Men think they're smarter than they actually are... until they get older

Numerous studies show a decline in the average intelligence quotient, or IQ, in developed countries. But some, it seems, could be blissfully unaware of this phenomenon. A Cypriot study found that men tend to overestimate their intelligence when they are young.

Some 311 Greek younger and older adult volunteers took part in this study, whose findings were published in the journal Brain and Behavior. Among them were 128 men of varying ages.

They were asked to estimate their intelligence on a scale of 0 to 100, and to rate their health and physical attractiveness from 1 to 9. Participants were also asked to take several tests to assess their intellectual efficiency and creativity.

The researchers found that men overestimate their IQ, unlike women, who are much more modest about their intellectual abilities.

They also tend to overestimate their emotional quotient (EQ), a form of social intelligence that involves the ability to understand one's own emotions and those of others.

Other scientific studies have shown that men are often convinced that they have a high intelligence quotient, unlike women.

A phenomenon that simultaneously reflects a form of "male hubris" and "female humility," according to Adrian Furnham, professor of psychology at University College London.

But, study author, Vaitsa Giannouli, found that the "male hubris" effect appears to be less pronounced as men age. In other words, men overestimate their intellectual abilities less as they age.

"Young males in Greece rate their intelligence quotient (IQ) and emotional quotient (EQ) higher than young females. This finding was not confirmed for older adults, for which surprisingly the reverse pattern was found," she told PsyPost.

Even more surprisingly, women appear less "humble," to use Adrian Furnham's terms, as they get older. "Older women reported higher IQ and EQ than older men," writes Vaitsa Giannouli in the study.

Until now, the scientific community had not previously observed differences between older men and women in their self-assessment of intellectual ability. Further research is needed to investigate this topic more thoroughly, given the limited panel size of the Cypriot study.