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Smoking correlates to low IQ

RymRym
edited April 2010 in Everything Else
According to this article, there is an interesting correlation between smoking and a low IQ.
The ArticlePeople on the lower end of the average IQ tend to display poorer overall decision-making skills when it comes to their health,' says Weiser. 'Schoolchildren who have been found to have a lower IQ can be considered at risk to begin the habit, and can be targeted with special education and therapy to prevent them from starting or to break the habit after it sets in.'"
The really interesting part is that it correlates to low IQ, but not nearly as much with low socioeconomic status or poor education. They're basically implying that innately less intelligent people are more prone to begin and continue to smoke addictively.
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Comments

  • JasonJason
    News flash: Dumb people make bad decisions. Thanks, Rym, for helping me see the light.
  • NuriNuri
    Yes, and this is a ridiculous obvious conclusion. People with lower IQs tend to make worse decisions than people with higher IQs... wow. Still though, they did a recent scientific study to determine that exercise contributes to being healthy and losing weight. Welcome to America.
  • RymRym
    News flash: Dumb people make bad decisions. Thanks, Rym, for helping me see the light.
    It's important. They were able to determine that low IQ, as opposed to simply low education, appears to be a directly causal factor. Early and targeted intervention with this in mind could do a lot of good. It also can lead to other interesting correlations. For example, a low-performing student who doesn't exhibit the behaviors (smoking and others) of a low IQ likely has some other factor holding them back (specific learning disability, poor home environment, undiagnosed sight/hearing problem).

    Proving things that are "common sense" in verifiable and repeatable ways is important, as "common sense" is often wrong or misguided. For example, milk products have no effect on thickening of mucous during disease, despite boatloads of anecdotal evidence.
    People with lower IQs tend to make worse decisions than people with higher IQs... wow.
    This is very different from uninformed people making poor decisions. It implies that an informed person with a low IQ is STILL more prone to making poor decisions: informing them alone will not suffice.
  • JasonJason
    How did they isolate for low IQ without correlation to poor education?
  • ChurbaChurba
    Things Rym did not mention-
    -The Study was only young men.
    -The study was only among Isralei Army Recruits and veterans
    -The study was only tracking men between the ages of 18-21.
    -All the men in the study are considered to be of good health

    Not saying he's wrong or the study is wrong - After all, I smoke, And I hardly deny that I'm stupid - just noting these things for the sake of completeness.
  • Li_AkahiLi_Akahi
    I'm surprised that HungryJoe hasn't piped in on this yet.

    Where is Joe anyway? He hasn't posted for a really long time.



    Joe, we miss you!
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    Maybe if we all act ignorant and illogical enough, he'll come back to whip us into shape.
  • GeoGeo
    I'm surprised that HungryJoe hasn't piped in on this yet.

    Where is Joe anyway? He hasn't posted for a really long time.



    Joe, we miss you!
    Why in mah day, we used to stave all our problems and sicknesses with a puff or two...AND WE LIKED IT!!
  • RymRym
    Why in mah day, we used to stave all our problems and sicknesses with a puff or two...AND WE LIKED IT!!
    That's actually truer than you might realize. Behold the Tobacco Smoke Enema.
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    That's actually truer than you might realize. Behold theTobacco Smoke Enema.
    Hence "blowing smoke up one's ass," I suppose.
  • NuriNuri
    It's also important to note that while having a lower IQ may contribute to poor decision making, this is a generalization and does not mean every person with a low IQ will chose to smoke. Nor does it mean that people with high IQs will always chose not to smoke. Just like all generalizations.

    Rym, it is a pretty standard idea that informing a dumb person will not make them less dumb. This is why we draw a distinction between stupid and ignorant. IQ is generally based on your ability to learn and adapt, not your knowledge. The conclusion of the study simply repeats the whole premise of an IQ.
  • RymRym
    The conclusion of the study simply repeats the whole premise of an IQ.
    But by targeting the study, you can isolate individual causal factors, prove a causation, and then intervene. What if the study had found that socioeconomic status appeared causal in this particular case, rather than IQ? It would have been a whole different ballgame.

    Except when situations are emergent and reaction time is critical, action should never be taken without analysis and cause that is both demonstrable and reasonable.
  • GeoGeo
    Why in mah day, we used to stave all our problems and sicknesses with a puff or two...AND WE LIKED IT!!
    That's actually truer than you might realize. Behold theTobacco Smoke Enema.
    I now not only know what an enema is, but I've learned of a specific kind of enema that shot my joke down. I'm feeling a mixture of nausea, fear, and confusion inside right now.
  • NuriNuri
    edited April 2010
    Well, they pinpointed one factor that contributes to smoking in one place. I'd hardly say that eliminates all other potential causes everywhere in the world.
    As for the acting-on-logic theory, it is nice in theory. However, the reality is that almost every situation we deal with has some kind of immanency involved; it's really a balancing test between how imminent and severe the problem is and how effective and difficult the proposed action will be. In other words, cost-benefit analysis is the main tool (or should be). The problem is that people disagree about the values of the costs and benefits, as well as what is or is not a problem.

    Sure, there are plenty of things in government that could be fixed by applying a pragmatic approach. (Govt only paying for health care practices that are scientifically beneficial would be a good start.) However, many of the main issues splitting our society cannot be solved with the same application of pragmatism because the goalposts change depending on which person you talk to, so you cannot define a singular goal covering all people and devise a solution to achieve it. At least, not without becoming a dictatorship.
    Post edited by Nuri on
  • CremlianCremlian
    Well, they pinpointed one factor that contributes to smoking in one place. I'd hardly say that eliminates all other potential causes everywhere in the world.
    No wonder we are doing better then all those third world countries where a larger percentage smoke, they all have a lower IQ! :-p
  • AprecheApreche
    But by targeting the study, you can isolate individual causal factors, prove a causation, and then intervene. What if the study had found that socioeconomic status appeared causal in this particular case, rather than IQ? It would have been a whole different ballgame.
    But this study doesn't show causation, only correlation. Maybe the act of smoking itself makes people less smart. The tobacco gets in their brains and makes them dumb.
  • DrSissypantsPHdDrSissypantsPHd
    edited April 2010
    IQ scores really shouldn't be used outside of educational and psychological assessment. Its not really helpful (and doesn't really mean much) outside of these areas. "Intelligence" is a very nebulous term anyways. Please note that I have a PhD from Harvard's school of sissypantsology.

    I've seen some interesting studies on educational achievement and smoking, however (high school drop-outs smoke quite a bit more than college graduates, etc).
    Post edited by DrSissypantsPHd on
  • FunfetusFunfetus
    I seem to remember another study that concluded that if she smokes, she fucks.
  • ThaedThaed
    What about cigars? Could be more evidence that I get dumber every year as this is only a recent bad habit for me.
  • WyattWyatt
    edited April 2010
    What about cigars? Could be more evidence that I get dumber every year as this is only a recent bad habit for me.
    I've seen studies correlating different types of the same drug with the stereotypes of who uses it. For example: White business men do cocaine, but black street bums do crack.

    This study shows that "dumb" Enlisted men smoke cigarettes. It's quite possible that the "smart" officers smoke cigars, and every Naval Captain is required to smoke a pipe.
    I seem to remember another study that concluded that if she smokes, she fucks.
    'Remember: If she smokes, she pokes.' -Lois G. Family Guy
    300% scientifically proven just don't kiss them on the mouth.

    EDIT: I just remembered something from military school. A lot of the guys that used tobacco didn't smoke. They chewed. You can chew at your desk/in class instead of going outside, and it doesn't affect your PT score. That's the reasoning behind it at least.
    Post edited by Wyatt on
  • RymRym
    But this study doesn't show causation, only correlation. Maybe the act of smoking itself makes people less smart. The tobacco gets in their brains and makes them dumb.
    They compared new recruits to veterans and determined that, at least in the scale of a few years, there was no difference. The lower IQ people started smoking, but people who had smoked longer showed no additional degradation.
  • LintonLinton
    How do you then account for the fact that people in less economically developed countries tend to smoke more? Are they simply not as intelligent as westerners?
  • RymRym
    How do you then account for the fact that people in less economically developed countries tend to smoke more?
    Japan also tends to smoke more. Culture most definitely plays a role. Remember, they only studied the correlation in one culture.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    The Chinese smoke a lot too if I remember correctly.
  • nlatimernlatimer
    For example, milk products have no effect on thickening of mucous during disease, despite boatloads of anecdotal evidence.
    This is the only part of the post that makes me take pause. Is this some kind of widely held belief? I've never heard this in my life.
  • RymRym
    Is this some kind of widely held belief?
    It's so common that doctors routinely recommend against milk products when sinus issues are present. It's a very prevalent idea.
  • NuriNuri
    Is this some kind of widely held belief?
    It's so common that doctors routinely recommend against milk products when sinus issues are present. It's a very prevalent idea.
    Dairy is harsh on the stomach, and when sinus issues are present there is often stomach irritation from things like post-nasal drip. It's often a good idea to avoid dairy when you are sick, but it doesn't have anything to do with mucus.
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    Let's not forget that only a certain segment of the human population can not even drink milk past their teen years. Lactose intolerance is the norm.
  • ......
    only a certain segment of the human population can not even drink milk past their teen years
    Lactose intolerance is the norm.
    Contradictory much?
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    Lactose intolerance is the norm.
    Only in cultures that show a reduced exposure to lactose. I can't find the link at the moment, but the rates of lactose intolerance vary incredibly from country to country. The rate in the US (IIRC) is less than 30%, but it's around 95% in Japan. The reason? Less milk exposure past a certain age.
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