This could spark a row over the breakfast table, but recent research has found that there are more clever men than women. An all-male team of psychologists at Edinburgh University has discovered that there are twice as many males as females in the brightest two per cent of the population.
Homer Simpson, men: either very clever or really stupid Homer: Males scored the highest and lowest scores in all the tests
The research, however, also points out that there are twice as many males as females in the least intelligent two per cent of the country.
The researchers said that they eliminated factors such as education and upbringing by comparing members of the same family.
They looked at the intelligence of more than 2,500 brothers and sisters by testing them on science, maths, English and mechanical ability.
Males scored the highest and lowest scores in all the tests and also performed better in science and arithmetic.
Women occupied the middle ground and were also found to be better at languages.
One theory put forward to explain the results is that men have evolved to boost their intelligence as a way of making themselves more attractive to the opposite sex. Women, however, do not need to be clever in order to reproduce. advertisement
Timothy Bates, professor of psychology at Edinburgh University, who led the research said: "The female developmental programme may be tilted more towards ensuring survival and enjoying the safety of the middle ground."
There are clearly exceptions: Carol Vorderman, the television presenter, is reported to have an IQ of more than 150, whereas the national average is 100.
Two years ago, Lawrence Summers, the president of Harvard University, was forced to resign after suggesting that women were naturally bad at sciences.
Poster Comment:
I'm very clever. I wear velcro shoes.