VCU news

By Tom Gresham

Intelligent people are slightly more symmetrical than their counterparts, according to a new Virginia Commonwealth University study published online for the journal, “Intelligence.”

The study, “Smarter People are (a bit) More Symmetrical: A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship between Intelligence and Fluctuating Asymmetry,” summarized empirically 14 past studies that included 1,871 people. Estimates of the correlation between intelligence and body symmetry ranged from .12 to .20, indicating that intelligent people were slightly more symmetrical than less intelligent people on average. Authors of the study are George Banks and John Batchelor, who are doctoral candidates in management in the VCU School of Business, and Michael McDaniel, Ph.D., professor of management at VCU.

“So far cognitive ability has been demonstrated to be the best predictor of job performance,” Banks said. “This article provides evidence for one potential cause of differences in individual intelligence.”

Intelligence is an important predictor of health and mortality, and research suggests that intelligence may be part of a general fitness factor that increases reproductive success and general survival. If this is the case, the VCU researchers reasoned, a relationship should exist between intelligence and other reliable indicators of fitness such as body symmetry. Body symmetry is measured by comparing the left and right side of the body in the lengths and width of bilateral body parts such as fingers, toes, hands and feet.

The full article of “Smarter People are (a bit) more symmetrical: A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship between Intelligence and Fluctuating Asymmetry” is available from the "Intelligence" homepage at Elsevier’s ScienceDirect or by contacting Tom Gresham, VCU Communications & Public Relations, tmgresham@vcu.edu, (804) 828-6051.