Is "Homer Simpson syndrome" actually a thing?

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You know, without thewhtrabbit posting about how Homer Simpson is well liked, I can relate to him the most.

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I've had quite a few people compare me to Homer Simpson.
I do see we have similarities. I would get along with him great if he was real.

That five-year study, which could just as well have been Nothing (what journal was it in? I'd like to read the actual study) shows a correlation, and you can't pull a cause out of nothing but a correlation. Anyway, I'm sure a number of those people are lazy, but they don't generally give linguistic tests in a way where you're expected to study. Anyone can study ... the point is, people who aren't in very good shape tend to also be relatively lower performing on various cognitive tests.

I can believe the lazy mind causes the pleasure eating that causes the obesity. I can believe obesity causes other health problems, or is caused by other problems, which happen to result in lower intelligence. I can believe that bigger people are just plain slower/less intelligent. There's a near endless supply of confounding factors on this one ...

TL;DR: the study doesn't say anything on its own.

Oh, boy! We´re back to the 60´s it seems. Overweight/obese children were suspected to have lower IQ´s.
Some people still believe so. How sad for them!

Several problems with this.

Firstly, they did not assess IQ, but rather verbal memory. Verbal memory is only loosely correlated with IQ - on the Weschler scales, the Digit Span subtest (which assesses verbal memory) is one of the subtests with the poorest correlation to the total IQ score. (Coding, Letter-Number Sequencing and Symbol Search are also poorly correlated with full IQ.)

Secondly, it's a correlational finding. If the correlation bears out, it could be due to the following three possibilities:

a) obesity causes lower verbal memory
b) low verbal memory causes obesity
c) both low verbal memory and obesity are caused by the same third factor

My guess is the link is executive functions. Executive dysfunction is often associated with poor verbal memory, due to poorer use of memory strategies and/or increased distractibility. And it's easy to see how difficulty inhitibiting impulses (such as not eating that cookie), trouble making and sticking to plans and schedules (such as exercise schedules) and poor self-care skills (such as difficulty preparing meals, making you resort to store bought or restaurant meals more often) can lead to obesity.

Note that if my guess is correct, there's no link with IQ. Executive functions and IQ are not strongly related.

It would also mean that it's not laziness. Executive dysfunction can look like laziness, but laziness is a choice, while executive dysfunction takes away the ability to choose how hard you work at something.