IQ won't make you happy | The Other Side | Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au (16-07-2005)

IQ won't make you happy | The Other Side | Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au (16-07-2005): "IQ won't make you happy
By Adam Cresswell
July 16, 2005

MONEY can't buy you happiness, and now it seems brains can't either.
Researchers say clever people are no more likely to be happy in their old age than anybody else.

In a boost for exam-flunkers everywhere, a study published yesterday in the British Medical Journal found the levels of satisfaction with life recorded by 550 Scottish men and women aged 84-85 were unaffected by their mental abilities, either when they were young or much later.

The authors said the findings were contrary to previous thinking that 'cognitive vitality' was important in maintaining a good quality of life in old age. A link between happiness and intelligence 'might have been expected' because of the high value society placed on cleverness.
Advertisement:

The lack of such an association might be because smarter people were more likely to be aware of alternative lifestyles, or to have higher expectations or aspirations, the authors suggested."