Study finds brainy people 'live longer'

Children with higher IQs live longer, the study found

New research from Aberdeen University has revealed a link between intelligence and longer life - in a report published by the British Medical Journal.

Children with higher than average IQs at the age of 11 are more likely to live into their seventies, the study found.

Its author says more research is needed into the issue to establish possible links between social deprivation, mental ability and lifespans.

Experts are not sure why intelligence is linked to longevity, but say genetic and economic factors, childhood illness and diet may be part of the reason.

Both sexes with high IQs were found to live past the age of 60

Researchers used details of IQ tests taken by 2,792 children in Aberdeen at the age of 11 in 1932 and then followed them up to see who was still alive in 1997.

They found that both men and women with higher IQ scores as youngsters were much more likely to be alive 60 years later.

The researchers took an average IQ in the group as 100.

Those still living at the age of 76 had an average IQ score of 102 at the age of 11, while those who had died by 1997 had an average 97.7 score.

A 15-point lower score meant people had a fifth less chance of seeing their 76th birthday, while those with a 30-point disadvantage were 37% less likely than those with a higher IQ to live that long.

The link was weaker in men, but this could be because the Second World War increased the male death rate.

'Adds to our knowledge'

Interestingly, men who died during active service in the war had a relatively high IQ.

Study author Professor Lawrence Whalley of the University of Edinburgh said: "Our data show that high mental ability in late childhood reduces the chances of death up to age 76.

"The effect is not caused by a single factor and may even be reversed, as was found for men during the Second World War.

"This result adds to our knowledge of the traits in youth that contribute to survival in subsequent decades."

He called for more research into the issue, addressing the links between social deprivation, mental ability and lifespans.