The Lower The IQ, The Bigger The Glass

A glass of fine whiskey with two cubes of ice is often what can be found in the hand of a classy, smart, and handsome gentleman. And even though having a drink or two with your friends is considered normal, risky drinking is completely different story.

As it turns out, it’s not the well-educated young men who drink the most. According to a recent Swedish study, guys with lower intelligence have a much greater tendency to engage in careless drinking.

The Tables Have Turned

Yes, heavy drinking is most commonly associated with young college students. We all know how wild frat parties can get, and how hung over you might have felt back in your college days.

However, a team of scientists from Sweden, lead by Sara Sjolund, tested almost 50,000 Swedish males and found out that the lower their IQ was, the more alcohol they drank.

The subjects were given IQ tests, after which they were questioned about their drinking habits and alcohol consumptions. And the results were stunning, to say the least.

As Sara Sjolund said: “We found that lower results on IQ tests in Swedish adolescent men are associated with a higher consumption of alcohol, measured in both terms of total intake and binge drinking.”

“It may be that a higher IQ results in healthier lifestyle choices. Suggested explanations for the association between IQ and different health outcomes, could be childhood conditions, which could influence both IQ and health, or that a socio-economic position as an adult mediates the association.”

Why Is This So Bad?

Now, we don’t mean to be rude, but despite the fact that we live in an advanced society, natural selection always finds a way to collect its due.

With that in mind, you can see why these finding are scary – a social group that’s already at risk is increasing that same risk by binge drinking rather than trying to prolong their life span.

In the end, these results are only showing the situation in Sweden. Here’s hoping that this is not the case in the rest of world, because a grim future is all that awaits us down that path.