Chess grandmasters show the same longevity advantage as elite athletes

[C C]

https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/05/18/che...-athletes/

EXCERPT: It’s well established that elite athletes have a longer life expectancy than the general public. A recent review of over 50 studies comprising half a million people estimated the athletic advantage to be between 4 and 8 years, on average. This comes as little surprise. One can easily imagine how the same genetic endowment and training necessary to develop physical prowess in sport might also manifest in physical health. Now for the first time, a study [...] shows that athletes of the mind – chess grandmasters – show the same longevity advantage as athletes of the body.

[...] The study can’t tell us anything about why chess grandmasters live longer than the public. It’s possible some of the causes are indirect, such as the grandmasters possibly having higher average IQ (which is itself associated with longevity); elite chess players are also known to take more care of their physical fitness than the general population; and the social and economic benefits of becoming a grandmaster, especially notable in Eastern Europe, may have health benefits. Chess may also have direct health benefits, including via its known effects on the brain – for instance, it reduces risk of dementia.

MORE: https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/05/18/che...-athletes/

[Syne]

Might just be because higher IQ correlates with longer life expectancy: https://www.scientificamerican.com/artic...xpectancy/

[Zinjanthropos]

Might just be because higher IQ correlates with longer life expectancy: https://www.scientificamerican.com/artic...xpectancy/

Longevity aside, in another thread you mentioned that intelligence was not a talent. Would you reconsider that in light of those who become grandmasters of their discipline? Could a long lived idiot become.a.grandmaster?

Some.games are.so long and stalements abound, maybe the best strategy in chess is to outlive your opponent.  .

[Ostronomos]

Might just be because higher IQ correlates with longer life expectancy: https://www.scientificamerican.com/artic...xpectancy/

Longevity aside, in another thread you mentioned that intelligence was not a talent. Would you reconsider that in light of those who  become grandmasters of their discipline? Could a long lived idiot become.a.grandmaster?

Some.games are.so long and stalements abound, maybe the best strategy in chess is to outlive your opponent.  .

Intelligence is not exclusive to genetic inheritance. A long lived idiot can become a grandmaster. I should know, I used to be an idiot, then I became a super-genius then I averaged out to merely intelligent. Again this advantage was afforded by my genes. So it seems that intelligence would require at least the ability to boost intelligence if one does not already possess it.

[Syne]

Might just be because higher IQ correlates with longer life expectancy: https://www.scientificamerican.com/artic...xpectancy/

Longevity aside, in another thread you mentioned that intelligence was not a talent. Would you reconsider that in light of those who  become grandmasters of their discipline? Could a long lived idiot become.a.grandmaster?

IQ does have a large genetic factor, which is likely why it correlates with longevity. So while talents are acquired skills, intelligence is much more inherent. In the case of a chess master, their skill at chess is a developed talent, while their intelligence potential is largely inborn.