Growing up, you may have been teased by your siblings for your large head; suffering cruel nicknames such as ‘Melon head’ and ‘Lollipop’.
However, now you can hold your head up high (if your neck can take the weight) with the knowledge your big head holds the secret to your inevitable dizzying success.
Researchers have suggested babies born with large noggins are more intelligent, with a greater chance of becoming educated and living a successful life.
Your mum was right all along (as per usual). Those pea heads are all just jealous of you and your fabulous coconut, which is literally brimming with brains.
Research conducted by UK Biobank – a biobank study which investigates the relation of genetic predisposition and environmental exposure to developing diseases – has suggested higher intelligence is connected to a large head circumference and brain volume.
UK Biobank monitors half a million UK residents to determine the link between their genes, their physical and mental health, and the direction their life will take.
For this study, researchers from the UK, Germany and the US, led by the University of Edinburgh, analysed UK Biobank data from 100,000 Brits between the ages of 37 and 73. Over half a million samples were used from previous studies.
Participants had been examined in various ways, with researchers testing factors including their verbal and numerical reasoning skills, reaction time (RT), memory and educational attainment.
The resulting paper, which was published in the Nature journal, Molecular Psychiatry, concluded:
Highly significant associations were observed between the cognitive test scores in the UK Biobank sample and many polygenic profile scores, including […]intracranial volume, infant head circumference and childhood cognitive ability.
As reported by the Independent, the average head size for a newborn baby is 36 cm for boys, and 35 cm for girls. Babies with bigger than average heads are more likely to become boffins.
The findings of this study are said to be so accurate, the size of a child’s head can even predict the likelihood of him or her entering higher education. Crikey.
UK Biobank has claimed:
Over many years this will build into a powerful resource to help scientists discover why some people develop particular diseases and others do not.
Director of the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE) at Edinburgh University, Professor Ian Deary, told Neuroscience News:
In addition to there being shared genetic influences between cognitive skills and some physical and mental health states, the study also found that cognitive skills share genetic influences with brain size, body shape and educational attainments.
Researcher Dr Sarah Harris added:
The research highlights the importance of investigating biological pathways that influence both cognitive function and health related traits.
Deposit PhotosSo go forth and be proud of your gigantic head, and wear all the eye-catching, bonce-enhancing hats you can.
But don’t get too proud, otherwise, you might not be able to fit your already humungous head through the front door…
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.