Intelligence and safe and healthy behavior in a small sample of students

There is ample evidence in the epidemiological literature that intelligence (like education and affluence) is related with reduced mortality rates and a longer life. This may be the direct result of safer and healthier behavior of more intelligent people. We have tried to test this hypothesis by a survey among students of the Amsterdam College of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool van Amsterdam) of whom intelligence had been recorded earlier. We find no convincing evidence in support of this hypothesis, in part because of the small sample size of 131 students.