You may be a genius but that doesn't assure you of living happily when it matters most, when you are old and vulnerable than ever before.

Not so intelligent people take heart. You have as much chance of living a happy old age as anyone.

Intelligence may lead to a better paid job and quality of life but, in old age, cleverness has no effect on happiness, new research suggests.

A happy old age is what many people spend their lives preparing for, aiming for financial security and good health in their dotage. But one thing people need not worry about, it seems, is how clever they are. A study of more than 400 pensioners reveals that cognitive ability is unrelated to happiness in old age.

The Scottish research looked at a group of 416 people born in 1921, who underwent intelligence tests at the ages of 11 and 79. At the age of 80, the group was also sent a “satisfaction with life” questionnaire, which had them assess their current level of happiness.

“We found no association between levels of mental ability and reported happiness, which is quite surprising because intelligence is highly valued in our society,” says Alan Gow, who carried out the research with colleagues at the University of Edinburgh, UK.