Conscientiousness, Extraversion, College Education, and Longevity of High-Ability Individuals

Abstract

Using the 1922–91 Terman Life-Cycle Study of Children with High Ability, I find a strong relationship between college education and longevity for men who have high intelligence. Conscientiousness and Extraversion are strongly related to longevity of men, even though their effects on education are, at best, weak. I also find that men with higher levels of education and skills have superior health and healthier lifestyles over the lifespan. For women of this historical cohort (born around 1910), who live at least as long as college-educated men, I find no evidence of a relationship between education, noncognitive skills, and longevity.