Does a Higher IQ Equal a Longer Life?

Scottish researchers analyzed data on nearly 66,000 people who were born in 1936 and discovered that those with a higher IQ test score in childhood had a 28% reduced risk of death from respiratory disease, a 25% lower risk of death from heart disease, and a 24% reduced risk of death from stroke. The study also showed that a higher IQ in childhood was significantly associated with a lower risk of death from injury, smoking-related cancers, digestive disease, and dementia. Senior study author Dr. Ian Deary writes, “We don’t know yet why intelligence from childhood and longevity are related, and we are keeping an open mind. Lifestyles, education, deprivation, and genetics may all play a part.” —BMJ, June 2017