IQ linked to long life

Longitudinal cohort study of childhood IQ and survival up to age 76

Children with higher IQs may live longer, suggests a study in this week's BMJ. These findings add to our knowledge of the personal traits in youth that contribute to survival in adult life.

Results of an intelligence test, given to all 11-year olds attending Aberdeen schools in 1932, were used to determine survival up to 76 years. Of 2,230 subjects traced, those who died before 1 January 1997 had a significantly lower IQ at age 11 years than those who were alive or untraced. This suggests that high mental ability in late childhood reduces the chances of death up to age 76. The effect was weaker in men than in women, partly because men with high IQ were more likely to die in active service during the second world war.

The reason for this association is unclear, say the authors, as the effect of IQ is difficult to separate from the effects of social class and education. Future studies on the causes of inequalities in health and mortality should investigate childhood mental ability as one of the factors, they conclude.

Contacts:

Linda Menzies, Communications and Public Affairs, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. Email: Linda.Menzies@ed.ac.uk

Angela Begg, External Relations, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland. Email: a.begg@abdn.ac.uk