New study confirms what most already knew

[etothep]

Lower IQ children more likely to become conservatives &/or bigots

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."

But Nosek said less intelligent types might be attracted to liberal "simplifying ideologies" as well as conservative ones.

In any case, the study has taken the Internet by storm, with some outspoken liberals saying that it validates their suspicions about conservatives and conservatives arguing that the research has been misinterpreted.

What do you think? Do conservatives tend to be less intelligent? Or is this just political opinion masquerading as science?

[ragecage]

You dam clownbaby.

I would probably be more liberal if the government wasn't so corrupted and spent our tax dollars the right way. It's too inefficient as it stands.

[Kobie]

I would probably be more liberal if the government wasn't so corrupted and spent our tax dollars the right way. It's too inefficient as it stands.

Elaborate please.

[OldFatGuy]

Not sure that this news.

But beware, because this only applies to conservative FOLLOWERS, not conservative LEADERS. Conservative leaders are very, very, very smart. They know exactly how to play to these people to get them to support their agenda even though it goes against their own self-interest 95% of the time. Never underestimate conservative leaders. They're plenty smart, and dangerous.