“Differences between IQ and School Achievement in Anorexia Nervosa”, Jason R. Dura, R. A. Bornstein1989-05 ()⁠:

Anorexia nervosa is a multidimensional syndrome in which perfectionistic striving appears as a common component of the symptom cluster. Multiple studies have linked this character trait to attempts to achieve a “perfect” weight. In contrast, no empirical data are available that document perfectionistic striving outside of food and weight themes.

The present study (n = 20) looked for evidence of perfectionistic striving in school behavior by comparing school achievement and IQ scores.

School achievement was found to be statistically-significantly greater than would be predicted by IQ scores.

This finding and directions for future research are discussed.