Across 73 countries around the world, national intelligence estimates predicted significant increments in the variance of male and female suicide rates over and above the predictive contributions of the cognitive and hedonic facets of subjective well-being (life satisfaction, happiness, and unhappiness). This new result adds to current evidence for cognitive ability as an ecologic (aggregate-level) correlate of suicide prevalence.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
JoinerT. E. (2005) Why people die by suicide. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univer. Press.
2.
LesterD. (2003) National estimates of IQ and suicide and homicide rates. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 97, 206.
3.
LynnR.VanhanenT. (2006) IQ and global inequality. Augusta, GA: Washington Summit.
4.
MinkovM. (2009) Predictors of differences in subjective well-being across 97 nations. Cross-Cultural Research, 43, 152–179.
5.
TemplerD. I.ConnellyH. J.LesterD.ArikawaH.MancusoL. (2007) Relationship of IQ to suicide and homicide rate: an international perspective. Psychological Reports, 100, 108–112.
6.
VoracekM. (2004) National intelligence and suicide rate: an ecological study of 85 countries. Personality and Individual Differences, 37, 543–553.
7.
VoracekM. (2005) National intelligence, suicide rate in the elderly, and a threshold intelligence for suicidality: an ecological study of 48 Eurasian countries. Journal of Biosocial Science, 37, 721–740.
8.
VoracekM. (2006a) Exponential fitting of suicide rate and national intelligence estimates. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 102, 896–898.
9.
VoracekM. (2006b) Smart and suicidal? The social ecology of intelligence and suicide in Austria. Death Studies, 30, 471–485.
10.
VoracekM. (2007a) Evidence for a positive ecological correlation of regional intelligence and suicide mortality in the United States during the early 20th century. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 105, 391–402.
11.
VoracekM. (2007b) National intelligence and suicide rate across Europe: an alternative test using educational attainment data. Psychological Reports, 101, 512–518.
12.
VoracekM. (2007c) Regional intelligence and suicide rate: new data for Australia and a synthesis of research. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 105, 191–196.
13.
VoracekM. (2008) Cross-national social ecology of intelligence and suicide prevalence: integration, refinement, and update of studies. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 106, 550–556.