LONDON The higher your IQ as a child, the longer you are likely to live. That was the conclusion of a study published on Friday in the *****British Medical Journal****. "This is the first time that IQ records have been linked to mortality. Previously, a link has been suspected but never proven," Professor Lawrence Whalley of the University of Aberdeen, one of the report's authors, told Reuters. The conclusion was based on results from a nationwide intelligence test given to Scottish children aged 11 in 1932. Two scientists traced 2,230 of the 2,792 people tested in schools in Aberdeen and analyzed the relative intelligence of those who survived until January 1, 1997, and those who did not. They found that someone with an IQ equivalent of 85 was only 63 percent as likely to be alive on the given date as somebody with an IQ of 115. "It is remarkable that these scores should have a relation to how long they lived," said Professor Ian Deary of Edinburgh, the second author. The influence of childhood IQ was also significantly weaker in men than in women, possibly because of the impact of World War II on death rates in males. The study offered a number of possible explanations for the link between intelligence and longevity, including genetic factors, environment before and after birth, childhood illness and nutrition. "In our analysis, social factors are related to IQ and together they partly predict age at death," Whalley said. "But they are only part of the prediction. "It is not unreasonable to suggest that a child's performance on mental ability tests aged 11 reflects what has happened to that child over the previous 11 years including genetic contributions of both parents." The report said IQ in children could reflect the development of a child's brain, including the quality of care before and after birth and the disabling effects of childhood illnesses. "As such, childhood IQ might be seen partly as a mediator between physical and social disadvantage and survival." Other possible factors are childhood iq and subsequent healthier living including better diets, and not smoking, and the likelihood of entry into relatively safe employment, with the exception of the war. (Reuter)