What are the factors that contributed to high IQ levels of population in 10 smartest countries in Asia? Are Asians naturally smarter than the rest of us? Is there something in that region of the world that helps breed geniuses? Are they simply born smart or is there something else?
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In the last century we have seen the stereotype about Asians changing from cheap laborers, working hard in their rice paddies, to smartest people on the planet. Technological development of first Japan and later other Asian countries like Taiwan, Korea and China have helped a lot in changing how the West sees Asian people, but now we have a large body of evidence that proves beyond any doubt that countries in Asia have higher average IQ than the rest of the world. Top 3 spots on the list of the smartest countries in the world are taken by nations from Asia.
According to the stereotype, Asian parents are very strict and demand a lot from their children, especially academically. Rarely will you see them standing by the football field or basketball court cheering for their kids. Sports are something that is leisure and success in it isn’t high on their priority list. But excelling in school is and that is mandatory. Whether this stereotype isn’t always accurate, it does have some grain of truth in it.
Once you combine that attitude with some of the best performing school systems in the world, you get amazing results. Ever since PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) testing begun in 2000, countries from Asia have been on the very top of the list. Students from countries like South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan are regularly among top 10 performers on PISA test. Chinese cities Hong Kong and Shanghai dominate their opposite numbers from all over the world. In 2012, first places in all three categories PISA was testing (math, science and reading) were taken by kids from Shanghai, while second places in science and reading went to Honk Kong. Singapore managed to grab second place in math, preventing international competition turning into Chinese one.
Correlation doesn’t always mean causation, but in this case, the evidence is overwhelming. Education is the reason why the list of 10 smartest countries in Asia looks like it does.
