Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Smart boy wanted: longevity and intelligence

Economists are interested in the returns to cognitive ability. One fairly basic return is longevity: smarter people live longer. But why? An obvious explanation is that they make better choices, avoiding the Darwin Awards for example. A more specific hypothesis is that they cope better with adversity and hence live longer. Some experimental evidence is detailed here. Don't worry: it uses bees.

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