The IQ level of teens in high school may determine the amount of alcohol they consume later in life, according to a new study. This new research shows that individuals with higher IQ scores in their first year of high school tend to consume more alcohol as adults. However, scientists have not been able to fully explain this relationship with a cause-and-effect relationship.

To investigate 6,300 people who graduated from a Wisconsin high school in 1957 participated. Participants reported how many alcoholic drinks they had consumed in the past month, exactly 48 years after graduating from college. Moderate drinking was considered 1-29 alcoholic drinks per month for women and 1-59 alcoholic drinks per month for men. Consumption above this amount was considered addiction.

Every 1.6% increase in IQ score increases addiction

Researchers say that for every one point increase in IQ score, the average increases increased the number of serious addictions by 1.6% They found that, interestingly, individuals with higher IQ scores were less prone to addiction.

Dr. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Sherwood Brown argues that IQ scores alone do not determine a person’s future drinking habits, but may be related to social factors. In particular, family income partially mediates the relationship between IQ and alcohol consumption, but education level does not.

Although researchers currently suggest that having a higher IQ level is associated with higher income, which could increase the frequency of alcohol use, they also underscore that these findings may not be generalizable to a broader demographic group.

Original text of the study Alcohol and alcoholism It was published in the magazine.