Money matters: Poverty and IQ
TUESDAY, JULY 08, 2014 10:15 AM

Struggling financially puts a strain on a person's life. Figuring out how to cover basic living expenses or get out of debt can consume a person's mind. In fact, that mental and emotional strain can even trickle down and effect the IQ scores of kids living in a low-income household. According to research by Martha Farah, professor of natural sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, all children's brains start out the same. However, the brains of children raised by a poor family develop slower than those of kids who grow up in a stable financial situation. 

Comparing cognitive development
Farah studied the brains of children living in both wealth and poverty. The brain scans revealed that poor children experienced stunted development of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. The former regulates stress, memory and learning, while the latter takes care of motor control and memory. 

"Wealthy kids tend to get more stimulation," Farah told Deseret News National. "They get read to more, talked to more, get to visit interesting places - we know that promotes cognitive brain development."

The more words children learn before they turn 3, the greater their intelligence may be. When kids are read to by their parents or visit museums where they hear all sorts of new vocabulary, they have a better shot at ending up with a high IQ than if they did not experience such things.

Reversing the effect of poverty
A study conducted by Harvard University researchers discovered that living in poverty has the same effect on mental ability as pulling an all-nighter every single night. Like lack of sleep, constantly being in financial turmoil diminishes a person's ability to focus on doing the things they must accomplish to change their situation. Fortunately, kids growing up in a harsh environment can overcome the mental effects of poverty. 

According to a study by Boston Children's Hospital, kids have very resilient brains. Researchers observed children living in orphanages, testing their brain development. Kids who were removed from institutional living and placed in a stable foster home experienced a cognitive rebound. Compared to peers who never lived in an orphanage, the children who eventually lived with foster parents showed no mental development differences.

The researchers noted that the sooner children were removed from impoverished or stressful living conditions, the better. When children are young, their minds can adapt to their situation incredibly well.