Working With Idiots Can Kill You!

Today I received an article making reference to a study which suggested that working with idiots can be just as hazardous to your health as cigarettes or greasy food, due to stress impacts. This got me thinking about my earlier posting on IQ and South Africa. Personally I have been enraged often at the level of stupidity around me, that I have often wondered whether it will shorten my life in the long run. So I thought I would look at the white life expectancy figures (as these can be compared to the western world), and if there is a divergence I would be able to speculate, using South Africa's average IQ, how many years we sacrifice for x reduction in average IQ, but alas this was not to be. Statistics SA has been offline. Nevertheless I embarked on a similar bit of research.

What influence does IQ and/or Corruption have on Life Expectancy?

To determine this, for the polymath types, I used the Corruption Index together with average IQs, listed by country and Life Expectancy figures from the CIA factbooks. I then used a multivariate regression analysis to analyse the results.

The results are extraordinary.

When you look at the influence that Corruption has on Life Expectancy, you find a WEAK, but positive relationship (58%), where 34 percent of the variation in Life Expectancy can be explained by Corruption. Intuitively, because there is a positive relationship this means that Life Expectancies increase as Corruption decreases, albeit slightly.

When you look at the influence that IQ has on Life Expectancy, you find a STRONG POSITIVE relationship (79%), where 62 percent of the variation of Life Expectancy can be explained by IQ. This only leaves 38 percent unexplained, so we can see what the main cause of low life expectancy is.

Now when we combine both IQ and Corruption we get an even clearer picture. Here you find a STRONG POSITIVE relationship as well (80%), where 64 percent of the variation of Life Expectancy can be explained by the COMBINATION of Corruption and IQ. In other words countries that are stupid and corrupt have a lower life expectancy, and vice versa. Of course it is apparent that IQ is the largest predictor of Life Expectancy. Further proof that we need to be addressing IQ. Of course there will be those that say that Life Expectancies are low because of HIV Aids. I say the link is not that obvious. Life Expectancies are low as a consequence of Aids, but the link is probably a low IQ.

Makes you think doesn't it, or maybe not.