A study has found that teens who get the highest test scores are likely to drink alcohol and smoke pot, but are less likely to smoke cigarettes compared to teens who get lower test scores.
James Williams and Gareth Hagger-Johnson, co-authors of the new study published in the British Medical Journal Open, said that smarts students might have a tendency to experiment, but these patterns may be continued until adulthood.
The study contradicts the theory that teens will give up on these patterns of substance as they grow up. The researchers are affiliated with the University College London.
According to Medical Daily, the kind of substances students will most likely abuse may be predicted according to their academic performance. Besides, teenagers nowadays are known to experiment with alcohol and drugs.
The study shows the association between the test scores of students and their likeliness to drink alcohol and use drugs. Moreover, previous research showed that alcohol is used in higher quantities by more intelligent individuals.
The findings of the study not just shows that high performing students drink more often, but it also reveals that lower performing students drink more dangerously.
Pat Aloise-Young, the co-author of the study, warned the negative consequences of hazardous drinking from a public health perspective. It may result in alcohol-related crimes and injuries, unwanted sexual encounters, and driving while intoxicated.
This will put the low-performing students at risk of leaving the education system as well as earning poor grades all together.
Although there are still no clear explanations why intelligent students drink more, it has been suggested that may become bored faster that is why they look for something that could stimulate their mind. They also want to fit in with older friends, so they drink more to better assimilate with them.
Moreover, adults who are intelligent and belonging to higher socioeconomic status tend to drink alcohol regularly. Drinking may be the result of parental influence.