While the beneficial effects of IQ on life expectancy have been largely recognized, we analyze whether these effects
can be generalized for lifespan at different stages. Contrary to earlier studies on this issue based on average
effects, we adopt the quantile regression approach that enables us to capture heterogeneous effects of IQ on longevity
for different lifespan levels. Our results indicate that the effect of IQ on longevity is highly heterogeneous
across quantiles. To be precise, among the lower longevity nations, IQ is positively associatedwith longevity, and
the strength of their relationship is larger at lower longevity levels. However, the coefficient of IQ is statistically
insignificant at the higher quantiles of the conditional longevity distribution, suggesting IQ is not relevant for the
highest longevity nations. Our results show that the quantile regression approach can provide policymakers and
researcherswith more information about the effect of IQ on lifespan as it relates to the distribution of the dependent
variable.