Scientists have discovered an unexpected connection between the level of intelligence of adolescents and their attitude to alcohol in adulthood. A study conducted in the USA showed that higher IQ students are more likely to regularly drink alcohol as they reach maturity.
6,300 residents of Wisconsin state, who graduated from school in 1957, participated in the study. Specialists analyzed data on their health, education, and financial position. 48 years after graduation, in 2004, the participants filled out detailed questionnaires about their habits. The results were surprising: each additional IQ score increased the likelihood that a person would become a moderate or active alcohol consumer by 1.6%. Scientists made a clear distinction between moderate and excessive consumption, with 1-29 drinks per month considered moderate for women and 1-59 drinks per month for men.
Interestingly, individuals with higher IQs were less likely to abuse alcohol, possibly due to better self-control. They rarely drank five or more portions of alcohol at a time.
Psychiatrist Sherwood Brown from the Medical Center of the South-Western University of Texas emphasized that the IQ indicator in adolescence does not determine a person’s fate, but is closely related to social factors affecting psyche and lifestyle. Income level also plays a significant role. Surprisingly, the level of education did not impact bad habits.
Comparing these results with similar research conducted in Norway in 2020, men with high intelligence there were more likely to abuse alcohol in their late 20s. However, the study in the United States showed a different pattern. Women were much less likely than men to abuse alcohol, and both men and women with high IQs were less likely to develop alcoholism.
While the statistics may not be entirely objective, given that most participants were white women with higher education, the results may not be generalizable to other social groups.
The research continues as scientists at Texas University plan to further investigate the connection between IQ and alcohol dependence, as well as identify other factors explaining the relationship between cognitive abilities and addiction to alcohol.