Fries, Jonathan, Baudson, Tanja Gabriele, Kovacs, Kristof et al. · Frontiers in psychology · 2022 · DOI
This study looked at whether highly intelligent people (members of MENSA) experience more health problems than the general population. Researchers surveyed over 600 high-IQ individuals across five European countries and found that chronic fatigue syndrome was about 5.7 times more common in this group compared to the general public. Other conditions like depression, anxiety, and autism spectrum disorders were also significantly more common, but surprisingly, allergies and autoimmune diseases were not.
This study provides important epidemiological evidence that chronic fatigue syndrome occurs at substantially higher rates (5.7-fold) in highly intelligent individuals, suggesting potential cognitive or neurobiological mechanisms that warrant investigation. Understanding whether this association reflects biological vulnerability, diagnostic bias, or selection effects could inform both ME/CFS research and support strategies for gifted individuals managing the condition.
This study does not prove that high IQ *causes* chronic fatigue syndrome or other conditions—it only shows an association in a self-selected sample. The authors explicitly note that MENSA membership itself (rather than intelligence per se) may drive the observed patterns through selection bias. The cross-sectional design prevents determining causality or temporal relationships.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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