Clever children are “likelier to take drugs” reported The Independent today. Several newspapers have reported that children who performed better at IQ tests when aged five and 10 are more likely to take illegal drugs such as cannabis and cocaine by the time they are 30. The link was particularly strong for women, who were over twice as likely to have recently used cannabis or cocaine than their counterparts with lower IQs.
These results are based on a large British study that had followed 8,000 people born in 1970. As part of ongoing research their IQs had been assessed when they were aged five and 10, with later surveys asking about various aspects of illegal drug use at the ages of 16 and 30. People who had higher childhood IQ were more likely to have used a number of illegal drugs, including cannabis and cocaine, although this did not seem to be the result of social status or distress as a teenager.
Although the research has found a puzzling gap in drug use between people with different IQs, the research did not directly address why this gap exists. While some news sources have speculated that it could be due to increased expendable income, the availability of drugs at university or due to coping with the pressures of intelligence, the truth is we simply cannot tell from this study. It will take further research to untangle this conundrum, and also to see if the results apply to the rapidly changing drug scene of today.
Links to the headlines
Clever children more likely to end up on drugs. Daily Mail, November 15 2011
Women with high IQs 'more likely to take illegal drugs in their thirties'. Daily Mail, November 15 2011
Clever children 'likelier to take drugs'. The Independent, November 15 2011
Links to the science
White J, Batty GD et al. Intelligence across childhood in relation to illegal drug use in adulthood: 1970 British Cohort Study. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2011
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