It has been known since 1904 that, in humans, diverse cognitive traits are positively intercorrelated. This forms the basis for the general factor of intelligence (g). Here, we directly test whether there is a partial genetic basis for individual differences in g using data from seven different cognitive tests (n = 11,263–331,679) and genome-wide autosomal single-nucleotide polymorphisms. A genetic g factor accounts for an average of 58.4% (s.e. = 4.8%) of the genetic variance in the cognitive traits considered, with the proportion varying widely across traits (range, 9–95%). We distil genetic loci that are broadly relevant for many cognitive traits (g) from loci associated specifically with individual cognitive traits. These results contribute to elucidating the aetiology of a long-known yet poorly understood phenomenon, revealing a fundamental dimension of genetic sharing across diverse cognitive traits.

自 1904 年以来，人们就知道人类的不同认知特征是正相关的。这构成了智力的一般因素（ g ）的基础。在这里，我们使用七种不同认知测试（ n = 11,263–331,679）的数据和全基因组常染色体单核苷酸多态性直接测试g的个体差异是否存在部分遗传基础。遗传g因子平均占所考虑认知特征遗传变异的 58.4% (se = 4.8%)，不同特征的比例差异很大（范围为 9-95%）。我们从与个体认知特征具体相关的基因座中提取与许多认知特征广泛相关的遗传位点（ g ）。这些结果有助于阐明一种长期已知但知之甚少的现象的病因学，揭示了不同认知特征之间遗传共享的基本维度。