Differential Epidemiology: IQ, Neuroticism, And Chronic Disease By The 50 U.S. States

Bryan J. Pesta, Sharon Bertsch, Michael A. McDaniel, Christine B. Mahoney

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Current research shows that geo-political units (e.g., the 50 U.S. states) vary meaningfully on psychological dimensions like intelligence (IQ) and neuroticism (N). A new scientific discipline has also emerged, differential epidemiology, focused on how psychological variables affect health. We integrate these areas by reporting large correlations between aggregate-level IQ and N (measured for the 50 U.S. states) and state differences in rates of chronic disease (e.g., stroke, heart disease). Controlling for health-related behaviors (e.g., smoking, exercise) reduced but did not eliminate these effects. Strong relationships also existed between IQ, N, disease, and a host of other state-level variables (e.g., income, crime, education). The nexus of inter-correlated state variables could reflect a general fitness factor hypothesized by cognitive epidemiologists, although valid inferences about causality will require more research.`

    Original languageAmerican English
    JournalIntelligence
    Volume40
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Mar 1 2012

    Keywords

    • intelligence; neuroticism; epidemiology; Untied States

    Disciplines

    • Cognitive Psychology
    • Psychology

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