People who score highly on IQ tests as children are more likely to dabble in drugs, according to new research
Children with high IQs are at a greater riskhave a greater chance of using drugs, according to new research at Cardiff University.
The study involved nearly 8,000 British people, whose IQs were scored in the 1970s when they were children. Researchers followed up with the participants at ages 16 and 30, with a broad survey that included questions about drug usage.
Those who had scored highest on IQ tests as kids were more likely to have tried marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines and ecstasy. The trend was most noticeable in women. Those who scored in the top third of the IQ tests were twice as likely to have tried marijuana or cocaine and 65% more likely to have taken ecstasy than those with lower IQs.
“It’s counterintuitive,” said lead author James White. “It’s not what we thought we would find.”
But James had a theory to explain why people with higher IQs might be more likely to dabble in drugs, though not necessarily have problem drug behavior or addiction. “People with high IQs are more likely to score high on personality scales of openness to experience. They may be more willing to experiment and seek out novel experience,” he said.
James added that these types of people are less likely to see occasional drug use as a problem, while those with lower IQs or less ability to make educated analysis of risk may be more wary of getting involved with drugs to begin with.
So if your child’s scoring highly on an IQ test, it doesn’t mean he’ll be an addict, but making him aware of the risks of drugs as a teen might be advisable!
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