Is High Intelligence Associated with Better Mental Health?

What you need to know

• This large study found no evidence that high intelligence is associated with increased risk of mental health disorders.
• People with high intelligence actually had lower rates of anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Those with high intelligence were less likely to have experienced trauma and stressful life events.
• The study challenges the stereotype that highly intelligent people are more prone to mental health issues.

Understanding intelligence and mental health

For many years, there has been a stereotype that highly intelligent people are more likely to struggle with mental health issues. Some smaller studies have even suggested this might be true. However, many of these studies had significant limitations, such as small sample sizes or biased participant selection.

To get a clearer picture, researchers conducted a large study using data from over 250,000 participants in the UK Biobank. This allowed them to compare mental health outcomes between people with high intelligence (defined as scoring in the top 2% on intelligence tests) and those with average intelligence.

The researchers looked at a wide range of mental health conditions and other relevant factors. They wanted to see if there were real differences between highly intelligent people and the general population when it came to mental health.

Key findings on mental health disorders

Contrary to popular belief, the study found that people with high intelligence were not more likely to have mental health disorders compared to those with average intelligence. In fact, for some conditions, high intelligence seemed to be protective:

• Anxiety: People with high intelligence were 31% less likely to have general anxiety disorder.
• PTSD: The highly intelligent group was 33% less likely to have PTSD.

The researchers did not find significant differences between the high and average intelligence groups for other mental health conditions like depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia.

This suggests that high intelligence is not a risk factor for most mental health disorders, and may even help protect against anxiety and PTSD.

Trauma and stressful life events

One interesting finding was that people with high intelligence reported experiencing less trauma and fewer stressful life events:

• Childhood abuse: 38% less likely in the high intelligence group
• Childhood stressors: 24% less likely
• Adult stressors: 31% less likely
• Catastrophic trauma: 10% less likely

This lower exposure to trauma and stress may partially explain why the high intelligence group had lower rates of anxiety and PTSD. Intelligence might help people avoid or better cope with potentially traumatic situations.

Personality traits and social factors

The study also looked at some personality traits and social factors:

• Neuroticism: People with high intelligence scored lower on measures of neuroticism, a personality trait associated with emotional instability and negative emotions.
• Social isolation: The high intelligence group reported feeling less socially isolated.

These findings challenge another stereotype - that highly intelligent people tend to be more neurotic or socially isolated. In reality, they appear to have some advantages in these areas.

Physical health and behaviors

While mental health was the main focus, the researchers also looked at some physical health conditions and behaviors:

• Allergies: People with high intelligence were more likely to report having certain allergies, particularly eczema and food allergies. The reasons for this are unclear and may warrant further study.
• Myopia: The high intelligence group was nearly twice as likely to be nearsighted. This confirms previous research showing a link between intelligence and myopia, though the exact reasons are still debated.
• Cannabis use: Those with high intelligence were 25% more likely to report having tried cannabis at least once. However, this difference was only for occasional use - there was no difference for frequent use.
• Same-sex behavior: The high intelligence group was 23% more likely to report having engaged in same-sex sexual behavior at least once.

What might explain these findings?

The researchers propose several possible explanations for why high intelligence might be associated with better mental health outcomes:

1. Problem-solving skills: Higher intelligence may help people better solve problems and cope with challenges, reducing the risk of developing anxiety or PTSD.

2. Avoiding risky situations: More intelligent individuals might be better at anticipating and avoiding potentially dangerous or traumatic situations.

3. Access to resources: People with high intelligence often have better educational and career outcomes, which can provide more resources for managing stress and accessing mental health care if needed.

4. Cognitive reserve: The concept of cognitive reserve suggests that having stronger cognitive abilities can help the brain better cope with stress and potential mental health issues.

5. Shared genetic factors: Some of the genes that influence intelligence may also play a role in protecting against certain mental health disorders.

It’s important to note that these are potential explanations, and more research would be needed to confirm exactly how intelligence might protect against mental health issues.

Limitations and considerations

While this study provides valuable insights, there are some limitations to consider:

• The UK Biobank participants tend to be healthier and from less deprived areas than the general UK population. This could affect how generalizable the results are.

• The study relied partly on self-reported diagnoses and experiences, which may not always be completely accurate.

• The study looked at lifetime prevalence of disorders up to middle age, but didn’t follow people throughout their entire lives.

• There were very few cases of some disorders (like schizophrenia and eating disorders) in the sample, making it harder to draw firm conclusions about those conditions.

Conclusions

• This large study challenges the notion that high intelligence is associated with increased risk of mental health disorders.
• People with high intelligence appear to have some mental health advantages, including lower rates of anxiety and PTSD.
• The findings suggest that intelligence may help protect against trauma and provide better coping skills for life’s challenges.
• While high intelligence doesn’t guarantee good mental health, it doesn’t seem to be a risk factor for mental health problems.