Executive Function

What are Executive Functions?

Executive functions are the “air traffic control system” of the brain. They are the high-level cognitive processes that allow us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. Just as an airport needs a controller to manage dozens of planes on different runways, your brain needs executive functions to manage a constant flow of information and decisions.

These functions are primarily located in the Prefrontal Cortex, the most evolved part of the human brain.

The Three Core Executive Functions

Most psychologists agree that there are three main components to the executive system:

1. Working Memory: The ability to hold information in mind and use it. This allows you to follow multi-step directions or solve math problems in your head.
2. Cognitive Flexibility (Flexible Thinking): The ability to switch between different concepts or adapt to new rules. It is the opposite of “tunnel vision.”
3. Inhibitory Control (Self-Control): The ability to resist impulses, stop habitual behaviors, and stay focused on a goal despite distractions.

Executive Function vs. IQ

While IQ (specifically the G-factor) measures your “raw power” or potential, Executive Function measures how well you can use that power. You can have a very high IQ but struggle with executive dysfunction (common in ADHD), making it difficult to turn your intelligence into real-world results.

Conversely, strong executive functions can often compensate for a slightly lower IQ, as the individual is better at organizing their time, staying persistent, and avoiding costly mistakes.

The Impact on Life Success

Research shows that executive function skills are actually better predictors of success in school and career than IQ alone. These skills enable you to:

• Set goals and create a plan to reach them.
• Prioritize tasks based on importance.
• Regulate emotions during stressful situations.
• Monitor your own progress and adjust your strategy.

Development and Decline

• Development: Executive functions are not present at birth but develop rapidly through childhood and adolescence, only reaching full maturity in the mid-20s.
• Decline: Unfortunately, these high-level functions are also some of the first to decline with age, stress, or lack of sleep, as the prefrontal cortex is highly sensitive to the body’s internal state.

Executive Function in the IQ Archive

In our IQ Archive, we see the power of executive functions in the lives of world leaders, CEOs, and masters of their craft. It is not just their ability to solve a logic puzzle (Fluid Intelligence) that sets them apart, but their ability to organize their minds and maintain razor-sharp focus over decades of work.

Conclusion: The Commander of the Mind

Executive function is the “How” of intelligence. It is the difference between knowing what to do and actually doing it. By understanding and strengthening these systems, we can move from passive awareness to active mastery of our own cognitive potential.