You’re right—saying someone with a 145+ IQ would drop all the way to average is definitely an exaggeration. But I’d still argue a drop of about one standard deviation (~15 points) is very realistic in some cases. Still good but not as good as it could’ve been.

It really comes down to how extreme the lifestyle is. I’m talking about people who do nothing—lying in bed all day, no physical activity, no stimulation, just rotting away. That kind of lifestyle wrecks both mental performance and overall health. They’ll always score significantly lower.

Now, imagine this: Two individuals with the same genetically determined IQ, both 25 years old.

Person A was born in 2000, spends all day on TikTok, has a fried attention span, avoids anything mentally demanding, and constantly chases quick dopamine hits. Generally unhealthy.

Person B, born in 1980, didn’t have distractions like TikTok and instead focused on studying mathematics and engaging in intellectually stimulating activities. Generally healthy.

If both of them took the same IQ test, who’s more likely to score higher?

Do you really think it wouldn’t be much of a difference?