FunEducation

Parents may feel more comfortable knowing that the everyday products they expose their children to have been treated with flame-retardant chemicals. However, just because these items are less flammable does not mean they do not pose a threat to kids. In fact, being around these products could cause children to develop low IQs.

In a recent study, researchers from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine looked into what effects exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which are found in flame retardants, had on pregnant women's unborn children. Not only were these chemicals cited as a reason for increased hyperactivity in kids, but lower intelligence as well, according to a press release from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

To arrive at these findings, the researchers measured the PBDE levels in blood samples from 309 pregnant women. They found that 5-year-olds whose mothers received a 10-fold increase in PBDEs tended to have an IQ deficit of about four points.

Knowing about these findings, parents may be more concerned about their children's intelligence, and whether PBDEs have affected their minds. The results of an IQ test for kids may be able to provide the cognitive information parents desire.

If parents believe their son or daughter is more gifted than other children, they should have him or her take an IQ test for kids. The results of this assessment may reveal that a child has what it takes to become the next Tanishq Abraham.

At just 9 years old, Tanishq is enrolled at American River College, and was recently inducted into the international honor society Phi Theta Kappa, according to The Sacramento Bee. Gaining entry into Phi Theta Kappa was not much of a challenge for Tanishq, who has a 4.0 GPA and 30 college credits under his belt.

Despite his young age, Tanishq has big plans for the future. After he earns an associate degree, he plans to enroll in a university so he can earn a bachelor's degree. Beyond academia, Tanishq would like to become a scientist, doctor and a U.S. president. Although some may believe Tanishq's life is dedicated to the constant acquisition of new knowledge, he does not see it that way.

"People always think I'm not enjoying my childhood and that I should stop college classes and enjoy childhood," Tanishq told ABC News10. "But I am actually enjoying childhood."

Although the thought that children may not be safe in their own home is a frightening one, it could also be true in settings where lead is prevalent. In older homes especially, this deadly metal could be in the paint used to color walls or in the tap water that comes out of a faucet. As if all this was not scary enough, more than half a million children in the U.S. are believed to have lead poisoning, The Associated Press recently reported.

What is so troubling about this figure is that it is almost double the previous high estimate for the number of children with lead poisoning. Part of the reason for this is that the government lowered the threshold for this condition last year.

When children are exposed to too much lead, they are at risk of damaging their brains to a point where their IQ will suffer. According to the Mayo Clinic, harm to kids' brains may be irreversible. The brain is not the only part of the body that can suffer following exposure to high amounts of lead, as the nervous system and kidneys are also at risk.

With all this in mind, parents who fear their children have been exposed to lead may want to have them take an IQ test for kids to see if the metal has affected them in any way.

If parents believe their children have what it takes to achieve a high score on an IQ test for kids, they should encourage them to take one of these assessments. Parents may discover that their children are in fact gifted learners, which will help them find education options that will nurture their talents.

When parents do not identify their children's talents early on, kids stand to miss out on opportunities that could help them thrive, in and outside of school. At Connecticut's Windsor High School, for example, students from the institution's gifted and talented program are working to make their campus a little more aesthetically pleasing, the ReminderNews reported.

The students are currently participating in "Operation Courtyard," a project with a goal to take a courtyard that has been battered by brutal weather and transform it into a beautiful outdoor space.

"It shows we're not just a bunch of kids and we can get things done," Kaitlyn Ali, one of the students participating in the project, told the news source.

These types of projects can be helpful to gifted students' intellectual and personal growth. The National Association for Gifted Children states that the development of gifted children's talents is a lifelong process. As a result, parents may want to begin this process as early as possible.

Whether individuals are finishing up high school or returning to academia after a long absence, they may want to take a personality test to get a sense of how they will perform academically in college. After all, recent research from Rice University found that those who are conscientious are more likely than their peers who do not possess this characteristic  to achieve a high grade point average (GPA).

For their research, Rice psychologists looked at previous studies on the relationship between college GPA and the "Big Five" personality types, which are agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism and openness to experience.

Overall, the psychologists worked with data from 51 previous studies, which aggregated information on more than 26,000 participants. In each study, individuals were asked to complete personality tests that asked them to rate how much they agreed with statements about themselves. Their answers provided insight into which of the Big Five personality traits they possessed.

Based on all this research, the psychologists found that those who claimed to be more conscientious were performing better at school.

"Research on these personality tests helps us gain a better understanding of how various personality traits may affect academic outcomes and other important life outcomes," said Sam McAbee, a graduate student of psychology at the University, as well as the study's lead author. "And although some researchers have questioned whether these personality measures might vary in their validity or effectiveness for predicting these outcomes, our analysis shows that all five measures produce similar results in the academic domain."

Personality traits have not only been linked to students' grades, but their SAT scores as well. According to the findings of a 2007 University of California, Davis study, those who were more open achieved higher SAT verbal scores. The researchers behind this study also found a connection between conscientiousness and good grades.

With all this research available, it is possible that students, their teachers and college admissions officials could benefit. For example, students may be frustrated with how they are performing in the classroom and recognize that the problems lie in their personalities. At the same time, educators who are aware of their students' personalities can develop lessons that address their learning needs.

"Grade point average is just one of many factors that can predict student performance and long-term success," McAbee said. "We hope our findings will encourage research that investigates how different personality traits impact important outcomes."

Each month, more than 1 billion people use Facebook, according to the online social network's website. So long as they are logged into their accounts, these individuals have a chance to "Like" everything from their favorite bands and films to athletic teams and brands. Not only does this provide other users with an idea of what their interests are, but it could offer insight into their personality as well.

Based on new research from the University of Cambridge, Facebook Likes have the potential to reveal an individual's age, race, sexuality, political views, IQ and personality. The researchers behind the study, which appears in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," worked with data from 58,000 U.S. Facebook users.

According to the study's authors, Facebook Likes are similar to people's internet search histories, in that they have the potential to provide insight into who regular web users really are.

"We believe that our results, while based on Facebook Likes, apply to a wider range of online behaviors," said Michal Kosinski, operations director at the Psychometric Centre, who worked on the study.

According to the Mayo Clinic, many complications can follow a traumatic brain injury (TBI), from recurring seizures to personality changes. In a recent study, researchers from Georgia Research University found that even mild TBIs have the potential to cause significant neurological damage.

Knowing this, individuals who have survived any type of blow to the head may want to consider taking an IQ test so they can discover just how much their mind has been affected. Based on the results of the study, the effects of mild TBIs can actually be quite severe.

To find out how devastating a mild TBI can be, researchers watched the injury play out on a living brain. What they observed was swelling that led to a reduction in blood flow. This, in turn, led to neuron connection damage that resulted in these links' eventual death.

"We saw every branch, every small wire and how it gets cut," said Sergei Kirov, a neuroscientist and the director of the Human Brain Lab at Georgia Regents' Medical College. "We saw how it destroys networks. It really goes downhill. It's the first time we know of that someone has watched this type of minor injury play out over the course of 24 hours."

Many parents hope that their children's lives will be filled with incredible accomplishments. However, most mothers and fathers probably do not expect their kids to start racking up achievements at the age of 4. For one family in Rowan County, N.C., this just so happens to be the case.

According to the Salisbury Post, 4-year-old Michael Wimmer was recently granted membership to Mensa. This means that Michael's IQ places him in the top 2 percent of his age group. As is to be expected, Michael's parents are both proud and surprised.

"We're really proud he was able to have the intellect for that," Mark Wimmer, Michael's father, told the news source. "You want your kids to do better than you, but we just didn't expect it to happen at 4."

Although Michael is young, it is not uncommon for children to be accepted into the high IQ society. According to American Mensa's website, the estimated 6 million American Mensa members range in age from 2 to 102.

Mark wanted his son to join Mensa so the family could gain access to resources for gifted children.

If parents believe their children might be gifted, and want to provide them with the types of experiences that will benefit their development, mothers and fathers should consider having them complete an IQ test for kids.

There are many steps people can take toward landing their dream job, from taking a career test to researching the major companies in the field they hope to enter. If they have not done so already, job seekers may want to try networking.

In the event that individuals have never tried networking, there are a few things they should consider. For instance, The Boston Globe suggests job seekers place a focus on themselves and become the type of people others want to talk to. This means keeping essential knowledge and skills up to date and becoming something of a resource for those seeking information on the field they are in.

It also helps for job seekers to frequent places where they will be in a better position to network, such as college alumni events, trade shows and conferences. So long as individuals are out of work, their calendar should be filled with events they can attend, according to CareerBuilder. No event should be the last event.

Even if job seekers are struggling to find work, they should not pass up the opportunity to provide career assistance to others if they can help, or just do what they can to improve conditions in their field. According to The Boston Globe, they never know when this will yield indirect benefits.

If parents believe their children are not receiving the proper amount of sleep each night, it may be time for them to take an IQ test for kids. The results of this assessment could back up the findings of a recent study, which revealed that sleep helps children's brains store whatever they learned before going to bed.

In this study, which was published in "Nature Neuroscience," researchers from Germany's University of Tübingen's Institute for Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology found that sleep's effects on knowledge retention were stronger in children than in adults.

When people go to sleep, their memories are processed in a way that will make learning easier in the future.

" … Children's extraordinary ability is linked with the large amount of deep sleep they get at night," said the University's Ines Wilhelm, who also conducted the study. "The formation of explicit knowledge appears to be a very specific ability of childhood sleep, since children typically benefit as much or less than adults from sleep when it comes to other types of memory tasks."

Based on the results of this study, parents who want to see their children's brains stay sharp as they get older should make sure they are receiving the proper amount of rest each night. According to the National Sleep Foundation, kids between the ages of 3 and 5 need 11 to 13 hours of sleep, while 5- to 10-year-olds require 10 to 11 hours.

In a competitive job market, people who are looking to find a good job may pull out all the stops, from taking a career test to scouring their social network for potential employment opportunities. However, if they end up landing an interview, their overall tone could be what gives them a competitive advantage over the competition.

According to CBS MoneyWatch, there are a few things job candidates who wish to strike the right tone should do. For starters, they need to think about their approach to selling themselves as a possible employee. It is important for individuals to be confident, but humble, as they explain what experience and skills they possess that could be of value.

Job candidates' energy level should remain high, but that does not mean they should babble or make prolonged eye contact. Individuals should stay concise when answering their questions, and be sure not to keep talking any longer than is necessary.

In addition to following these steps, job candidates need to make sure to mind their manners. Quintessential Careers recommends they avoid chewing gum, telling jokes and offering a weak handshake if they wish to leave a good impression.

Some people may assume that anyone who receives a high score on an IQ test also enjoys devoting most of their free time to learning as much as possible as the nearest library. Anyone who thinks this would be wrong. In fact, 16-year-old U.K. resident Lauren Marbe proves that having a high IQ does not mean she cannot enjoy life's simple pleasures.

According to the Daily Mail, Marbe, who possesses an IQ of 161, loves to go tanning, receive manicures and blonde highlights. The teenager with an IQ higher than Albert Einstein's also loves to watch "The Only Way Is Essex," a British reality show.

Even though Marbe is now enrolled in Mensa, her high IQ is not her only accomplishment. She is also a talented performer, and has been part of the chorus for Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph," in London's West End. Marbe currently has an eye to the future, and could see herself studying architecture at the University of Cambridge.

The headteacher at Roding Valley High School, where Marbe attends classes, is encouraged by the student's achievements, and is also thinking about the future.

"In a time where the media and government criticize our youth for their supposed ignorance and superficiality it is even more vital to celebrate and encourage intelligence," the headteacher told Yahoo! News UK & Ireland. "It is these bright young things which we hope - with the guidance of a good education - will become the future leaders of our society."

While social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter are certainly popular with high schoolers and college students, these individuals are not the only ones tweeting and posting status updates. According to an infographic from the social marketing blog Flowtown, 26 percent of internet users who are at least 60 years of age are on social media websites. If older adults enjoy communicating with their peers online, they may want to take an IQ test, as their mental abilities could benefit from this activity.

This is what University of Arizona graduate student Janelle Wohltmann believes could happen if older adults create a Facebook account, based on her preliminary study findings. While the researcher's study is ongoing, she has found that participants, who are at least 65 and learning how to use Facebook, can perform 25 percent better on tasks that measure their working memory abilities.

A separate group of participants were trained to use an online diary website, which did not feature the same level of social interaction as Facebook. Overall, there was no evidence of a positive effect on these individuals' cognitive abilities.

"One of the take-home messages could be that learning how to use Facebook is a way to build what we call cognitive reserve, to help protect against and stave off cognitive decline due to normal age-related changes in brain function," Wohltmann said.

The more desirable the job opening, the greater competition applicants are likely to face. Now, however, new research suggests that when multiple individuals interview for a job on the same day, they are compared to one another, rather than being evaluated on how good of a fit they are for the position they applied for.

More competition means slimmer odds
In a study from researchers at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Business School, data from more than 9,000 Master of Business Administration interviews was reviewed. Even though the study focused on academia, the researchers said its findings can be applied to interviews that take place during the job search.

According to the study's results, which appear in the Association for Psychological Science's journal "Psychological Science," interviewers' opinions of candidates were often informed by their views of those they met earlier in the day.

"People are averse to judging too many applicants high or low on a single day, which creates a bias against people who happen to show up on days with especially strong applicants," said Uri Simonsohn and Francesca Gino, the researchers behind the study.

If an interviewer had already given candidates from earlier in the day high marks on their performance, they were less likely to do the same for individuals who were coming in later. Based on the results of this study, job seekers may want to be wary of interviews that are scheduled for later in the day.

How job seekers can handle heavy competition
Of course, it will not always be possible for individuals to decide what time of day their job interview takes place. This is especially difficult when a particular position is in high demand. However, there are ways for candidates to stand out when they face fierce competition.

According to U.S. News & World Report, one thing job seekers should try to do is forget about all the other people interviewing for the position they want. There is a good chance several people will interview before and after a candidate's own meeting. This is out of applicants' control and, as a result, not worth dwelling on. With negative thoughts out of their mind, people will be better able to focus on leaving a good impression.

Something else that could increase job seekers' chances of landing their ideal job is taking a career test. When they know what type of role they are better suited for, they could end up interviewing for an opening they will quickly fill.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider traumatic brain injury (TBI) to be a serious public health problem, as it affects approximately 1.7 million people on an annual basis. This condition, which is typically the result of a blow to the head, is especially common among veterans who become injured while serving their country.

Veterans who have returned home from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and have been diagnosed with TBI, may also have brain abnormalities, according to a new study from psychiatrists at the Iowa City VA Medical Center and University of Iowa (UI) Health Care. They found that these abnormalities are related to cognitive deficits, and linked to the severity of their brain injury.

"In the military population we studied, patients with TBI have more alterations, sometimes called 'potholes,' in the white matter of their brains than patients without a history of TBI," said Ricardo Jorge, a UI professor of psychiatry, who also authored the study.

Based on the psychiatrists' findings, the potholes were also linked to changes in the brain's executive functions, such as the ability to make a decision or establish a plan. With this information in mind, veterans, or anyone else who has sustained a TBI, may want to take an IQ test and see if there have been changes to their cognitive function.

In a world driven by technology, not every job interview has to take place in person, or even over the phone. These days, it is not uncommon for some companies to schedule an online interview with applicants. If job seekers agree to sit for a web-based conversation, they are going to want to take it as seriously as they would a face-to-face conversation.

If candidates want to make a good impression on a potential employer, they cannot afford any technical glitches they could easily have avoided. Before individuals sit for an online interview, Mashable suggests they make sure their webcam, microphone and other essential equipment is in working order.

The news source also highlights the importance of looking presentable during an online interview. Just because job seekers are in the comfort of their own home does not mean they should carry on a conversation in a bathrobe.

Job seekers must be careful how they appear to their interviewer. When it comes to posture, CBS MoneyWatch recommends looking relaxed yet attentive. At the same time, individuals need to remember to make eye contact with whoever they are talking to, and not stare at the image of themselves on their computer screen.

These strategies, in addition to the results of a career test and a strong resume, may ensure that individuals land their ideal job.

In society, there is a misconception that those who are more athletic tend not to be as smart as bookish individuals. This is certainly not true, and the results of an IQ test can quickly put this myth to rest. However, if people still need convincing, they may want to turn to the findings of a recent University of Montreal study.

According to Professor Jocelyn Faubert's research, many athletes actually have more developed cognitive functions than the average college student. To arrive at these findings, Faubert worked with 173 elite amateur athletes, 102 professional athletes and 33 non-athlete university students. These study participants were then asked to describe a series of objects moving through three dimensions.

Of the three groups, professional athletes proved they were better able to process what they were seeing than the amateur athletes, who, in turn, did better than students.

"Clearly, mental processing and learning skills are key to the excellent performance of the professional athletes," Faubert said. "However, it is unclear whether this superior learning ability is unique to professional athletes, and moreover whether these are innate skills that led them to be selected by these teams, or whether these skills have been acquired through extensive training."

Parents who wish to provide their children with a strong start to their academic careers may already plan on sending them to preschool. It is likely parents understand how much early childhood education programs can benefit their kids' personal and academic development. What they may not realize is that preschool could actually boost their IQ as well.

The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders states that around 1 percent of adolescent girls have anorexia nervosa, and an estimated 0.5 to 3.7 percent of women also suffer from the disorder. In a recent study, researchers from several German institutions found that there could be "connection errors" in these individuals' brains that alter the ways they perceive the human body.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nurse and veterinarian are just two professions in which compassion is considered an essential trait. Unlike healthcare, engineering is not considered to be a field in which compassion is a key characteristic. Perhaps this is why the researchers behind a recent study found that engineering students are less empathetic than individuals who are preparing for more caring occupations.