Does brain size relate to intelligence?

[Kelley1]

[andreasderjuengere]

''Size matters''? :D

My own head isn't very big.

As some members on here rightly will be aware of is that inside of humans' heads, usually there is a brain installed. In most cases it's reasonably functional and has a potential to perform.

My own brain's performance is reasonably well.

As some members on here are not aware of, is that a small glass of wine and a tank full of shit isn't exactly the same.

Brains are natural - and nature apparently has not found a way to invent or to build something biological that could be compared with a microchip (not to be confused with the 'microchimp'). So I will assume that below a certain size a brain cannot compete in intelligence.

Where I raise the question if inventing nukes or fast food chains is a matter of intelligence.

[jahaims]

It can be. It's more like correlation not causation. A large brain could be for complex bodily functions or just a large body as well. Density of neurons is probably a better indicator of intelligence in a species.

[debbiedenise]

I think it does somewhat. I think it depends on what kind of matter is in each brain though. There are certainly different types of intelligence.

[debbiedenise]

Thanks for MHO

[Screenwriter]

I've heard it's the number of folds in your gray matter that relates to intelligence. But that may be an old myth.

[AI Opinion]

The relationship between brain size and intelligence is complex. While some studies suggest a modest correlation between brain size and intelligence, it's not the sole factor. Intelligence is influenced by various elements, including neural connections, brain structure efficiency, and environmental factors. It's the brain's functionality, not just size, that plays a more significant role in determining intelligence.

[MuddyMole]

Partially, but it's not that simple. IIRC, the number of folds (and therefore total surface area, which is apparently more important than volume) has a lot to do with it as well - so those rat and cat brains are quite smooth, while the dolphin brain has a lot more folds, suggesting it's likely to be more intelligent.

Personally, I've always found it pretty mind blowing that those tiny baby spiders you see, that are the size of a pinhead, and whose brains must be absolutely microscopic, can still figure out how to spin a perfect web (it's not like their parents teach them, so the information must be in there somewhere, right from the start).

[Effably]

Yes. That's the easy answer. Big brain good.

That said, it is more about how much we can fit inside our brain. For example women often have more tightly packed neural pathways with the hippocampus. Which is responsible for among other things memory and emotion.

Men of course have our own specialisations too.

In the end a big brain just means there is lots of space to design things, not that the space is well used. Comparing a modern day computer to an early-model computer we can see that size has gone down tremendously ans performance has increased. However the complexity, the pathways and density of information so to speak, has increased.

So a big brain does loosely relate to intelligence but does nothing to say how well optimized it is.

[ohsheeT]

Damn I just got Deja vu. Yes, Yes, bigger is better, but you have to know how to use it. You have to take care of it. Your nerve endings throughout your whole body but in your brain are important. It's just like a muscle. You have to use it or lose it

[glennos89]

No I don't think so. If don't think octopus 🦑 have very large brains. I know they have multiple brains, each tenticle has its own brain but still all those 8 brains together are very large combined. Nevertheless octopus are extremely intelligent animals. The intelligence of octopus is equivalent to ours

[purplepoppy]

Birds have tiny brains and are. really intelligent. Cows have big brains and they're dumb so I'd say no.

[Douglas1180]

Most people believe intelligence comes from hashtags, not skull size. #TinyIdeasBigProblems

[Surely]

Somewhere I have heard that humans only use a small percentage of their brain cells. So I would guess that the size isn’t really an issue. At least in humans. Since there is more brain cells not used than used!

[Gaylordslav]

Guys with big brains have big dicks and big bank accounts

[Xawyx-2]

I don't think so, whales and elephants have larger brains than humans, but humans are more intelligent.

[Xawyx-2]

Another example, parrots have smaller brains than lions or tigers, but parrots are more intelligent.

[princeofromance]

No, it does not always go by bigger is better.

[Kelley1]

Is relate the same as always?

[TonyMetal___86]

Nope, it's the number of neurons and how much their connection to each other is powerful

[DrPepper12]

Depends how you define intelligence

[Luckycharms12]

no not at all