According to a study recently conducted by Dr. Mark Weiser of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Psychiatry and the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer Hospital, young men who smoke are likely to have lower IQ scores than their non-smoking peers.
In the study, considered the largest ever of its kind, researchers culled data from more than 20,000 18- to 21-year-old men enlisted in the Israeli army. They discovered that the average IQ for a non-smoker was 101, while smokers averaged around 94. The IQs of heavy smokers- i.e. those who smoked more than a pack a day- averaged even lower at 90.
According to Dr. Weiser, the link between IQ and smoking may be an indication of the ability of those with a lower IQ to make healthy life choices. “People on the lower end of the average IQ tend to display poorer overall decision-making skills when it comes to their health,” he states. This idea is further supported by another recent study conducted in Scotland that investigated the link between IQ, heart disease and traditional heart risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure and smoking.
Smoking may not actually lower one’s God-given intelligence, as some popular media sites were quick to claim (consider that many famous “geniuses” were known to smoke: Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Edwin Hubble, George Orwell). But it may well be an indication of one’s ability to make responsible, healthy decisions in life.
View full post on Green Smoke Electric Cigarette Blog
