Originally Posted By Mr X Yes, according to a recent study published in Social Psychology Quarterly. <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100224132655.htm" target="_blank">http://www.sciencedaily.com/re...2655.htm</a> ***In the current study, Kanazawa argues that humans are evolutionarily designed to be conservative, caring mostly about their family and friends, and being liberal, caring about an indefinite number of genetically unrelated strangers they never meet or interact with, is evolutionarily novel. So more intelligent children may be more likely to grow up to be liberals. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) support Kanazawa's hypothesis. Young adults who subjectively identify themselves as "very liberal" have an average IQ of 106 during adolescence while those who identify themselves as "very conservative" have an average IQ of 95 during adolescence. Similarly, religion is a byproduct of humans' tendency to perceive agency and intention as causes of events, to see "the hands of God" at work behind otherwise natural phenomena. "Humans are evolutionarily designed to be paranoid, and they believe in God because they are paranoid," says Kanazawa. This innate bias toward paranoia served humans well when self-preservation and protection of their families and clans depended on extreme vigilance to all potential dangers. "So, more intelligent children are more likely to grow up to go against their natural evolutionary tendency to believe in God, and they become atheists." Young adults who identify themselves as "not at all religious" have an average IQ of 103 during adolescence, while those who identify themselves as "very religious" have an average IQ of 97 during adolescence.*** As both an extreme liberal AND a rabid atheist, I find this study fascinating.
Originally Posted By Mr X Also, apparently such men (but not women) are less apt to cheap on their spouses. Sorry, Tiger.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>Young adults who subjectively identify themselves as "very liberal" have an average IQ of 106 during adolescence while those who identify themselves as "very conservative" have an average IQ of 95 during adolescence.<< >>Young adults who identify themselves as "not at all religious" have an average IQ of 103 during adolescence, while those who identify themselves as "very religious" have an average IQ of 97 during adolescence.<< Hmmm ... no data given on the in between categories. No sign of controlling for other factors. In fact, no info on what these IQ scores are based on or how they were measured. Really, not much of anything scientific at all other than a reference to an article that hasn't been published yet, and a few out-of-context headline-grabbing tidbits. Just sayin'.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Really, not much of anything scientific at all other than a reference to an article that hasn't been published yet, and a few out-of-context headline-grabbing tidbits.*** Oh, there's lots of scientific stuff in there. Perhaps you're just not smart enough to understand it. j/k, of course
Originally Posted By ChurroMonster So people who accept things that can be proven are smarter than those who accept things that can not be proven? Sounds like a reasonable study to me.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>So people who accept things that can be proven are smarter than those who accept things that can not be proven? Sounds like a reasonable study to me.<< Soooo ... you accept it even though it isn't proven? ;-)
Originally Posted By SuperDry A really smart atheist and/or liberal would realize that publishing a study showing lower IQ levels of people with a different opinion is going to sway few people, and might actually be counter-productive.
Originally Posted By ChurroMonster mawnck: ">>So people who accept things that can be proven are smarter than those who accept things that can not be proven? Sounds like a reasonable study to me.<< Soooo ... you accept it even though it isn't proven? ;-)" Prove that I accept it.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones Whether there is or isn't a God, it probably isn't something that one should get too worked up about. The issue, to me at least, is oppression carried out by extremist religious factions, not silly arguments about the existence of a higher power.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder The answer to the thread title is no, of course not, no matter what any study says.
Originally Posted By DAR I'm keep forgetting that Christians, Republicans and conservatives are the more intolerant ones. Glad this clears that up.
Originally Posted By dshyates Well anecdotally, I would have to agree with the study. And I would assume explains why institutions of higher education are overwhelmingly liberal. While the base of conservatism lies mostly in the uneducated. And also explains why conserative can be easily manipulated by lies and fearmongering.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper Marion Barry...black democrat. Voted in overwhelmingly by an uneducated electorate. I'm just saying.....
Originally Posted By Mr X ***The answer to the thread title is no, of course not, no matter what any study says*** That's quite a claim, "no matter what any study says" (along with "of course not"). I don't claim that THIS particular pseudo-scientific study carries any weight, in fact I put it up with a tongue-in-cheek sort of feeling (for one thing, whatever people might guess about me I don't *really* consider myself an atheist). But to insist that such a notion is IMPOSSIBLE? That's silly. I'm sure that you could do a comprehensive study on the relative levels of intelligence which are, generally speaking of course, attracted to certain ways of thinking and even moreso particular beliefs. Flat Earth believers, for example, must be extremely stupid (or mentally unbalanced, at least) to believe what they do in the face of mountains of incontrovertible evidence. Just from a first-hand and practical standpoint, I know a guy who flew in a generally Easterly direction on a few flights over the course of a week and ended up right back in Japan. Now, perhaps all the pilots in the world are part of a vast conspiracy to trick us, but that's a tough one to swallow. More logically speaking, I know that my friend flew around in a big circle. Plus I've seen pictures. And thousands of reputable claims. I don't even need any actual SCIENCE to understand what a stupid notion that is. And yet, we have "flat-earth believers". Do you really think any of them are smart people?
Originally Posted By mawnck >>Prove that I accept it.<< Prove that you didn't. >>Just from a first-hand and practical standpoint, I know a guy who flew in a generally Easterly direction on a few flights over the course of a week and ended up right back in Japan.<< It's Satan's trickery at work in the world. Who are you going to believe? The Founding Fathers of religion, or your own lyin' eyes?
