Research Are eyeglass wearers really smarter by nature?

Are spectacle wearers really cleverer?

More than a century ago, the cliché already developed that educated people can be recognized by their glasses. Wearing glasses was attributed to reading books in poorly lit libraries. Researchers now found that wearers of glasses are often more intelligent.

Wearers of glasses have a particularly intelligent effect on many people. This assessment does not seem to be just a cliché. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh found in their recent research that eyeglass wearers are truly smarter compared to people without visual aids. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Nature Communications".

Are eyeglass wearers really smarter than people without glasses? A new study now looked at this topic. (Image: Robert Kneschke - fotolia)

Smart people wear glasses more often

For their study, the experts analyzed the genetic data of more than 300,486 subjects. In doing so, they found that smarter respondents were nearly 30 percent more likely to carry genes that suggested they needed reading glasses compared to less intelligent subjects. Higher cognitive abilities were also associated with genes that were already known to play a role in improving cardiovascular health, the researchers say.

Results lead to a better understanding

The research team reviewed a total of 148 genomic regions associated with better cognitive function for the study. Among them were 58 genomic regions that have not been studied. The findings of the current study may help to better understand the decline in cognitive function, which often occurs with disease and advancing age, the researchers explain.

Many genetic differences could be identified

Because of the study design, it was not possible to determine why there is a genetic correlation between intelligence, low vision and cardiovascular health, the researchers report. The current study, to date, is the largest genetic study on cognitive function and has identified many genetic differences that contribute to the heritability of the thinking skills, adds study author Dr. Gail Davies from the Center for Cognitive Aging and Cognitive Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh.

How did the study go??

The discovery of common genetic effects on health and brain structure provides a basis for exploring the mechanisms by which these differences affect the thinking skills throughout life, the researchers further explain. The study participants have conducted a variety of tests on their thinking skills, and the results have been summarized as an assessment of general cognitive abilities. All subjects also participated in genetic tests that closely examined their DNA. None of the participants suffered from dementia or had already had a stroke, say the experts. (As)