From: Follow The Science <x@y.com>
Newsgroups: alt.politics.trump,alt.politics.liberalism,alt.politics.democrats,alt.politics.usa.republican,alt.fan.rush-limbaugh,can.politics
Subject: Rightists have inferior intelligence. Follow the science.
Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2025 01:45:30 -0000 (UTC)
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
Rightists have inferior intelligence. Follow the science.
Study links low intelligence with right-wing beliefs
Researchers have found a possible explanation for why certain people are
prejudiced: they're less intelligent.
Children with lower general intelligence are more likely to become
prejudiced as adults, according to a Brock University study.
The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, examined data
from two large-scale British studies, and found lower intelligence scores
in childhood were predictors of greater racism in adulthood, which the
researchers controversially explain is brought about by adopting right-
wing ideologies.
A secondary analysis of data from a U.S. study also showed those with
poor abstract-reasoning skills were more likely to have anti-homosexual
prejudice, partially linked to authoritarian attitudes.
Lead researcher Gordon Hodson told LiveScience that the results of the
study indicate a vicious cycle, in which people with low intelligence are
drawn to socially conservative ideologies. In turn, those ideologies can
contribute to prejudices.
"Socially conservative ideologies tend to offer structure and order," he
said, explaining why those with lower intelligence may gravitate toward
the right. "Unfortunately, many of these features can contribute to
prejudice."
The researchers found that people with lower intelligence also tended to
have less contact with other races and groups, which, Dr. Hodson said,
supports previous research that determined interacting with other groups
is mentally challenging and cognitively draining.
Dr. Hodson explained the findings do not mean all liberals are smart and
all conservatives are stupid, LiveScience.com reports. "There are
multiple examples of very bright conservatives and not-so-bright
liberals, and many examples of very principled conservatives and very
intolerant liberals," he said.
Previous research has suggested that the brains of conservatives and
liberals are wired differently.