Intelligence has been associated with a wide range of important life outcomes, including quality of life (QoL). However, previous studies have mainly focused on the association between current intelligence and QoL instead of investigating whether intelligence can predict later QoL. The purpose of the present cohort study was to investigate the influence of intelligence in young adulthood on three distinct aspects of QoL in midlife. The study population consisted of all male members of the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort (CPC, 1959–1961) who have appeared before a Danish draft board and participated in a midlife follow-up examination in 2009–2011 (N = 893). Intelligence was measured by the intelligence test Børge Priens Prøve at the mandatory draft board examination. QoL was measured at the follow-up by the participants’ scores on three QoL self-report measures: The Satisfaction With Life Scale, the Vitality Scale of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, and a single-item QoL measure based on the question: “How is your quality of life at the moment?”. General linear regression and binary logistic regression were used to estimate the association between intelligence and QoL. The results showed curvilinear associations of intelligence with life satisfaction, vitality, and the single-item QoL measure, suggesting that individuals with low intelligence in young adulthood had a higher risk of low satisfaction with life, low vitality, and low QoL in midlife. In conclusion, the study findings suggest that intelligence in young adulthood exerts a lasting influence on distinct, but complementary aspects of QoL in midlife.

智力与广泛的重要生活结果相关，包括生活质量 (QoL)。然而，以往的研究主要集中在当前智力和 QoL 之间的关联上，而不是研究智力是否可以预测以后的 QoL。本队列研究的目的是调查青年时期的智力对中年生活质量的三个不同方面的影响。研究人群由哥本哈根围产期队列（CPC，1959-1961）的所有男性成员组成，他们出现在丹麦草案委员会面前并参加了 2009-2011 年的中年随访检查（N = 893）。智力是通过强制性选秀委员会考试中的智力测试 Børge Priens Prøve 来衡量的。QoL 在随访时通过参与者在三个 QoL 自我报告测量中的分数进行测量：生活满意度量表、医疗结果研究的活力量表、36 项简表健康调查和单项 QoL基于以下问题进行衡量：“您目前的生活质量如何？”。使用一般线性回归和二元逻辑回归来估计智力和 QoL 之间的关联。结果显示智力与生活满意度、活力和单项 QoL 测量的曲线关联，表明年轻时智力低下的个体在中年时对生活满意度低、活力低和 QoL 低的风险更高。综上所述，