Working in small groups affects your IQ

More the reason to want to do the work yourself.Know those mind-numbing meetings you're forced to sit through at work? They could actually be screwing with your smarts.

According to new research from Virginia Tech, working together in small groups can make some typically smart people less intelligent in the moment. To get the results, scientists gave university students IQ tests, then paired up those who had similar levels of higher-than-average intelligence, and had them solve problems as a team.

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Overall, most participants ended up with worse scores than they did on their individual IQ tests. For the next part of the study, scientists told the students how they were doing in comparison with their peers. Those who were told they weren't doing so hot ended up getting even lower scores.

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The crummiest part? Women were way more likely to be affected by the group dynamic than men-even though they had the same scores on their individual IQ tests beforehand. Not only that, researchers found that any group settings can kick off this decline in intellect. So cocktail parties can, well, make you feel dumber and, as a result, act less intelligently.

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So next time you're asked to work in a group, try to keep the teams small or at least remind yourself to stick to your guns and not "dumb down" if you find yourself in a large group.

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