, in fact, it has increased. 426 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:50,760 Between 1938 and 1979, 427 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:53,400 British children's IQ scores 428 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:55,880 increased by nearly ten points 429 00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:59,880 and another four points then from 1979 to 2008. 430 00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:02,080 In fact, the increase has been so much 431 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:05,600 that they've had to recalibrate these tests a number of times 432 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:07,640 so that 100 points on an IQ test 433 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:09,200 is still the average. 434 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:12,520 So, what's the explanation for this dramatic increase? 435 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:14,640 Well, a lot's changed in that time, right? 436 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:17,040 We're eating much better than we were, 437 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:20,840 our education is better. 438 00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:23,000 but that could be one explanation. 439 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:25,080 Now, the thing which is striking to me 440 00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:26,560 is there is a bit of a drop-off. 441 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:28,160 So has it plateaued? 442 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:29,560 Well, no. 443 00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:32,320 So, this is something that's very intriguing indeed 444 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:36,040 because, in the 20th century, IQ increased, increased, increased. 445 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:37,960 But as you hit the 21st century, 446 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:42,160 it's flattening off and, in some cases, actually declining. 447 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:44,400 There's one particular study in Norway 448 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:48,880 that showed that they've lost seven IQ points per generation 449 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:51,280 for those born after 1975. 450 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:53,320 Wow, that is scary. 451 00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:55,800 So, what is driving the decline? 452 00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:59,680 Well that, Michael, is the million-dollar question. 453 00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:01,880 And here, on The Great British Intelligence Test, 454 00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:05,520 we wanted to investigate one of the biggest changes in our lifestyles 455 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:07,560 over the past couple of decades - 456 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:09,600 the rise of digital technology - 457 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:11,200 because we have no idea 458 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:12,880 what it's doing to our brains 459 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:15,240 or to our intelligence. 460 00:20:19,720 --> 00:20:22,360 Yeah, it definitely has an effect on our brains, surely. 461 00:20:22,360 --> 00:20:23,880 It can kill your attention span. 462 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:27,080 Computer games could improve your memory. 463 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:31,040 They are just like time pass and a way to escape from the real world. 464 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:35,440 I think they could help it in a good way, I would think. 465 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:37,120 Well, I disagree! 466 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:41,080 First up, gaming - 467 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:43,880 a pursuit my kids have dedicated endless hours 468 00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:45,440 of their precious time to. 469 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:47,320 Could gaming be affecting us? 470 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:49,720 How about our ability to concentrate, 471 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:51,440 to hold things in our mind, 472 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:53,000 our working memory? 473 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:55,200 Because that is a critical skill 474 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:58,720 which underpins almost all areas of intelligence. 475 00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:05,840 In the game we're about to play, we're going to be looking 476 00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:09,480 specifically at one aspect of working memory. 477 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:12,200 To explain more, we're joined by Dr Louise Nicholls 478 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:15,040 and we'll be coming back to you in a moment, Louise. 479 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:17,960 We are going to test how your spatial working memory 480 00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:20,080 is affected by gaming. 481 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:23,560 So, to help us, we have got a team of avid gamers here. 482 00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:26,200 Greg, how much do you play computer games? 483 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:29,000 A couple hours a night, generally. It's fun. Nice to relax with. 484 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:30,680 Now, David, you work as a builder 485 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:32,760 and then, in your spare time, to relax, 486 00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:34,120 play building games. 487 00:21:34,120 --> 00:21:35,520 That is true, yeah. 488 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:37,520 There's not an angry client on the end of the phone. 489 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:39,360 Makes a difference! Yeah. 490 00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:44,040 And, Alex, I heard that you describe yourself as a gaming nerd, 491 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:45,280 which I quite like. 492 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:47,200 Yeah, a little bit. 493 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:50,280 I mean, anything that ranges from PC gaming to table top gaming - 494 00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:52,400 the whole spectrum. OK. OK. 495 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:55,000 Let's go over here to our...to our avid readers. 496 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:56,440 Helen, I'll start with you. 497 00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:58,160 How much do you tend to read? 498 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:01,320 Two novels a week. Two novels a week?! I'm a fast reader. 499 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:03,320 And how about you, Fatima? I'm a bookworm. 500 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:05,360 I've read a lot in my time. 501 00:22:05,360 --> 00:22:06,960 How about you, Martin? 502 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:08,400 I read a couple of books a month. 503 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:09,800 Yeah. I just read when I go to bed. 504 00:22:09,800 --> 00:22:12,320 And how's your memory? I think it's OK, yeah. 505 00:22:12,320 --> 00:22:14,400 OK. Well, we're going to put it to the test. 506 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:16,960 So, in this game, you can see there's a series of squares 507 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:18,400 on the floor in front of you. 508 00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:21,600 What's going to happen is these are going to light up 509 00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:23,720 in sequence, like this. 510 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:32,240 And your job is simply to just stand on these blocks 511 00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:34,320 to match that same sequence. 512 00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:36,680 Now, what we're going to do, we're going to alternate 513 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:38,200 between gamers and readers. 514 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:40,920 And every time one of you completes a sequence correctly, 515 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:44,360 the next sequence for your team-mate is going to be a little bit longer. 516 00:22:44,360 --> 00:22:46,000 So, gamers, off you go. 517 00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:57,360 OK. Good start. 518 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:06,520 There we go. 519 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:07,520 Very nice. 520 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:14,160 OK, Martin, you are also facing four. 521 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:28,200 Martin hasn't got any time to hang around. 522 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:30,280 "I know the answer. Why muck about?" 523 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:33,320 Well done, Martin. Very nice, indeed. 524 00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:35,960 OK. Greg. 525 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:37,840 Five for you. 526 00:23:48,360 --> 00:23:50,360 Right. 527 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:57,280 He's smiling. 528 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:00,760 I was. I'm not sure of the fifth one now. 529 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:05,200 Oh, no. 530 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:06,640 No. 531 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:08,080 So close, so close. 532 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:11,280 These five, they're hard, aren't they? Five are hard. 533 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:13,520 OK, Helen, I'm afraid you're facing a five now. 534 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:18,200 That is tricky. Louise, while they play, 535 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:20,440 what exactly is "working memory"? 536 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:24,120 It's essentially short-term memory and it's allowing us 537 00:24:24,120 --> 00:24:27,440 to process and temporarily store information, 538 00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:29,080 just moment to moment. 539 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:31,080 If anyone's ever walked into a room 540 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:33,480 and forgotten what they've went in for, which is everyone, 541 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:35,160 then we know what working memory is. 542 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:37,240 It's very vulnerable to distraction, actually, 543 00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:40,360 because one of the central components of working memory 544 00:24:40,360 --> 00:24:42,080 is our attention. 545 00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:45,040 So, kind of focusing on the most relevant information for 546 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:48,080 the task at hand and then also being able to inhibit things 547 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:50,520 that can possibly distract us. 548 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:51,680 All right, Alex. 549 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:53,160 No-one's managed a five. 550 00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:55,960 See how you do. 551 00:24:55,960 --> 00:24:57,400 Is she going to manage it? 552 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:02,160 Now, number five. 553 00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:03,960 Ahh! 554 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:06,920 Unlucky. They're tough, they're tough. 555 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:09,640 Which parts of the brain are involved in this task? 556 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:11,840 So, rather than being just one specific area, 557 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:14,680 I think it's best to think about a kind of distributed network 558 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:16,560 in our spatial working memory. 559 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:19,080 So, towards the front of the brain, 560 00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:21,600 that's really the attentional component - 561 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:25,840 so focusing on items, actively rehearsing information - 562 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:28,320 whereas, towards the back of the brain, 563 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:30,760 that area is really busy representing those locations 564 00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:33,160 temporarily until we don't need it any more. 565 00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:35,360 How many would you imagine they'd be able to do? 566 00:25:35,360 --> 00:25:36,680 About, typically, four objects 567 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:38,600 and then they would start to struggle with it. 568 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:40,080 OK, Martin. Come on. 569 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:42,240 You were very confident last time with your four. Yeah. 570 00:26:07,880 --> 00:26:10,960 Martin, well done. 571 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:14,360 That's for the oldies as well. 572 00:26:14,360 --> 00:26:17,440 There you go. Readers, you got a sequence of five correct! 573 00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:19,080 Mostly saved by Martin there, 574 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:21,120 right at the end. Feeling smug, Martin? 575 00:26:21,120 --> 00:26:22,320 Very, yeah. Yeah. OK. 576 00:26:22,320 --> 00:26:25,360 And, gamers, you only got to four there, which is... 577 00:26:25,360 --> 00:26:26,760 Yeah. Well done, readers. 578 00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:29,440 Tightly fought game but, as a reader, I'm obviously delighted 579 00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:31,040 the readers came out on top. 580 00:26:31,040 --> 00:26:32,720 And I can say to my kids, 581 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:35,320 "Yep, the time you spent on those games was wasted." 582 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:36,920 Well, let's see, shall we, Michael? 583 00:26:36,920 --> 00:26:38,640 Let's see. 584 00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:42,000 Because we also have some results from the national picture here. 585 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:45,320 And it turns out that, when it comes to this kind of game, 586 00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:48,520 Cambridgeshire had the very best in spatial working memory, 587 00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:51,160 while those from Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, 588 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:54,600 Worcestershire and North Yorkshire - they were a close second. 589 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:57,120 Oxfordshire, nowhere to be seen. 590 00:26:57,120 --> 00:27:00,160 But we also asked people how often they gamed 591 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:02,440 and we look to how this compared to their score 592 00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:04,400 on spatial working memory. 593 00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:06,720 And what we found was intriguing 594 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:11,320 because, on average, those who said that they never gamed at all, 595 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:14,960 they actually scored much lower on this test. 596 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:18,560 And, unlike what happened in the studio here, 597 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:23,040 the more people played computer games, the more likely they were 598 00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:25,480 to be above the national average. 599 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:28,320 But those who tended to play every day 600 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:30,800 tended to get the highest scores in this particular game. 601 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:33,840 Now, I should tell you that the effective age has been removed here. 602 00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:36,720 So, this isn't just that older people play less 603 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:38,520 so score less. 604 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:41,400 This is a very clear link to gaming. 605 00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:43,920 Gamers, are you surprised by that result? 606 00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:45,400 I'm gutted that we lost, 607 00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:47,680 but I'm not surprised that it helps working memory. 608 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:50,520 There you go, Michael. Great news for Tetris fans, huh? 609 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:53,960 Yeah, but, sadly, I have not played Tetris for over 20 years. 610 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:56,840 Now, if you want to find that how good your working memory is 611 00:27:56,840 --> 00:27:58,400 and how you compare to others, 612 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:01,640 go online, to The Great British Intelligence Test website 613 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:03,520 at the address on the screen now, 614 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:05,320 and have a go yourself. 615 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:08,200 So, Louise, sadly for me, actually, 616 00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:11,400 we found that doing gaming seems to be good for at least 617 00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:13,120 this aspect of our memory. 618 00:28:13,120 --> 00:28:15,480 Is this consistent with other studies? 619 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:18,320 The positive relationship between the amount of gaming 620 00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:21,840 and spatial working memory performance is actually consistent. 621 00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:24,840 There's actually also been controlled experiments conducted 622 00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:27,440 to look at, really, is gaming the cause? 623 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:30,240 And there's evidence there to suggest that gaming 624 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:32,360 can improve our working memory. 625 00:28:32,360 --> 00:28:34,360 Does it matter what sort of game you play? 626 00:28:34,360 --> 00:28:36,800 The most reliable findings have come 627 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:38,720 from high-action video games. 628 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:41,280 They involve a lot of quick decision making, 629 00:28:41,280 --> 00:28:45,480 navigating around environments, finding visual targets. 630 00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:47,560 OK, so we've got one here. 631 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:50,400 And what is good for your brain about this? 632 00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:52,280 So, we've got the 3D visual world 633 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:54,440 that the player's interacting within. 634 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:56,200 But we also have the 2D map, 635 00:28:56,200 --> 00:28:58,880 which is giving further information 636 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:01,160 that the player would want to take in. 637 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:03,000 Moving around quickly, 638 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:05,480 finding the visual targets 639 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:08,280 and then maybe switching between weapons and so on. 640 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:11,320 So, actually, the idea is that they're honing spatial skills 641 00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:14,680 because they're really using them so much and in a very speeded way. 642 00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:17,640 The good news, though, is that it's not exclusively 643 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:19,960 the high-action games have shown these kinds of effects, 644 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:22,880 so, actually, even spatial puzzle games, like Tetris, 645 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:25,920 have also been shown to affect the kind of skills 646 00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:28,800 that are being used heavily within the game. 647 00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:32,120 So, does it also increase skills in other areas? 648 00:29:33,360 --> 00:29:36,760 I think we have to bear in mind that it is quite specific, 649 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:38,600 so it is within spatial working memory 650 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:40,280 that we're seeing the benefits. 651 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:43,760 Another point to make is that we need more research around the topic. 652 00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:46,280 You know, what are the optimal number of hours 653 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:48,160 that one would spend gaming? 654 00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:50,920 Cos, you know, maybe if it encroaches on sleep 655 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:53,480 or physical activity, it could go the other way. 656 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:55,400 OK. Thank you very much, Louise. 657 00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:58,840 So, gaming isn't as bad as I had feared, 658 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:01,280 but what about other forms of tech use 659 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:03,360 that are dominating our lives? 660 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:06,200 In particular, our growing addiction to smartphones 661 00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:09,720 and our reliance on the Internet and social media. 662 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:11,640 Hannah, what did our study find? 663 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:13,880 We asked you what devices you used, 664 00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:15,520 how much you use them, 665 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:17,400 how often you were searching the Internet, 666 00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:19,200 going on social media, online shopping, 667 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:21,200 streaming, you name it, 668 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:23,640 and we looked to see whether there was any relationship 669 00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:26,680 between your answers and your results. 670 00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:28,440 And we didn't see any clear link 671 00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:30,520 between aspects of your digital life 672 00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:32,280 and your cognition. 673 00:30:32,280 --> 00:30:34,800 But here is something intriguing, 674 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:37,040 because we had a look at those of you 675 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:40,480 who use the Internet excessively, even compulsively, 676 00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:43,160 by which we mean continually checking your e-mails, 677 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:45,200 looking at the phone after you've gone to bed - 678 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:47,840 and we can see how that changes with age, 679 00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:49,960 and have a little look at this. 680 00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:54,080 "Internet addiction," if you will, is much more common 681 00:30:54,080 --> 00:30:55,520 in young people 682 00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:57,960 and much rarer in older people. 683 00:30:57,960 --> 00:31:00,040 OK. Perhaps no surprises there! 684 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:04,680 But we also asked everyone how anxious and stressed they felt, 685 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:06,600 and here are the results. 686 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:10,000 Can you see how closely these two track one another? 687 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:12,720 Now, this is suggesting there's a very strong connection 688 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:15,680 between high Internet and social media use 689 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:19,600 and higher levels of anxiety, and this, in particular, 690 00:31:19,600 --> 00:31:21,960 is a really important finding. 691 00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:24,760 It's never been found at this scale before. 692 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:27,080 That is really impressive. 693 00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:29,440 How does it fit in with other data? 694 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:30,880 I have Dr Lee Smith with me, 695 00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:34,120 who has been reviewing all the published evidence. 696 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:36,440 Well, there's quite a large body of literature now 697 00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:38,800 to suggest that excessive Internet use 698 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:40,960 is associated with poor mental health 699 00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:43,160 and mental health complications - 700 00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:46,120 particularly in adolescents and young people. 701 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:47,960 And to give you one example, 702 00:31:47,960 --> 00:31:50,800 a study was carried out on a sample of adolescents 703 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:54,840 and it showed us that those who use social media for five hours a day... 704 00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:56,480 Five? Five hours. 705 00:31:56,480 --> 00:32:00,960 ..were 66% more likely to exhibit suicidal behaviour 706 00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:03,320 compared to those who used one hour. 707 00:32:03,320 --> 00:32:05,800 And, actually, I think your findings go some way 708 00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:07,640 to begin to explain this association. 709 00:32:07,640 --> 00:32:09,720 So, why should social media, in particular, 710 00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:11,920 have this sort of really toxic effect? 711 00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:14,920 One point way may be that social media platforms, at least, 712 00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:17,800 always present us with one's best self 713 00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:20,880 and we're always comparing that to our real selves. 714 00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:23,480 So, we may be always making these upward comparisons, 715 00:32:23,480 --> 00:32:26,960 potentially to something which is unachievable and unrealistic. 716 00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:29,880 In addition to that, social media allows us 717 00:32:29,880 --> 00:32:31,640 to quantify our social success 718 00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:35,440 in the terms of number of friends we have, number of followers we have, 719 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:37,920 the number of likes and shares that we receive. 720 00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:39,760 And, taken together, these two things 721 00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:42,720 are probably driving levels of anxiety and levels of stress. 722 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:44,160 Thank you very much, Lee. 723 00:32:44,160 --> 00:32:46,840 So, spending less time online, especially social media, 724 00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:49,720 is likely to be a good thing for your brain. 725 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:52,960 Now, we've been looking at what else you can do to boost your brainpower 726 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:56,000 and there is some intriguing evidence that being active, 727 00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:59,040 using your muscles a little bit more, could help. 728 00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:02,720 Hannah, come over here, as I need to do a little test with you. OK. 729 00:33:02,720 --> 00:33:07,000 Right, what I'd like you to do is take one of these... Yeah. 730 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:09,440 ..and I will take one of these. 731 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:12,240 So, what are these? They're basically going to measure 732 00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:13,400 your grip strength. OK. 733 00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:16,120 So, what we're going to do... I know how competitive you are. 734 00:33:16,120 --> 00:33:18,480 Is this just a really convoluted way for you to beat me? 735 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:20,080 Not at all! OK. Squeeze! 736 00:33:20,080 --> 00:33:22,200 HE STRAINS 737 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:24,320 Oh. Hang on. 738 00:33:24,320 --> 00:33:26,000 I can do better! OK. 739 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:27,880 SHE GROANS Right. 740 00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:29,920 What have you got? You got 31.5. 741 00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:31,960 What have I got? 54.2, Michael! 742 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:35,000 54.2. Exactly. All right. No need to be smug about it. 743 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:39,440 Right. So, the average for a woman your age is 31. 744 00:33:39,440 --> 00:33:41,240 So, you are just above average. 745 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:44,120 And the average for a man of my age is 44 746 00:33:44,120 --> 00:33:45,560 and I'm 54. 747 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:47,320 Well, well done, Michael. 748 00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:48,640 I'm well above average, 749 00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:50,960 there you go, at least as far as my grip strength. 750 00:33:50,960 --> 00:33:52,240 On that thing. On this thing. 751 00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:54,520 What on Earth has hand strength got to do with this though? 752 00:33:54,520 --> 00:33:56,480 Well, hand strength is, surprisingly enough, 753 00:33:56,480 --> 00:33:59,040 quite a good indicator of your overall body strength 754 00:33:59,040 --> 00:34:00,600 and your general level of fitness. 755 00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:03,440 And there's certainly good evidence that being stronger or fitter 756 00:34:03,440 --> 00:34:05,200 may be good for your brain. 757 00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:09,320 So, to find out more, I went to see the latest research in action. 758 00:34:12,440 --> 00:34:16,640 The connection between exercise and the brain has been the subject 759 00:34:16,640 --> 00:34:20,120 of intense study by experts at the University of South Wales. 760 00:34:21,720 --> 00:34:23,120 Nice to meet you, Michael. 761 00:34:23,120 --> 00:34:24,760 Professor Damian Bailey 762 00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:28,320 has been subjecting volunteers to tricky cognition tests 763 00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:31,040 to see what happens to their scores 764 00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:33,520 before, during and after exercise. 765 00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:36,000 So, our participant is pedalling on the bike 766 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:38,920 and we're doing a Stroop interference test. 767 00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:41,600 A Stroop test assesses how quickly our brains 768 00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:45,080 can process a mismatch in information. 769 00:34:45,080 --> 00:34:47,840 Volunteers have to read the written word 770 00:34:47,840 --> 00:34:50,960 and not be distracted by the conflicting colour. 771 00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:52,760 And what have you found? 772 00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:55,600 We've actually shown that cognitive function, 773 00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:59,520 mental agility, improves whilst he's exercising. 774 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:02,560 OK. So he's actually doing better on this task while he's doing this 775 00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:04,560 than he would be if he was just sitting on his bottom. 776 00:35:04,560 --> 00:35:05,800 That's right, exactly. 777 00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:09,680 The question is - how does exercise boost the brain? 778 00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:13,800 They believe it's partly due to increasing the blood flow. 779 00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:16,080 We're measuring blood flow to the brain 780 00:35:16,080 --> 00:35:18,400 and blood flow through arteries inside the brain. 781 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:21,840 And we know that, by getting more blood, oxygen and glucose, 782 00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:23,440 more fuel into the brain, 783 00:35:23,440 --> 00:35:27,360 this can support different areas of cognitive function. 784 00:35:28,520 --> 00:35:29,960 And there's a clever way 785 00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:33,360 that the body makes sure as much blood as possible 786 00:35:33,360 --> 00:35:36,280 gets to your brain when you're exercising. 787 00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:41,520 Exercise boosts levels of a chemical in the blood called nitric oxide. 788 00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:45,400 Nitric oxide makes the blood vessels relax, that's right? 789 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:46,840 Exactly that. 790 00:35:46,840 --> 00:35:49,480 It allows the blood vessels to relax, 791 00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:52,520 to get that all-important fuel into the brain, 792 00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:55,760 to then support that change in cognition. 793 00:35:55,760 --> 00:35:59,440 Importantly, Damian thinks exercise also helps brain function 794 00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:02,360 by increasing levels of another chemical. 795 00:36:02,360 --> 00:36:08,320 It's called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF. 796 00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:11,040 The idea is exercise boosts levels of this chemical, 797 00:36:11,040 --> 00:36:14,680 which is a sort of fertiliser for brain cells. 798 00:36:14,680 --> 00:36:18,120 These are the growth factors that help support... 799 00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:20,960 ..growth of new brain cells and new connections in the brain. 800 00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:23,560 If it's making more cells, more connections, 801 00:36:23,560 --> 00:36:26,440 decision making, memory, reasoning... 802 00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:29,600 All of it gets better? All of it gets better. 803 00:36:29,600 --> 00:36:33,040 So, if exercise can improve our brain like this, 804 00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:35,600 does the intensity make a difference? 805 00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:40,200 Damian is comparing high-intensity exercise with moderate. 806 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:44,520 First, the bike is set to a moderate level of exercise. 807 00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:47,640 Will this be enough to boost brain function? 808 00:36:51,160 --> 00:36:54,040 After ten minutes' cycling and then a short break, 809 00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:57,080 the bike is switched to a harder setting. 810 00:36:57,080 --> 00:37:00,880 It's now time for a bout of high-intensity exercise. 811 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:09,080 After the blood has been analysed, Damian has the results. 812 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:11,360 What happened? 813 00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:12,760 This is at baseline. 814 00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:16,440 Here, you can see, at the end of the moderate exercise challenge, 815 00:37:16,440 --> 00:37:18,040 which is a vigorous walk, 816 00:37:18,040 --> 00:37:20,440 we've got a doubling of the amount of nitric oxide. 817 00:37:20,440 --> 00:37:23,320 And then, at the end of the high-intensity challenge, 818 00:37:23,320 --> 00:37:25,960 again, there's a further increase. 819 00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:29,680 And what about the other key chemical, BDNF? 820 00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:33,040 This is a slide of a previous study, from our group, 821 00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:35,320 that has demonstrated Serum BDNF - 822 00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:38,960 brain-derived neurotrophic factor - concentrations, 823 00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:43,200 and you see a very similar profile to the increases in nitric oxide 824 00:37:43,200 --> 00:37:46,480 and to the increases in blood flow to the brain. 825 00:37:46,480 --> 00:37:49,920 So, exercise triggers a complex chemical process 826 00:37:49,920 --> 00:37:51,720 that benefits the brain. 827 00:37:51,720 --> 00:37:54,200 The harder you work out, the better, 828 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:58,120 but a brisk walk will still help you to stay sharp. 829 00:38:00,160 --> 00:38:03,520 How interesting! Can other types of exercise help as well? 830 00:38:03,520 --> 00:38:05,960 Absolutely. Particularly things like strength training, 831 00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:07,360 yoga, things like that. 832 00:38:07,360 --> 00:38:09,840 Are you saying I've got to go and renew my gym membership? 833 00:38:09,840 --> 00:38:11,640 I am, yes. Oh, OK. All right. 834 00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:13,680 Well, now for something completely different. 835 00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:15,920 One of the areas of results in our test 836 00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:18,600 that I was most interested in was whether we would see 837 00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:22,720 any differences in how men and women performed. 838 00:38:22,720 --> 00:38:25,240 Now, that is certainly a very sensitive area of research, 839 00:38:25,240 --> 00:38:27,320 as you know. You could say that, yeah. 840 00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:29,920 This is an area that's fraught with contention. 841 00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:32,360 Is there a male and a female brain? 842 00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:38,560 I think it's probably very negligible, 843 00:38:38,560 --> 00:38:40,520 the difference between men and women. 844 00:38:40,520 --> 00:38:42,760 Women can do lots of jobs at once - men can't. 845 00:38:42,760 --> 00:38:45,120 I think they kind of handle stressful situations 846 00:38:45,120 --> 00:38:46,880 a lot better than men. 847 00:38:46,880 --> 00:38:50,880 Well, I'm definitely better at parking cars, yes. 848 00:38:50,880 --> 00:38:53,880 With emotional intelligence, I feel that women are more empathetic. 849 00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:55,600 I can be terrible at parking 850 00:38:55,600 --> 00:38:57,640 and I'm pretty emotional as well. 851 00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:05,480 Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognise and respond 852 00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:08,160 to our own and other people's emotions. 853 00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:10,960 So, are women really better at reading them? 854 00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:12,160 Time for a test. 855 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:14,080 Hannah. Well, let's find out. 856 00:39:14,080 --> 00:39:15,640 Going head-to-head, 857 00:39:15,640 --> 00:39:18,880 we have a team of women versus a team of men. 858 00:39:18,880 --> 00:39:20,360 Guess who I want to win! 859 00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:22,720 Over here, we have our women's team. 860 00:39:22,720 --> 00:39:24,160 Diane, what do you think? 861 00:39:24,160 --> 00:39:26,360 Do you think that men are less good 862 00:39:26,360 --> 00:39:28,240 at things like emotional intelligence? 863 00:39:28,240 --> 00:39:30,400 I think women are much more emotional 864 00:39:30,400 --> 00:39:32,720 and much more in touch with themselves, so yes. 865 00:39:32,720 --> 00:39:34,960 Well, we'll see how you do because you are competing, 866 00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:37,240 of course, against the team of men over here. 867 00:39:37,240 --> 00:39:40,720 OK. Army, I hear that you are a construction worker. 868 00:39:40,720 --> 00:39:43,480 I am, yeah. How good are you at building relationships? 869 00:39:43,480 --> 00:39:45,160 Very good at building relationships, 870 00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:47,120 just as well as I am in the construction game. 871 00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:49,080 Matt, now I understand that you are in politics. 872 00:39:49,080 --> 00:39:51,000 Is emotional intelligence important to have? 873 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:53,680 Yeah, absolutely. You need to connect with people on the street 874 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:56,200 and talk to people all the time, so I think it's important that 875 00:39:56,200 --> 00:39:58,200 you have to have that relatability with people. 876 00:39:58,200 --> 00:40:00,520 So, you rate yourself on this task? We'll see how we get on. 877 00:40:00,520 --> 00:40:02,600 Indeed we will. OK. 878 00:40:02,600 --> 00:40:05,000 Now, it is worth noting that, in the national test, 879 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:09,040 we also had participants who don't identify as either male or female, 880 00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:11,280 and we're going to see all of those results very shortly. 881 00:40:11,280 --> 00:40:12,720 But first, teams, 882 00:40:12,720 --> 00:40:14,800 here is how this game works. 883 00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:18,240 So, you're going to see, on your screens, two faces - like this - 884 00:40:18,240 --> 00:40:21,880 and all you have to do is to decide whether they are expressing 885 00:40:21,880 --> 00:40:24,920 the same emotion or a different emotion. 886 00:40:24,920 --> 00:40:28,120 And I should tell you that, in this game, you're only going to get 887 00:40:28,120 --> 00:40:32,640 a point if you are right when the other team is wrong, OK? 888 00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:35,040 Everyone happy? All right. Let's go. 889 00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:41,360 Gosh. Super quick there from the women's team. 890 00:40:41,360 --> 00:40:43,160 Right. 891 00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:52,600 Nothing to choose between you so far. 892 00:40:54,960 --> 00:40:56,600 Right. 893 00:41:09,400 --> 00:41:10,800 Oh, you've split, you've split. 894 00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:12,240 And the answer is different. 895 00:41:12,240 --> 00:41:14,040 The men edge ahead. 896 00:41:19,120 --> 00:41:22,800 Guys, you're dispelling the myth so far. 897 00:41:22,800 --> 00:41:24,640 Oh, they're split. 898 00:41:24,640 --> 00:41:25,880 Different. 899 00:41:25,880 --> 00:41:27,120 Oh! OK. 900 00:41:27,120 --> 00:41:28,680 It's 1-1. Right. 901 00:41:32,360 --> 00:41:34,800 Nothing to choose between you. 902 00:41:34,800 --> 00:41:37,440 Nothing to choose between the two teams. 903 00:41:40,080 --> 00:41:42,000 Oh, they've split. 904 00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:43,920 And the answer is same. 905 00:41:43,920 --> 00:41:46,400 Oh, the men edge ahead. The men edge ahead. 906 00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:52,200 Oh, they're split. 907 00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:54,040 The men again! 908 00:41:54,040 --> 00:41:55,680 Well done! 909 00:41:57,000 --> 00:41:58,360 Time's up. 910 00:41:58,360 --> 00:42:00,560 OK, everyone get back into your starting positions. 911 00:42:00,560 --> 00:42:02,000 Let's have a look at these scores. 912 00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:04,040 So, overall, the scores are - 913 00:42:04,040 --> 00:42:05,840 three points to the men, 914 00:42:05,840 --> 00:42:07,080 one point to the women. 915 00:42:07,080 --> 00:42:08,440 Gents just edged ahead there, 916 00:42:08,440 --> 00:42:11,560 dispelling any myths about men and emotional intelligence. 917 00:42:11,560 --> 00:42:13,400 How did you find it? 918 00:42:13,400 --> 00:42:16,600 Yeah. Pretty good, actually. Yeah. Yeah, it was easy, to be honest. 919 00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:18,640 Easy? Yeah. Goodness me! 920 00:42:18,640 --> 00:42:22,520 OK, ladies, are you disappointed? Slightly, yeah. 921 00:42:22,520 --> 00:42:24,520 The competitive spirit. 922 00:42:24,520 --> 00:42:25,840 The question is - 923 00:42:25,840 --> 00:42:29,320 how typical are these groups of men and women 924 00:42:29,320 --> 00:42:31,040 that we have in the studio here? 925 00:42:31,040 --> 00:42:33,080 How does the rest of the nation fare 926 00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:35,120 when it comes to reading emotions? 927 00:42:35,120 --> 00:42:38,000 Well, you'll be surprised to hear, southerners, 928 00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:41,280 that those with the highest emotional intelligence 929 00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:44,080 in the country were actually in London - 930 00:42:44,080 --> 00:42:45,760 at least in this test. 931 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:48,080 Just here. Right there. My home. 932 00:42:48,080 --> 00:42:50,520 And there were some other very interesting results 933 00:42:50,520 --> 00:42:53,560 because, if you have a brother or sister, you are more likely 934 00:42:53,560 --> 00:42:54,760 to score very highly on this - 935 00:42:54,760 --> 00:42:56,040 which I think makes sense - 936 00:42:56,040 --> 00:42:58,560 but also if you owned a cat or dog. 937 00:42:58,560 --> 00:43:02,120 The question is - what about the difference between men and women? 938 00:43:02,120 --> 00:43:06,160 So, when we looked at all 250,000 people across the country - 939 00:43:06,160 --> 00:43:09,240 men, women and those who selected other - 940 00:43:09,240 --> 00:43:12,080 we found that it was also very close indeed 941 00:43:12,080 --> 00:43:17,360 but that, on average, women do outperform 942 00:43:17,360 --> 00:43:23,000 men and other on this particular test of emotional intelligence. 943 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:24,760 There's a small difference, 944 00:43:24,760 --> 00:43:26,440 but it is, nonetheless, there. 945 00:43:26,440 --> 00:43:28,920 But these weren't the only sex differences that we found 946 00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:32,080 because, when we looked at spatial intelligence, 947 00:43:32,080 --> 00:43:36,080 this is our ability to mentally manipulate images in our minds, 948 00:43:36,080 --> 00:43:39,680 we actually found that the advantage swung the other way. 949 00:43:39,680 --> 00:43:41,640 Again, these numbers are tiny, 950 00:43:41,640 --> 00:43:45,160 but men performed better than average on this test, 951 00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:48,440 women and other below average. 952 00:43:48,440 --> 00:43:50,080 The question is - 953 00:43:50,080 --> 00:43:53,920 why are women and men are wired differently? 954 00:43:53,920 --> 00:43:55,960 To try to answer that question, 955 00:43:55,960 --> 00:43:58,160 scientists at Edinburgh University have been studying 956 00:43:58,160 --> 00:44:00,560 the brains of 5,000 people. 957 00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:03,960 Scans showed that, on average, male brains are slightly bigger. 958 00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:06,480 But as we saw earlier, with Bobby Seagull, 959 00:44:06,480 --> 00:44:08,880 bigger is not necessarily better. 960 00:44:08,880 --> 00:44:11,560 And there is also research looking into the role 961 00:44:11,560 --> 00:44:15,240 that our sex hormones could be playing in our brain development. 962 00:44:15,240 --> 00:44:17,560 But brains and biology are only part of the story. 963 00:44:17,560 --> 00:44:20,200 They're interacting with other important influences, 964 00:44:20,200 --> 00:44:22,920 such as our life experiences and our environment. 965 00:44:22,920 --> 00:44:24,440 In fact, a very telling study, 966 00:44:24,440 --> 00:44:27,800 which evaluated the results from 30,000 children, 967 00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:30,760 found no differences between boys and girls 968 00:44:30,760 --> 00:44:33,120 on a test of spatial ability 969 00:44:33,120 --> 00:44:35,360 until they started school. 970 00:44:35,360 --> 00:44:37,720 So, could the small differences we see 971 00:44:37,720 --> 00:44:40,240 between men and women in these tests 972 00:44:40,240 --> 00:44:43,000 be something that boys and girls learn? 973 00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:46,120 Hannah went back to school to investigate. 974 00:44:46,120 --> 00:44:47,880 Hi, everyone! 975 00:44:47,880 --> 00:44:50,000 ALL: Hi! 976 00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:53,240 These children are seven and eight years old. 977 00:44:53,240 --> 00:44:55,080 Studies suggest that, by this time, 978 00:44:55,080 --> 00:44:57,880 they've started believing boys and girls 979 00:44:57,880 --> 00:45:00,080 are good at different things. 980 00:45:00,080 --> 00:45:04,160 I think boys are really good at science 981 00:45:04,160 --> 00:45:06,040 because they're smarter than girls. 982 00:45:07,920 --> 00:45:11,520 I think girls I think are really good at dance. 983 00:45:11,520 --> 00:45:13,960 What subjects are you good at? 984 00:45:13,960 --> 00:45:16,800 I just like maths. You just like maths? Good answer! 985 00:45:16,800 --> 00:45:19,400 English, cos I'm good at writing. 986 00:45:19,400 --> 00:45:22,400 Yeah. I don't like science because it's too hard. 987 00:45:26,960 --> 00:45:28,760 So, when does this belief 988 00:45:28,760 --> 00:45:30,800 that we have different abilities 989 00:45:30,800 --> 00:45:32,680 start to form? 990 00:45:32,680 --> 00:45:35,920 Some scientists think it begins with play. 991 00:45:35,920 --> 00:45:38,720 Professor Gina Rippon is a cognitive neuroscientist 992 00:45:38,720 --> 00:45:40,880 who's been studying how our brains 993 00:45:40,880 --> 00:45:43,720 are shaped by our early experiences. 994 00:45:43,720 --> 00:45:45,840 I've got some clips here for you. 995 00:45:50,920 --> 00:45:52,320 Hello! 996 00:45:52,320 --> 00:45:55,680 These children are just three and four years old, 997 00:45:55,680 --> 00:45:58,280 which, research tells us, is around the age 998 00:45:58,280 --> 00:46:01,520 they start to become aware of gender. 999 00:46:01,520 --> 00:46:05,320 Generally, they gravitate towards people like them. 1000 00:46:05,320 --> 00:46:07,000 If other boys playing with the train 1001 00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:09,200 then the boys will go and play with the train 1002 00:46:09,200 --> 00:46:11,280 and the girls will go into the kitchen. 1003 00:46:11,280 --> 00:46:14,520 If girls don't play with wonderful construction toys 1004 00:46:14,520 --> 00:46:16,840 then they don't have the kind of spatial experience, 1005 00:46:16,840 --> 00:46:20,280 which will give them more confidence when they start to do 1006 00:46:20,280 --> 00:46:22,240 maths and science, for example. 1007 00:46:22,240 --> 00:46:24,640 That in adults is one of the biggest areas 1008 00:46:24,640 --> 00:46:26,680 where there is a difference, right, 1009 00:46:26,680 --> 00:46:29,520 in the ability to manipulate spatial information? 1010 00:46:29,520 --> 00:46:32,600 But if you look at what appears to be a sex difference, 1011 00:46:32,600 --> 00:46:35,640 a big study done in the States, in spatial skills, 1012 00:46:35,640 --> 00:46:37,480 if you then start to ask them, 1013 00:46:37,480 --> 00:46:40,280 "So, what type of toys did you play with as a child? 1014 00:46:40,280 --> 00:46:42,120 "Do you play video games now? 1015 00:46:42,120 --> 00:46:43,720 "What kind of hobbies have you got?" 1016 00:46:43,720 --> 00:46:45,400 That trumps the sex difference. 1017 00:46:45,400 --> 00:46:48,920 And this doesn't just apply to spatial intelligence. 1018 00:46:48,920 --> 00:46:53,400 If boys are deprived of the opportunity for nurturing dolls 1019 00:46:53,400 --> 00:46:55,760 and playing in the kitchen 1020 00:46:55,760 --> 00:46:58,200 then that will give them a different experience. 1021 00:46:58,200 --> 00:47:00,760 Do you think there are some things that women are good at? 1022 00:47:00,760 --> 00:47:04,960 Cleaning up and with babies. 1023 00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:07,920 Yeah. Do you think that there are things that men are good at? 1024 00:47:07,920 --> 00:47:10,280 I think they're good at playing football. 1025 00:47:10,280 --> 00:47:13,000 Taking care of their children and stuff. 1026 00:47:13,000 --> 00:47:16,720 Yeah, yeah. I agree. I agree, too. 1027 00:47:16,720 --> 00:47:20,000 Although gender stereotypes are less common now, 1028 00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:22,200 they clearly still exist 1029 00:47:22,200 --> 00:47:25,280 and research suggests that they can have a significant effect 1030 00:47:25,280 --> 00:47:29,320 on how we perform on certain intelligence tests. 1031 00:47:29,320 --> 00:47:31,880 So, is there anything we can do to change them? 1032 00:47:31,880 --> 00:47:35,240 There's a very nice study where they took a group of girls, 1033 00:47:35,240 --> 00:47:38,400 who were underperforming on spatial tasks, 1034 00:47:38,400 --> 00:47:42,360 and they let them play Tetris intensively for about three months. 1035 00:47:42,360 --> 00:47:46,120 Those parts of brain, which underpin spatial performance, 1036 00:47:46,120 --> 00:47:48,520 changed quite subtly. Physically changed? 1037 00:47:48,520 --> 00:47:49,800 Physically changed. 1038 00:47:49,800 --> 00:47:50,960 After just three months, 1039 00:47:50,960 --> 00:47:54,280 parts of the cortex - the outer layer of the brain - 1040 00:47:54,280 --> 00:47:57,480 got thicker and other parts of the brain became more active 1041 00:47:57,480 --> 00:48:00,520 when solving a spatial problem. 1042 00:48:00,520 --> 00:48:05,280 So, we can actually show how a specific part of the brain, 1043 00:48:05,280 --> 00:48:07,320 and a specific function of the brain, 1044 00:48:07,320 --> 00:48:10,720 can respond to training and will change behaviour. 1045 00:48:12,080 --> 00:48:14,440 There you go then, Michael. You've got no excuse any more. 1046 00:48:14,440 --> 00:48:17,080 You can start working on your emotional intelligence right away. 1047 00:48:17,080 --> 00:48:19,680 I will start immediately. 1048 00:48:19,680 --> 00:48:22,320 He won't. OK. 1049 00:48:22,320 --> 00:48:24,440 For our final investigation, 1050 00:48:24,440 --> 00:48:27,240 we are looking into one of the things that's crucial 1051 00:48:27,240 --> 00:48:28,960 to every aspect of our life - 1052 00:48:28,960 --> 00:48:32,000 our ability to communicate, our way with words. 1053 00:48:32,000 --> 00:48:36,160 When do you think you're talent as a wordsmith peaks? 1054 00:48:36,160 --> 00:48:39,200 Can you turn a phrase better in your 20s or your 70s? 1055 00:48:44,680 --> 00:48:47,080 How many words I know is something that should get better 1056 00:48:47,080 --> 00:48:48,840 as I get older. 1057 00:48:48,840 --> 00:48:51,360 Verbal skills continue to improve into old age. 1058 00:48:51,360 --> 00:48:54,760 It probably gets a wee bit worse with age because your memory goes. 1059 00:48:54,760 --> 00:48:58,480 Language peaks potentially around your late 20s, early 30s. 1060 00:48:58,480 --> 00:49:01,440 I've had to understand new words all my life. 1061 00:49:01,440 --> 00:49:04,720 I think 12 to 16 is the best age because, at that age, 1062 00:49:04,720 --> 00:49:07,960 you are, like, reading new stuff every day in school. 1063 00:49:07,960 --> 00:49:09,880 I certainly don't have the word skills, do I? 1064 00:49:09,880 --> 00:49:11,200 Cos I'm running out of them. 1065 00:49:16,320 --> 00:49:19,280 To test how age affects our verbal intelligence, 1066 00:49:19,280 --> 00:49:23,560 we are going to pit our younger team against our older team again. 1067 00:49:23,560 --> 00:49:26,640 OK, older team, last time round didn't go so well for you. 1068 00:49:26,640 --> 00:49:28,360 No. Chance for redemption? 1069 00:49:28,360 --> 00:49:30,320 Oh, definitely a chance for redemption. 1070 00:49:30,320 --> 00:49:32,120 Definitely. Rooting for you guys. 1071 00:49:32,120 --> 00:49:34,160 Don't let me down, OK? I hope so. 1072 00:49:34,160 --> 00:49:37,120 Now, younger team over here, do you think you've got a chance? 1073 00:49:37,120 --> 00:49:39,280 No. No. Not at all. 1074 00:49:39,280 --> 00:49:40,600 HANNAH LAUGHS 1075 00:49:40,600 --> 00:49:42,920 OK. All right. Well, we'll see, shall we? 1076 00:49:42,920 --> 00:49:46,160 Now, in this game, you are going to be presented 1077 00:49:46,160 --> 00:49:50,600 with a word and four possible definitions - like this. 1078 00:49:50,600 --> 00:49:52,840 You have to pick the definition 1079 00:49:52,840 --> 00:49:54,880 that best matches that word. 1080 00:49:54,880 --> 00:49:56,320 And, again, you are only 1081 00:49:56,320 --> 00:49:57,720 going to get a point here 1082 00:49:57,720 --> 00:50:01,160 if you are right when the other team is wrong. 1083 00:50:01,160 --> 00:50:03,200 Give it a go. Off you go. 1084 00:50:06,640 --> 00:50:08,360 Oh! Just! 1085 00:50:08,360 --> 00:50:09,520 Lightning fingers. 1086 00:50:23,720 --> 00:50:26,760 Oh! Split of opinion and the older team have it. 1087 00:50:37,120 --> 00:50:40,240 Both right again. 1088 00:50:45,880 --> 00:50:49,360 Oh, they're split and the older team have it again. 1089 00:50:49,360 --> 00:50:52,480 Only two slip-ups so far from the younger team. 1090 00:50:57,000 --> 00:50:58,240 Oh, split again. 1091 00:50:58,240 --> 00:51:00,080 Hickory. 1092 00:51:00,080 --> 00:51:01,960 Oh, the... 1093 00:51:01,960 --> 00:51:04,560 The older team, you've dropped a point. 1094 00:51:04,560 --> 00:51:06,160 Don't like that! 1095 00:51:07,040 --> 00:51:08,600 KLAXON 1096 00:51:08,600 --> 00:51:11,880 And that means time is up. 1097 00:51:11,880 --> 00:51:15,240 OK, everybody, let's have a little look at our scores here. 1098 00:51:15,240 --> 00:51:17,360 It was close, but 1099 00:51:17,360 --> 00:51:20,200 the older team, two points. Yay! 1100 00:51:20,200 --> 00:51:22,160 You clawed it back. Yay! 1101 00:51:22,160 --> 00:51:24,040 1-1 between you. Very good indeed. 1102 00:51:24,040 --> 00:51:27,160 But how does all of this compare to the national results? 1103 00:51:27,160 --> 00:51:28,960 That's the big question. 1104 00:51:28,960 --> 00:51:31,680 Well, again, there were some very interesting things 1105 00:51:31,680 --> 00:51:33,120 buried in the data 1106 00:51:33,120 --> 00:51:35,760 and, across Britain, by far 1107 00:51:35,760 --> 00:51:39,240 the best verbal abilities were up here, in Scotland, 1108 00:51:39,240 --> 00:51:40,280 in Midlothian. 1109 00:51:40,280 --> 00:51:41,920 We also saw a very strong connection 1110 00:51:41,920 --> 00:51:43,440 between verbal intelligence 1111 00:51:43,440 --> 00:51:45,720 and how often you read books. 1112 00:51:45,720 --> 00:51:49,520 You can see here that people who said that they rarely read 1113 00:51:49,520 --> 00:51:51,480 did a lot less well, on average, 1114 00:51:51,480 --> 00:51:54,760 than those who spent a lot of their time reading. 1115 00:51:54,760 --> 00:51:59,200 But by far the biggest difference on this game was for age. 1116 00:52:00,320 --> 00:52:04,760 So, this graph here shows how different age groups performed - 1117 00:52:04,760 --> 00:52:06,080 and have a look at this. 1118 00:52:06,080 --> 00:52:10,800 The older our participants were, the better they scored. 1119 00:52:10,800 --> 00:52:14,200 And what's more, most previous studies showed that verbal abilities 1120 00:52:14,200 --> 00:52:15,920 peaked in the 60s. 1121 00:52:15,920 --> 00:52:18,360 But here we saw our participants 1122 00:52:18,360 --> 00:52:21,120 scoring highly well into their 80s. 1123 00:52:21,120 --> 00:52:23,200 And this is a very exciting finding, 1124 00:52:23,200 --> 00:52:25,120 and it shows that this is a skill 1125 00:52:25,120 --> 00:52:27,960 that really can improve as we get older. 1126 00:52:27,960 --> 00:52:30,320 Michael, something you can beat me at! 1127 00:52:30,320 --> 00:52:33,800 Yay! Apart, obviously, from the reaction time test 1128 00:52:33,800 --> 00:52:35,800 and the strength test as well. 1129 00:52:35,800 --> 00:52:39,040 Now, Professor Alan Gow has been studying how our thinking skills 1130 00:52:39,040 --> 00:52:40,560 can improve with age. 1131 00:52:40,560 --> 00:52:41,840 So, Alan, what's going on? 1132 00:52:41,840 --> 00:52:43,880 We talk about our verbal skills as an example 1133 00:52:43,880 --> 00:52:45,960 of our crystallised abilities - 1134 00:52:45,960 --> 00:52:48,240 these are the abilities that we accrue 1135 00:52:48,240 --> 00:52:50,960 through learning and experience. 1136 00:52:50,960 --> 00:52:54,040 So, unlike things like our memory, 1137 00:52:54,040 --> 00:52:56,920 our problem solving or our speed of thinking, 1138 00:52:56,920 --> 00:53:00,200 our crystallised skills may keep developing through midlife 1139 00:53:00,200 --> 00:53:02,520 and we may retain them into old age. 1140 00:53:02,520 --> 00:53:05,040 Which is extremely encouraging. 1141 00:53:05,040 --> 00:53:08,440 Now, our crystallised intelligence can keep improving with age, 1142 00:53:08,440 --> 00:53:10,280 but what are the best things we can do 1143 00:53:10,280 --> 00:53:13,200 to safeguard our intelligence as we get older? 1144 00:53:13,200 --> 00:53:15,040 Well, we're in Glasgow tonight 1145 00:53:15,040 --> 00:53:19,120 and, luckily, the Scots can shed some light on that question. 1146 00:53:21,400 --> 00:53:25,080 On Wednesday, the fourth of June, 1947, 1147 00:53:25,080 --> 00:53:29,160 children aged between 10-11 attending school in Scotland 1148 00:53:29,160 --> 00:53:32,040 sat a national intelligence exam. 1149 00:53:33,240 --> 00:53:36,080 The exam papers lay undisturbed for years, 1150 00:53:36,080 --> 00:53:38,520 until academics at Edinburgh University 1151 00:53:38,520 --> 00:53:40,720 came across them in the archives. 1152 00:53:42,000 --> 00:53:43,800 The discovery of these IQ tests 1153 00:53:43,800 --> 00:53:46,000 raised a fascinating possibility. 1154 00:53:46,000 --> 00:53:47,680 If they could track down the children 1155 00:53:47,680 --> 00:53:49,480 who'd done the original test 1156 00:53:49,480 --> 00:53:52,040 and then retest them, decades later, 1157 00:53:52,040 --> 00:53:55,240 then they could see whose IQ score had gone up, 1158 00:53:55,240 --> 00:53:57,600 whose down, whose stayed the same, 1159 00:53:57,600 --> 00:54:02,080 and that, in turn, might lead them to the keys to successful ageing. 1160 00:54:02,080 --> 00:54:06,360 A group of Scots, known as the Lothian Birth Cohort, 1161 00:54:06,360 --> 00:54:09,600 retook the very same exam they sat aged 11 1162 00:54:09,600 --> 00:54:11,600 over half a century later, 1163 00:54:11,600 --> 00:54:14,080 when they were aged 70. 1164 00:54:14,080 --> 00:54:17,840 Professor Ian Deary compared the results of both exams 1165 00:54:17,840 --> 00:54:20,760 to see how people's brains had aged. 1166 00:54:20,760 --> 00:54:22,600 These are the scores from age 11, 1167 00:54:22,600 --> 00:54:24,640 which we've plotted along the bottom, 1168 00:54:24,640 --> 00:54:26,840 and age 70, which goes up the side, 1169 00:54:26,840 --> 00:54:29,120 so each dot represents a person. 1170 00:54:29,120 --> 00:54:30,960 That's an average score. 1171 00:54:30,960 --> 00:54:33,520 And here's somebody who got an average score in childhood 1172 00:54:33,520 --> 00:54:35,400 and in older age. 1173 00:54:35,400 --> 00:54:38,160 But some people are getting very low scores in older age 1174 00:54:38,160 --> 00:54:40,320 and some people are doing superbly in older age. 1175 00:54:40,320 --> 00:54:43,560 So, we have the super agers, if you like, up here. 1176 00:54:43,560 --> 00:54:47,720 To find out why some people's brains had aged better than others, 1177 00:54:47,720 --> 00:54:49,800 Ian subjected them to tests, 1178 00:54:49,800 --> 00:54:52,240 including genetic profiling 1179 00:54:52,240 --> 00:54:56,120 and detailed questionnaires about their lifestyles. 1180 00:54:56,120 --> 00:54:59,840 There's a small contribution from certain genetic factors 1181 00:54:59,840 --> 00:55:03,240 toward how much people change in their thinking skills, 1182 00:55:03,240 --> 00:55:07,520 but there's a big slice here that's to do with lifestyle factors. 1183 00:55:07,520 --> 00:55:09,880 You can't change what your score was at 11, 1184 00:55:09,880 --> 00:55:12,080 you can't really change your genetics, 1185 00:55:12,080 --> 00:55:13,600 but you can change your lifestyle. 1186 00:55:15,440 --> 00:55:17,440 Ian's research has shown that those who were 1187 00:55:17,440 --> 00:55:21,280 consistently physically and mentally active had better thinking skills 1188 00:55:21,280 --> 00:55:23,640 in older age, 1189 00:55:23,640 --> 00:55:26,760 as did those who had learned a second language. 1190 00:55:26,760 --> 00:55:30,240 On the other hand, we're finding that things like 1191 00:55:30,240 --> 00:55:32,080 having type-two diabetes, 1192 00:55:32,080 --> 00:55:35,080 high blood pressure or smoking 1193 00:55:35,080 --> 00:55:38,000 are associated with slightly less good thinking skills. 1194 00:55:38,000 --> 00:55:39,920 If one's looking towards healthy living, 1195 00:55:39,920 --> 00:55:42,480 it's probably playing the numbers by making sure 1196 00:55:42,480 --> 00:55:45,480 you're doing the right thing in a number of areas. 1197 00:55:46,520 --> 00:55:50,240 Audrey Innes was one of the participants in this study, 1198 00:55:50,240 --> 00:55:52,600 along with Patrick Forsyth. 1199 00:55:52,600 --> 00:55:56,840 Impressively, both scored better on the test second time around. 1200 00:55:56,840 --> 00:56:00,320 Do you have any theories as to why you're ageing well? 1201 00:56:00,320 --> 00:56:04,120 I play golf, but it's getting less, I must admit - 1202 00:56:04,120 --> 00:56:05,800 particularly in the winter. 1203 00:56:05,800 --> 00:56:08,240 But, come this summer, hopefully I'll be... 1204 00:56:08,240 --> 00:56:09,640 Out there again. Yeah. 1205 00:56:09,640 --> 00:56:11,080 Are you sporty? 1206 00:56:11,080 --> 00:56:13,280 I cycle every day 1207 00:56:13,280 --> 00:56:15,160 and I have a very good friend 1208 00:56:15,160 --> 00:56:18,520 with whom I do cycling expeditions wherever - 1209 00:56:18,520 --> 00:56:21,200 Hungary or France, or wherever. 1210 00:56:21,200 --> 00:56:24,480 I always make sure that I'm a little bit au fait with the language. 1211 00:56:24,480 --> 00:56:25,880 You've aged well. 1212 00:56:25,880 --> 00:56:27,320 It's rather reassuring, isn't it? 1213 00:56:27,320 --> 00:56:28,960 Well, it is, yeah. Yeah. 1214 00:56:28,960 --> 00:56:32,000 You're not sort of going downhill, you're continuing to go uphill. 1215 00:56:33,200 --> 00:56:36,880 So, Alan, I used to think that really, by the time you hit my age, 1216 00:56:36,880 --> 00:56:38,480 there wasn't much you could do, 1217 00:56:38,480 --> 00:56:40,080 but we realise now that, actually, 1218 00:56:40,080 --> 00:56:41,720 the brain is quite plastic, isn't it? 1219 00:56:41,720 --> 00:56:43,960 There's certainly evidence growing 1220 00:56:43,960 --> 00:56:46,560 that learning or engaging with something new 1221 00:56:46,560 --> 00:56:49,680 might help to strengthen or build new connections. 1222 00:56:49,680 --> 00:56:53,720 A big study in the States looked at people taking up a new activity, 1223 00:56:53,720 --> 00:56:59,040 like quilting, digital photography, learning to use a new technology. 1224 00:56:59,040 --> 00:57:01,240 People that speak more than one language 1225 00:57:01,240 --> 00:57:04,120 may have benefits for thinking skills and brain health. 1226 00:57:04,120 --> 00:57:06,720 There are studies suggesting that learning a new language 1227 00:57:06,720 --> 00:57:09,080 at any age might be beneficial. 1228 00:57:09,080 --> 00:57:12,040 So, what would your top piece of advice be to keep your brain young? 1229 00:57:12,040 --> 00:57:14,040 Physical activity is probably the one 1230 00:57:14,040 --> 00:57:15,680 that consistently comes out 1231 00:57:15,680 --> 00:57:17,320 as being the most beneficial. 1232 00:57:17,320 --> 00:57:19,880 And we mustn't forget that social connections, 1233 00:57:19,880 --> 00:57:21,040 social interaction, 1234 00:57:21,040 --> 00:57:22,520 or indeed the opposite - 1235 00:57:22,520 --> 00:57:25,680 not being lonely - seems to be important for people's brain health. 1236 00:57:25,680 --> 00:57:27,880 OK, brilliant. Thank you very much, Alan. 1237 00:57:27,880 --> 00:57:31,280 There is so much that we can do to improve our brainpower 1238 00:57:31,280 --> 00:57:33,920 and it's important to add that there are lots of things 1239 00:57:33,920 --> 00:57:37,000 that intelligence tests can't measure, like personality. 1240 00:57:37,000 --> 00:57:40,760 Yes, the most important personality trait, in this regard, 1241 00:57:40,760 --> 00:57:42,520 is conscientiousness - 1242 00:57:42,520 --> 00:57:44,320 otherwise known as grit - 1243 00:57:44,320 --> 00:57:46,520 or old-fashioned hard work. 1244 00:57:46,520 --> 00:57:50,200 Studies suggest this can compensate for raw brainpower, 1245 00:57:50,200 --> 00:57:52,200 helping to strengthen our weaknesses. 1246 00:57:52,200 --> 00:57:54,840 Now, what I've learned is I clearly need to start gaming, 1247 00:57:54,840 --> 00:57:56,720 preferably in French, 1248 00:57:56,720 --> 00:58:00,120 and that Hannah needs to get down to the gym more. 1249 00:58:00,120 --> 00:58:03,720 Maybe in the New Year. If you want to find out how you score 1250 00:58:03,720 --> 00:58:05,440 on any of these tests, go online to 1251 00:58:05,440 --> 00:58:07,720 The Great British Intelligence Test website. 1252 00:58:07,720 --> 00:58:10,720 Thank you so much to our volunteers here in the studio, 1253 00:58:10,720 --> 00:58:13,560 to our experts and to every one of you at home 1254 00:58:13,560 --> 00:58:15,080 who helped make this 1255 00:58:15,080 --> 00:58:18,440 the biggest online intelligence test of its kind ever. 1256 00:58:18,440 --> 00:58:20,040 Goodnight. Goodnight.