AstudyledbyProfessorMarkWeiserofTelAvivUniversityandtheShebaMedicalCenteratTelHashomerHospitalhasdeterminedthatyoungmenwhosmokearelikelytohavelowerIQsthantheirnon-smokingpeers(同龄人).Tracking18-to21-year-oldmenenlistedintheIsraeliarmyinthelargesteverstudyofitskind,hehasbeenabletodemonstrateanimportantconnectionbetweenthenumberofcigarettesyoungmalessmokeandtheirIQ.

TheaverageIQforanon-smokerwasabout101,whilethesmokers’averagewasmorethansevenIQpointslower,atabout94,thestudydetermined.TheIQsofyoungmenwhosmokedmorethanapackadaywerelowerstill,atabout90.AnIQscoreinahealthypopulationofsuchyoungmen,withnomentaldisorders(心理疾病),fallswithintherangeof84to116.

Anaddictionthatdoesn’tdiscriminate(歧视)

“Inthehealthprofession,we’vegenerallythoughtthatsmokersaremostlikelythekindofpeoplewhohavegrownupindifficultneighborhoods,orwho’vebeengivenlesseducationatgoodschools,”saysWeiser,whosestudywasreportedinarecentversionofthejournal,Addiction,“Butbecauseourstudyincludedsubjectswithvarioussocio-economicbackgrounds,we’vebeenabletoruleoutsocio-economicsasamajorfactor.Thegovernmentmightwanttorethinkhowitarrangesitseducationalresourcesonsmoking.

Makingtheresultsmoresignificant,thestudyalsomeasuredeffectsintwinbrothers.Inthecasewhereonetwinsmoked,thenon-smokingtwinregisteredahigherIQonaverage.

AlthoughalowerIQmaysuggestagreaterriskforsmokingaddiction,therepresentingdataonIQandsmokingfoundthatmostofthesmokersinvestigatedinthestudyhadIQswithintheaveragerange,nevertheless.

Inthestudy,researcherstookdatafrommorethan20,000menbefore,duringandaftertheirtimeinthemilitary.Allmeninthestudywereconsideredingoodhealth,sincepre-screening(筛选的)measuresforsuitabilityinthearmyhadalreadybeentaken.Theresearchersfoundthataround28percentoftheirsamplessmokedoneormorecigarettesaday,3percentconsideredthemselvesex-smokers,and68percentsaidtheyneversmoked.

“PeopleonthelowerendoftheaverageIQtendtodisplaypooreroveralldecision-makingskillswhenitcomestotheirhealth,”saysWeiser.He