From the Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.
Psychosom Med. 2017 Sep;79(7):757-762. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000479.
Higher intelligence quotient (IQ) correlates with lower systemic inflammation, consistent with an association between lower IQ and disease risk. The present study examined the role of repetitive thought (RT) in the relationship between IQ and interleukin (IL)-6. RT is thinking attentively, repeatedly, and frequently about oneself and one's world and is characterized by valence (positive-negative), purpose (searching-solving), and total quantity (much-little).
Estimated IQ and RT dimension scores were assessed at baseline in a sample of older adults (N = 120, mean age = 74 years), who thereafter had blood drawn up to 10 times semiannually (n = 799). Models were adjusted for body mass index, chronological age, and statin medication.
Higher IQ was associated with lower IL-6 (γ = -0.225, SE = 0.111, p = .045). Of the RT dimensions, only more total RT predicted lower IL-6 (γ = -0.037, SE = 0.011, p = .001), an effect that was not moderated by valence or purpose. More total RT accounted for part of the effect of IQ on IL-6 (indirect effect = -0.06 [confidence interval = -0.14 to -0.002]). There was also a significant interaction between IQ and total RT (F(1,119) = 6.97, p = .009), in which more total RT was more strongly associated with lower IL-6 for people with lower IQ.
Although some forms of RT such as worry may have negative health correlates for older adults, engaging in RT per se can be healthy insofar as it also encompasses planning, processing, and coping. Older adults with higher IQ were more likely to engage in RT, but those with average IQ benefitted the most with regard to a marker of systemic inflammation.
较高的智商（IQ）与较低的全身炎症相关，这与较低的 IQ 与疾病风险之间存在关联。本研究探讨了重复思维（RT）在 IQ 与白细胞介素（IL）-6 之间关系中的作用。RT 是指专注地、反复地、频繁地思考自己和自己的世界，其特点是价值（积极-消极）、目的（搜索-解决）和总量（多-少）。
在一组老年成年人样本中（N=120，平均年龄为 74 岁），在基线时评估了估计的 IQ 和 RT 维度得分，此后每半年半抽取一次血样（n=799）。模型调整了体重指数、年龄和他汀类药物的使用。
较高的 IQ 与较低的 IL-6 相关（γ=-0.225，SE=0.111，p=0.045）。在 RT 维度中，只有更多的总 RT 预测较低的 IL-6（γ=-0.037，SE=0.011，p=0.001），而这种效果不受价值或目的的调节。更多的总 RT 部分解释了 IQ 对 IL-6 的影响（间接效应=-0.06[置信区间=-0.14 至 -0.002]）。IQ 和总 RT 之间也存在显著的交互作用（F(1,119)=6.97，p=0.009），即对于 IQ 较低的人来说，更多的总 RT 与较低的 IL-6 相关性更强。
尽管某些形式的 RT，如担忧，可能对老年成年人的健康有负面影响，但本身进行 RT 可能是健康的，因为它还包括计划、处理和应对。IQ 较高的老年成年人更有可能进行 RT，但那些平均 IQ 的人在全身炎症标志物方面获益最大。
