Image: James Yang
In Brief
- Large population studies have revealed strong links between intelligence and both mental and physical health.
- Lower scores on intelligence tests correlate with higher risk of developing personality disorders, depression and several types of cardiovascular disease, among other illnesses.
- By acknowledging the role of intelligence in health disparities, public health specialists can intervene to help close the gap.
As Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Although some of us are clearly better than others at dodging the inevitable, in the end Mother Nature at least will always win. But along the path of life, people vary greatly in how often they get injured, incur illness or coast along in a comfortable state of health.
Considered at a distance, genetics and luck seem to explain a lot. But if we really understood why some people live longer than others, we would likely have diminished the gap by now. When epidemiologists and physicians discover some lifestyle choice or biological factor that leads to a longer and healthier life, they can then attempt to design intervention programs to ameliorate the health prospects of the population as a whole.
This article was originally published with the title Outsmarting Mortality.
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11 Comments
Add CommentWhat is meant by "intelligence"? Most of scientific geniuses have lived long lives, while most of great poets have lived very short ones. A few scientific geniuses commited suicide (like Boltzmann). So...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDuring the 20th century, thirty years was added to life expectancy in the United States. Has "intelligence" as measured by IQ scores increased by 66% in that same amount of time? Did this nation's average IQ go from 60 in 1901 to 100 in 2000? Guess the correlation is not linear...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCorrelation probably isn't exactly 1,00. That means that there is a connection, but not 100%. And it could be correlation because of third variable - intelligent people have better jobs, more money, better education --> they know more about health and can afford better health care, better food and so on.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf this study was done on chimps, given we had an accurate way to grade their individual "intelligence", wouldn't we expect to see the smarter ones live longer just because they would be better equipped to avoid perils in their environment? Isn't this just a type of natural selection?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn terms of health is it intelligence or knowledge?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnd as the overall life expectancy of people in Europe is pulling ahead of the USA are Europeans more intelligent / knowledgeable or is it other factors including national health systems?
Living forever
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisImmortal—Shmimortal! As long as I'm healthy.
Maybe we should try immortality like freeze-dried coffee? First grind it up, then…
I have now become inspired to begin writing a short story "The Message in an Old Bottle" about a sailor from the 1400s who survives on a lonely Indonesian island where he discovers the Fountain of Youth. Unfortunately for him while there are fruits and small animals aplenty there is no means of leaving the shark-infested waters and all he could do is send the bottle with the message that he is on one of the many smaller islands but does not know where. He lives forever but by himself.
Darn it! Sometimes life—or immortality—never works out like you expect it to.
The "X" factor is left out of the Immortality Equation:
There is a God who is in charge of running this world and the next.
This world is a test.…only a test. Reward and punishment follow.
Intelligent man has more advantages,he can find out new and new motives for living.He can use brain more successfully than unintelligent man.He can engage himself lifelong this or that work.he can live meaningful life that is most essential for healthy living
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBrain structures like amygdala and hippocampus have been associated with learning and intelligence ,and also anxiety and emotions.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe advanced functions of social cognition are located in the frontal lobes ,and these are connected with the ancient brain structures at the back.
Hence it is also possible that more intelligent people are also more anxious and emotional and this can lead to adjustment problems in life particularly when one interacts with less endowed people in society or teams
That can be a real problem in life ,and not much studied
I had an uncle that was a cryptographer. He live into his early 70s. My father was a moonshiner and later a marine. My father is approaching 80.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have anxiety disorder, depression and heart disease but supposedly I'm very intelligent. I'm going to take some serious convincing on this one.
its interesting. ever meet someone, they seem fine, and they go to the doctor and find out they are sick and have so many months to live? They usually die sooner, they had they not known. I think out psyche has a lot to do w/our bodies. Heatlh care is essential in staying well and this country ranks well i don't know. what i do know is my daughters grandmother just found out she has 3-6 months to live. I wish they never told her that. Now they are setting up hospice to come into th house. I don't want hospice it's a constant reminder that u r sick. You have to be proactive in any situation that affects your mind or body. I am a firm beliver in this. Yes, these people eventally do pass on but who is to say whwn. God wasn't there. And i want so desperatley to convince her of this, and i'll do what hospice says they will, just so it's family and there isn't that reminder of death and doom. and she doesn't want to die, she is only 72 doesn't smoke or drink. Makes me question our purpose and i want her to be at peace w/her God, and within herself, and have the attitude that i'm not dead yet, so i'm gonna live....
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCheitmuller,very true
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAyurveda ,the indigenous system of medicine in India,and handed over to the posterity with a rich ancient tradition of healing ,which seems to continue,asserts that healing is more mental than medicinal
So ,disease is more psychosomatic than physical.
The vital breath and humours in the body are under the mercy of the mental processes.
One can mind a disease to halt it and reverse it ,as part of healing.
But mind is not in our control.
Only breath is ,and breath as a vital force can heal
Hence medicines come into picture.
What the doctor says count ,since that upsets your mind -nowadays ,most of the allopathic doctors ,here want to play it safe ,and hence pronounce the death penality ,as early as possible.
How can even the best medicine work