The [above] graph shows the association between childhood intelligence (grouped into five “cognitive classes”: “very dull” – IQ < 75; “dull” – 75 < IQ < 90; “normal” – 90 < IQ < 110; “bright” – 110 < IQ < 125; “very bright” – IQ > 125) and the latent factor for the frequency of alcohol consumption. The latter variable is constructed from a large number of indicators for the frequency of alcohol consumption throughout adult life and standardized to have a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1.0. The data come from the National Child Development Study (NCDS) in the United Kingdom. There is a clear monotonic association between childhood intelligence (measured before the age of 16) and the frequency of alcohol consumption in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. “Very bright” British children grow up to consume alcohol nearly one full standard deviation more frequently than their “very dull” classmates.Additional graphs and commentary at Psychology Today, via The Daily Dish.
The more you know, the more you realize that life is an effed-up situation, and the more you want life to be buffered.
ReplyDeleteLurker111
Maybe very bright people are better at covering up the effects of being drunk...
ReplyDeleteNo wonder I'm so smart...or, is it the other way around?
ReplyDeleteThis makes a good deal of sense. Smarter people know that regular, moderate consumption is good for mind and body. Dullards think that the purpose of drinking is to achieve drunkenness, so they drink less often but always to excess. Wine with dinner? Smart. Jello shots at the frat party? Not so smart.
ReplyDeletePerhaps smarter people have better jobs and can afford more alcohol?
ReplyDelete> Perhaps smarter people have better
ReplyDelete> jobs and can afford more alcohol?
Damn, I should have read the article first. They controlled for earnings (as well as several other factors). Just ignore me. :)
But they're British. The standards arn't too high for a lot of things there
ReplyDeleteAnon, I know you're just trying to be funny, but if you actually read the link, you'll see that the same result was obtained using U.S. data:
ReplyDelete"...shows the association between childhood intelligence, measured in junior high and high school, and adult alcohol consumption seven years later in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) data in the United States. The association is clear and nearly monotonic. The more intelligent Americans are in their childhood, the more alcohol they consume as young adults."
Your grouping shows 'bright' as
ReplyDelete110 < IQ < 125
and 'very bright' as
IQ > 125.
If my IQ is 125 what am I?
well...
ReplyDeletei was in "enriched thinking" got in the 90+ percentage on standardized tests all through child hood..
i went to college.. and a bunch of drunk assholes were the ones who had the best chance in the world.. so i slowly moved to adopt that life..
now i know both sides..
We are northern tribal barbarians little removed from the Viking raiders who plagued late classical civilization. We blast our way in and take control over long-civilized peoples, pushing our traditions. We force these people who know better to accept our ways: binge drinking, public nudity, tattoos, rule by queens, and democracy, the primitive notion that truth and good can be known by consulting the beliefs of the majority. We went into Kabul and opened a string of bars and whore houses. Those people had been exporting food with a zero carbon footprint, and selling alcohol was illegal, so of course we hat to destroy them.
ReplyDelete""...shows the association between childhood intelligence, measured in junior high and high school, and adult alcohol consumption seven years later""
ReplyDeleteSure, they learned how to drink in college! Didn't everyone?
Steve Garcia
No wonder I'm so drunk.
ReplyDelete