Perhaps such a study wasn't needed, since we already knew the answer, eh?


Intelligence Study Links Low I.Q. To Prejudice, Racism, Conservatism

Are racists dumb? Do conservatives tend to be less intelligent than
liberals? A provocative new study from Brock University in Ontario
suggests the answer to both questions may be a qualified yes.

The study, published in Psychological Science, showed that people who
score low on I.Q. tests in childhood are more likely to develop
prejudiced beliefs and socially conservative politics in adulthood.

I.Q., or intelligence quotient, is a score determined by standardized
tests, but whether the tests truly reveal intelligence remains a topic
of hot debate among psychologists.

Dr. Gordon Hodson, a professor of psychology at the university and the
study's lead author, said the finding represented evidence of a vicious
cycle:

*People of low intelligence gravitate toward socially conservative
ideologies, which stress resistance to change and, in turn, prejudice,*
he told LiveScience.

Why might less intelligent people be drawn to conservative ideologies?
Because such ideologies feature "structure and order" that make it
easier to comprehend a complicated world, Dodson said. "Unfortunately,
many of these features can also contribute to prejudice," he added.

Dr. Brian Nosek, a University of Virginia psychologist, echoed those
sentiments.

"Reality is complicated and messy," he told The Huffington Post in an
email. "Ideologies get rid of the messiness and impose a simpler
solution. So, it may not be surprising that people with less cognitive
capacity will be attracted to simplifying ideologies."


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I'm a liberal because the militant fundamentalist ignorant
science-denying religious xenophobic corporate oligarchy of modern
Republican conservatism just doesn't work for me or my country.