Ray Peat on Intelligence

January 29, 2026

Stress Hormones, Nutrition, and Longevity

“Stress hormones cause various tissues to age, including the brain and collagen in connective tissue. Good nutrition – including the anti-stress substances found in certain foods – will simultaneously optimize mental performance and extend healthy lifespan.”

Nutrition For Women

The Influence of Language on Undervaluing Animal Intelligence

“If we believe that language and logic are the source of knowledge, we will undervalue our own animal intelligence – and as a result, we become vulnerable to clichés and doctrines deliberately embedded in our culture.”

May 2017 – Ray Peat’s Newsletter

McClintock's Research on Virus Evolution and Epigenetics (double paragraph, same title applies)

“A simple shift in perspective can solve some old puzzles, such as how millions of virus species could arise since viruses cannot reproduce without the organisms they infect, and why our cells retain such a huge amount of useless or harmful DNA if our DNA evolved by discarding parts that did not contribute to fitness. McClintock’s work has led to an answer to these questions – and also to a foundation for understanding the ‘intelligence’ of epigenetics and the inheritance of adaptations. The ‘dark’ DNA functions during embryonic development and mediates the effects of the intrauterine environment.”

March 2021 – Ray Peat’s Newsletter

A Larger Brain Correlates with Intelligence and Longevity

“In animals generally, a larger brain is associated not only with higher intelligence but also with greater longevity.”

January 2018 – Ray Peat’s Newsletter

The Development of Intelligence through Interaction and Learning

“Our intelligence develops as we grow into the world as it is, and belonging to our world are things we learn about and people we learn from.”

Generative Energy Restoring The Wholeness Of Life

Environmental Influences Ignored by the Genetic-Reductionist School

“Although many types of experiments showed both prenatal and transgenerational environmental influences on intelligence, body proportions, and aging rate, the genetic-reductionist school ignored them and defined itself as the only scientific school of biology.”

October 1990 – Ray Peat’s Newsletter

Possible Benefits of Delayed Puberty from Animal Studies

“If we can generalize from animal studies, delaying puberty could increase brain size and longevity, improve intelligence, reduce violence, and even make people physically more attractive.”

October 1990 – Ray Peat’s Newsletter

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