NEW YORK: Intelligent people live longer because they have fewer mutated genes, new research has shown for the first time.
In a study of twins, 95 per cent of the link between intelligence and lifespan was genetic, with smarter siblings outliving their “dumber” counterparts.
And the effect was more in non-identical twins than in identical twins who share more of the same DNA. But researchers reassured parents a child’s exams results was not an indication of their lifespan as the link was “small”.
Research associate Rosalind Arden at the London School of Economics and Political Science said: “We know that children who score higher in IQ-type tests are prone to living longer.
“Also, people at the top of an employment hierarchy, such as senior civil servants, tend to be long-lived.
“But, in both cases, we have not understood why.
“Our research shows that the link between intelligence and longer life is mostly genetic…