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Consistent evidence of a link between Alexithymia and general intelligence.
Hannah L Connolly1, Andrew W Young2, Gary J Lewis1
1Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham.
Cognition & Emotion
|July 7, 2020
Summary
People with alexithymia, a difficulty identifying feelings, also tend to have lower general intelligence. This negative association between alexithymia and cognitive ability was consistent across multiple study groups.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties in identifying and expressing emotions.
- The relationship between alexithymia and general intelligence remains underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between alexithymia and general intelligence in healthy adults.
- To determine if general intelligence predicts alexithymia, considering emotion recognition abilities.
Main Methods:
- Three independent samples of healthy adults (total N=950) were recruited.
- Alexithymia and general intelligence were assessed.
- Facial and supramodal emotion recognition abilities were also measured in some samples.
Main Results:
- A significant negative association between alexithymia and general intelligence was found across all samples.
- General intelligence predicted alexithymia even after controlling for emotion recognition abilities in two samples.
Conclusions:
- General cognitive functioning, specifically general intelligence, should be integrated into theoretical models of alexithymia.
- Future research on alexithymia and clinical disorders should account for general intelligence as a potential confound.
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