FRIDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- Smarter people are apparently a bit more symmetrical in terms of the shape of their body than less-intelligent individuals, a review of prior research suggests.

Body symmetry, the study team noted, is measured by looking at those parts of the body that come in pairs, right and left -- such as fingers, toes, hands and feet -- and then measuring and comparing the width and length of each side.

The findings, released online in May in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the journal Intelligence, were based on an analysis conducted by a team of researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).

"So far, cognitive ability has been demonstrated to be the best predictor of job performance," co-author George Banks, a doctoral student in VCU's School of Business, said in a university news release. "This article provides evidence for one potential cause of differences in individual intelligence."

To arrive at their conclusion, Banks and colleagues examined 14 previous studies that in total explored the possible body-brain connection among nearly 1,900 people.

The authors noted that past efforts have pointed towards intelligence as being a key indicator of future health, mortality and perhaps even overall fitness, a critical ingredient in boosting the chances for reproductive success and overall survivability.

It was this evidence of a connection between fitness and brains that sparked the notion among the VCU team that body symmetry might correlate with intelligence.

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For more on intelligence testing, visit Psychologie online.