Study: Genetic Makeup Leading Factor In Why Smarter People Live Longer

The reason why intelligent people tend to live longer is primarily due to an individual’s genes, according to new research.

Researchers found that about 95 percent of the link between intelligence and longevity can be explained by genetic influences on both traits, as reported by LiveScience. The sample study evaluated participants who took intelligence tests during middle age, so it’s possible some of the findings were skewed by cognitive decline of aging.

However, researchers say the new study indicates that intelligent people don’t necessarily live longer because of healthy lifestyle choices or access to better amenities, but that their genetic makeup builds toward a bright and long life.

“We found that the small relationship between intelligence and life span was almost all genetic,” study researcher Rosalind Arden, a research associate at the London School of Economics and Political Science, told LiveScience.

Several studies have suggested people with higher IQ scores live longer. Previously, researchers attributed this link to people making better choices, having safer jobs or having family advantages. But Arden began to wonder if intelligent people simply have better genes that lead to both higher intelligence and longer life spans.

Researchers found lifestyle choices only made up 5 percent of the link between intelligence and life span. However, Arden says that ultimately the intelligence-longevity link is a small one, and that eating well and exercising can unarguably lead to a longer life.

“Nothing we found counteracts the good old stuff your grandmother would have told you about how to live well,” Arden added.

Arden and her team hope to expand the study to dogs or mice to eliminate questionable lifestyle choices, such as smoking or alcohol abuse, that can limit studies of human longevity.

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