There’s a common misconception that there’s a correlation between intelligence and escape room performance. Do escape rooms require a high IQ? No, they don’t require a high IQ, but a higher IQ certainly helps when you’re facing a gauntlet of puzzles. If you have a high IQ, then you are likely more mentally agile, which means that your brain is flexible and able to problem-solve more effectively. But that doesn’t mean that a high IQ is necessary for escape room success.
Using fluid intelligence
Fluid intelligence refers to your ability to process new information, problem-solve, and learn. While a person with a higher IQ is also likely to have greater fluid intelligence, anyone can learn and adapt. Fluid intelligence is extremely important when you’re playing an escape room. While you’re playing, you’ll find yourself in a new environment, surrounded by information. Being able to sort through your observations and prioritize them is essential in order to solve the game. Instead of an escape room requiring high IQ, your fluid intelligence is a key factor for how well you’ll perform when you play.
Using crystallized intelligence
Our crystallized intelligence is our general knowledge. It’s the information that we’ve learned and stored over the years that we keep as a handy reference. Escape rooms may require you to call on your crystallized intelligence if you want to win. Escape rooms have been known to use basic math, reference historical events, or ask you to identify common objects. All of these tasks rely on your pre-existing knowledge—or crystallized intelligence.
Using bodily-kinesthetic intelligence
It might not seem like it, but your kinesthetic intelligence is a huge asset in an escape room. Your coordination and motor control come into play more often than you might realize. Kinesthetic intelligence is crucial to solve mechanical or task-based puzzles. If you don’t have the coordination required to operate a mechanism, the puzzle won’t get solved. Not only that, but muscle memory can help with memorization and pattern recognition. Have you ever drawn in the air to remember information? If you have, then you’ve definitely used kinesthetic intelligence before. Rather than worrying about whether escape rooms require a high IQ, focus on coordinating information in relation to your body; this valuable type of intelligence should not be overlooked.