Mummy Buzz

Nov
16
2011

Smart Kids More Likely to do Drugs

The IQ Link

Have a precocious child? Chances are, she'll grow up to be a druggie.

According to a new study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, those in the top third IQ bracket from ages five to 10 were more likely to take drugs like cannabis and cocaine when they got older.

Nearly 8,000 people took part in the 1970 British Cohort Study, which measured IQ scores of children at age five and 10, then evaluated their drug habits when they were 16 and 30.

While boys in the top third in terms of IQ were found to be 50 per cent more likely than those with lower IQs to have used drugs such as amphetamines and ecstasy by the time they turned 30, the outcome for women was even more pronounced.

Women with high IQs were more than twice as likely as those with low IQs to have used cannabis and cocaine in the past year.

One possible explanation is that more intelligent people are "more likely to get bored or to suffer at the hands of their peers, either of which could lead to experimenting with drugs," suggested researcher Dr. James White of Cardiff University.

However, Dr. White added that people with higher IQs also tended to lead a healthier lifestyle overall, as they tended to be better informed about diet and exercise.

Pass the Dutchie.

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