According to professor Murray Straus of the University of New Hampshire, children who were spanked in the US had lower IQ's four years later than those who were not spanked.
Prof Strauss said: 'All parents want smart children. This research shows that avoiding spanking and correcting misbehaviour in other ways can help that happen.
'The results of this research have major implications for the well being of children across the globe.'
Prof Strauss and Mallie Paschall, a senior research scientist at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, studied 806 children aged two to four, 704 aged five to nine. Both groups were 'nationally representative' and were retested four years later.
IQs of children in the younger group who were not spanked were five points higher four years later than the IQs of those who were spanked. The IQs of children in the older group who were not spanked were 2.8 points higher four years later than the IQs of children the same age who were spanked.
On a national level, Prof Strauss also found lower IQ in nations in which spanking was prevalent. His analysis indicates the strongest link between corporal punishment and IQ was for those whose parents continued to use corporal punishment even when they were teenagers.
He added: 'The worldwide trend away from corporal punishment is most clearly reflected in the 24 nations that legally banned corporal punishment by 2009. Both the European Union and the United Nations have called on all member nations to prohibit corporal punishment by parents.'
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