Smoking denotes low intelligence, study says - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

stimpy451 · #1 02-25-2010, 11:11 AM

I saw it on the news yesterday. Can't remember which channel. They cited some report that found a correlation between smoking and intelligence.

*shrug*

(I'm a medic and have to wrestle cigs out of people's hands so I can put O2 on them to transport to ER for difficulty breathing (COPD)).

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61M6SV20100223

edit: "according to a study of over 20,000 Israeli military recruits." They should have interviewed the last 200 or so I've brought in over the past year that were living in their own filth and smoking until the end.

stimpy451 · #2 02-25-2010, 11:14 AM

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Cigarette smokers have lower IQs than non-smokers, and the more a person smokes, the lower their IQ, according to a study of over 20,000 Israeli military recruits.

LIFESTYLE

Dr. Mark Weiser and colleagues from Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer found that young men who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day or more had IQ scores 7.5 points lower than non-smokers.

"Adolescents with poorer IQ scores might be targeted for programs designed to prevent smoking," they conclude in the journal Addiction.

While there is evidence for a link between smoking and lower IQ, many studies have relied on intelligence tests given in childhood, and have also included people with mental and behavioral problems, who are both more likely to smoke and more likely to have low IQs, Weiser and his team noted.

To better understand the smoking-IQ relationship, the researchers looked at 20,211 18-year-old men recruited into the Israeli military.

The group did not include anyone with major mental health problems, because these individuals are disqualified from military service.

According to the researchers, 28 percent of the study participants smoked at least one cigarette a day, around 3 percent said they were ex-smokers, and 68 percent had never smoked.

The smokers had significantly lower intelligence test scores than non-smokers, and this remained true even after the researchers accounted for socioeconomic status measured by how many years of formal education a recruit's father had completed.

The average IQ for non-smokers was about 101, while it was 94 for men who had started smoking before entering the military.

IQ steadily dropped as the number of cigarettes smoked increased, from 98 for people who smoked one to five cigarettes daily to 90 for those who smoked more than a pack a day.

IQ scores from 84 to 116 are considered to indicate average intelligence.

Recruits aren't allowed to smoke while intelligence tests are administered, the researchers said, so it is possible that withdrawal symptoms might affect smokers' scores.

To address this issue, they also looked at IQ scores for men who were non-smokers when they were 18 but started smoking during their military service.

These men also scored lower than never-smokers, 97 points, on average) "indicating that nicotine withdrawal was probably not the cause of the difference," the researchers said.

The researchers also compared IQs for 70 pairs of brothers in the group in which one brother smoked and the other did not. Again, average IQs for the non-smoking sibling were higher than for the smokers.

The findings suggest that lower IQ individuals are more likely to choose to smoke, rather than that smoking makes people less intelligent, Weiser and his team conclude.

(Reporting by Reuters Health, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

KarTek · #3 02-25-2010, 11:32 AM

So, the question of the chicken or the egg... Does smoking itself reduce intelligence or do less intelligent people smoke more?

sunedog · #4 02-25-2010, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarTek

So, the question of the chicken or the egg... Does smoking itself reduce intelligence or do less intelligent people smoke more?

From the last line of the article quoted above:

"The findings suggest that lower IQ individuals are more likely to choose to smoke, rather than that smoking makes people less intelligent, Weiser and his team conclude."

WVOtoGO · #5 02-25-2010, 12:04 PM

This conclusion required a formal study ?

How about we have a study to prove:
Use of basic common sense keeps most people from smoking.

dynalow · #6 02-25-2010, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunedog

From the last line of the article quoted above:

"The findings suggest that lower IQ individuals are more likely to choose to smoke, rather than that smoking makes people less intelligent, Weiser and his team conclude."

Watch out now. Someone's probably just waiting to take offense and say this is more racist blather.

lutzTD · #7 02-25-2010, 12:13 PM

at the very least they do not have a firm grasp of the risk/benefit analysis of the habit

sunedog · #8 02-25-2010, 12:49 PM

About 25 years ago, I came up with my "Bo Derek Smoking Handicap System." I knew girls became less cute to me when they lit up. The "System" quantified it for me: In my mind, smoking is a mandatory 2 point deduction on the classic Bo Derek 10 point beauty scale. A chick that starts as a 10 is an 8 max if she smokes. If she starts as a 6, she is a pretty fugly 4 with a cigarette.

More recently, I realized when I meet someone, I broadly estimate their perceived IQ. Pretty early in an interaction, I decide if the person is of average intelligence, below, or above average. Of course it can change as I get to know them better, but I unconciously make an early appraisal. I think everyone does to some extent.

If a person smokes, I automatically deduct 20 perceived IQ points in my analysis.

I do know a few really sharp, intelligent, impressive people who smoke. But I can count them on one hand.

Finally, I think I undersatnd the power of nicotine addiction and I have great empathy for smokers. I'll just never understand why someone of my generation and younger (I'm about 50) ever starts smoking.

aklim · #9 02-25-2010, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lutzTD

at the very least they do not have a firm grasp of the risk/benefit analysis of the habit

Therefore, your thesis is that if they understood the risk/benefit issues that YOU understand they would change their mind? Isn't that like Rumpelstiltskin? Name the demon and it goes away? Can't they choose to risk themselves for the benefit they think is more worthwhile even if you don't think it is?

PaulC · #10 02-25-2010, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lutzTD

at the very least they do not have a firm grasp of the risk/benefit analysis of the habit

An addict may be very well aware of the potential consequences of his addictive behavior, but may feel apathetic about the risks, or powerless to modify the behavior.

PaulC · #11 02-25-2010, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stimpy451

(I'm a medic and have to wrestle cigs out of people's hands so I can put O2 on them to transport to ER for difficulty breathing (COPD)).

Seltzer bottle.

lutzTD · #12 02-25-2010, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

Therefore, your thesis is that if they understood the risk/benefit issues that YOU understand they would change their mind? Isn't that like Rumpelstiltskin? Name the demon and it goes away? Can't they choose to risk themselves for the benefit they think is more worthwhile even if you don't think it is?

yes, isnt understanding a part of intelligence, knowing is one thing, many can memorize and know anything you drill into their head. understanding is another thing. so yes that is my thesis

Mike D · #13 02-25-2010, 02:13 PM

Ahhh, jeez! This study reminds me of why all surveys are flawed. Don't believe me? Here's a litmus paper test.

The size of your ears denotes intelligence. 1000 people, randomly picked, were asked to solve four math problems. After the test, ear size was noted. People with larger ears than the average scored the highest in solving the problems.

How's that you say? Simple. Out of the 1000 people, X percent were children. Although they had no math training their ear size still helped denote the mean.

Not in favor of smoking but ya know, Einstein smoked.

aklim · #14 02-25-2010, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lutzTD

yes, isnt understanding a part of intelligence, knowing is one thing, many can memorize and know anything you drill into their head. understanding is another thing. so yes that is my thesis

Fair enough. What about the person's value system? What role do you think it plays in the judgment as to whether smoking is worthwhile or not? Assuming we both can easily afford a $50K car, must we arrive at the same conclusion?

aklim · #15 02-25-2010, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike D

Not in favor of smoking but ya know, Einstein smoked.

I think it behooves us to realize that maybe Einstein felt the pleasure he got from the smoking far outweighed the penalties, IN HIS OPINION. In your decision and mine, it might be a different story but that was his opinion though.