Huh. Who could have guessed this? Other than intelligent people, of course.

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.
[…]
“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.

For some reason, I think there may be a few who disagree with the findings.



  1. Dr Spearmint Fur says:

    50% of people are below average. But then, I don’t have to explain that to about 1/2 of you.

  2. deowll says:

    The article is propaganda. In purpose is to reassure the self styled elite that they are as wonderful as they think they are while denigrating anyone who disagrees with them.

    Their obvious contempt for everyone that doesn’t walk in lock step with their version of PC is one of their most detestable characteristics.

    That most of them think they are highly enlightened while having only the most superficial understanding of what they are pompously pontificating about is another flaw. The word superficial come strongly to mind.

  3. msbpodcast says:

    Stop voting!

    You know all that’s gonna get you is another rich 1%er bastard to lord it over you.

    But the Repubes are counting on half of the electorate being too stupid to ever being able to spell electoral reform, and that’s who votes them in…

    The solution is to do away with elections, and gerrymandering and wasting your vote on the self-selecting pile of moneyed bastards who run.

    Pick your selected officials from the general populate for one and only one term and you get rid of all of this crap.

    • MartinJJ says:

      No. Vote for the ONLY real candidate: Ron Paul.

      Your world will suddenly be a lot brighter soon after he gets elected.

      But your right. The USA is one of the few countries where big money actually determines the outcome of elections. It has nothing to do with democracy.

      The People can easily change that, if they finally get their heads around all the media BS.

  4. sargasso_c says:

    Stereotype and profiling are an order of magnitude more efficient than having to get to know everyone. I guess.

    • MartinJJ says:

      I don’t want to know those profilers 😉

      It’s keeping everyone real busy with nonsense while they steal your money and freedom. And they actually let them pay for this crap also in the meantime 🙂

  5. Guyver says:

    Wow! A study conducted by liberals who want to let the world know how smart liberals are?

    Sounds just as self-absorbed as atheists who are compelled to tell the world how smart they think they are too.

    ROFLMAO.

    • bobbo, the pragmatic existential evangelical anti-theist and junior Sigmund Frued says:

      Guyver–you are a smart guy. Do you think intelligence as measured by an IQ test will have positive and negative correlations to any other measurements or to no other measurements at all?

      What is your BASIS to reject a published study?

      Doesn’t the result make common sense to you? If not, why not?

      Take your time.

    • Dr Spearmint Fur says:

      Run on sentence. But then, you knew that. Right?

  6. DrWally says:

    There is an interesting behavior that I think stems from the same root. I call it the Arrogance of Ignorance, people who are somehow proud of their lack of knowledge and understanding, but feel completely qualified to make judgements about a subject. Some examples:

    “I don’t know nothin’ about their e-vo-lu-shun, but I know I am not decended from some durn monkey!”

    “I don’t need to know anything about this supposed global warming to know it is a hoax.”

    Typically they look for justification of their prevailing view by latching onto any dissenting opinion and elevating it to equal status, even though in fact the vast majority of truly knowledgeable people are unanimous in support. I believe this is typical of lower IQ individuals who have difficulty understanding that when 95+% of the experts are in agreement, the argument is effectively over. To insist that all of those people are wrong (or bought off, or part of some conspiracy, etc) is a peculiar sort of dedication – “sticking to your guns” is more important than the truth.

    These folks are perhaps compensating for their lack of knowledge or comprehension by denigrating “pointy-headed intellectuals”. Overcome by a flood of complex data and relationships, they simply disconnect and refuse to accept even the most obvious results. That sort of earns them a spot in the “not bright” bucket.

    • orchidcup says:

      “sticking to your guns” is more important than the truth.

      Absolutely. Nobody wants to be wrong or be required to change their world view. Too much work for the brain.

  7. bobbo, the pragmatic existential evangelical anti-theist and junior Sigmund Frued says:

    Having read the conclusions of this study decades ago from similar studies already performed and reported, I only just now got around to reading it AND THEN to read the highlighted link that was in opposition. It isn’t. In fact it is totally consistent with the original study.

    IQ scores positively correlate to comfort with ambiguity, comfort with ambiguity positively correlate to a whole raft of life experiences.

    Why wouldn’t it?

    How many RETARDS head up corporations or can even find the finish of a 100 yard dash?===and it scales that way. What do you think intelligence does? It helps one to see new ways of doing things. What is conservatism but avoiding doing new things and sticking with the tried and true? FOREVER WHY would there be no correlation between intelligence and willingness to try new things?

    Ha, ha. So typical and representative of the studies findings.

    Stupid Pukes. Now tell us how the Rich create jobs. Go ahead>>>>>> Personally I don’t need a job. As my good buddy Mitt, my focus isn’t on the poor, Rumney says: I’ve got the social safety nets to rely on. What a sweet life==just like the Rich.

  8. Hmeyers2 says:

    Dr. Wally for the win

    “Arrogance of Ignorance, people who are somehow proud of their lack of knowledge and understanding, but feel completely qualified to make judgements about a subject.”

    Priceless.

    I’ve got no problems with those with strong religious beliefs but for FFS don’t tell me you arrived to your nutty conclusions through educating yourself on the subjects in any meaningful way.

  9. NewFormatSux says:

    It’s not that liberals are dumb. It’s that they so much that isn’t so.

  10. Benjamin says:

    Something seems off about this study. I am conservative, believe in creation, and believe homosexuality is a sin. However, I did well in both school and on standardized tests.

    I could tell you all the arguments against what I believe and why my arguments are better. I can explain how star formation and natural selection theories as well. I still think those models can teach us something, even though they aren’t how the universe was created.

    Scientists still use the Bohr model to show the structure of the atom, even though the theory that electrons can be found in fixed orbits around the nucleus has been disproved by newer discoveries. Still the Bohr model is a valuable tool in chemistry to determine what bonds certain elements will form.

    In the university we are taught the Newtonian physics examples even though Einstein has superseded Newton. The Newton model still works for the type of objects we encounter day to day. However Einstein taught us that Newton doesn’t work for edge values.

    As humans, we do have limited understanding. Just because we make a model that corresponds to how the universe works, that doesn’t mean it is an accurate model. Science can give us a working understanding of how things work, but it cannot actually tell us that are understanding is correct.

    As for politics, we do have problems which are often made worse by politicians instead of solved by them. As US citizens we have a right and a duty to tell our politicians that they work for us and vote them out if they do in fact make the problem worse. The problem is that we are drifting away from the Constitution as we speak. We are having problems with a more authoritative government with an out of control TSA, out of control spending, wars fought with ridiculous rules of engagement. Now Obama wants the power to strip US citizens of their citizenship and detain them indefinitely. If it is stupid to be a conservative, then I wonder what it is to support a President who won’t respect the Constitution. If it is stupid to not want to pay taxes, then why does GE who donated to Obama get away with paying no taxes.

    Why are conservatives called stupid for wanting to set one lower corporate income tax instead of setting it high and then putting in loopholes for political favors?

    bobbo said, “Stupid Pukes. Now tell us how the Rich create jobs. Go ahead>>>>>> Personally I don’t need a job”

    {sarcasm on}Oh. I guess I am going about this job search thing all wrong. Here I was going to corporations and rich people to ask for a job. I should have been giving my resumes to the homeless and and people on welfare. Instead of working two low paying jobs during my job search, I could have applied for unemployment because that money will go into the economy and end the recession.{sarcasm off}

    The study argued that anti-gay beliefs make one stupid? What was their sample size? The idiots at the Westboro Baptist Church? Homosexuality is a sin. Jesus didn’t talk about homosexuality, but he taught us how to treat sinners. We are supposed to treat them with love.

    In conclusion, passing an IQ test is the easy part. Deciding that people are stupid because of well thought out beliefs is not smarter, it’s just condescending.

    • bobbo, the pragmatic existential evangelical anti-theist and junior Sigmund Frued says:

      Benji==ha, ha. You got just about “everything” wrong in your analysis. I could parse, but instead I’ll give you the Readers Digest Paragraph leads:

      You don’t pass an IQ test–you simply take it and get a score.

      It has amused me reading this thread that “everyone here” can spout off the happy sayings about correlation: they are proof, they don’t establish causation, and there are lots of exceptions. Then, like YOU, they go off and post just as if the opposite were true.

      The issue of the Rich creating jobs has to be read xxx (forget the word right now) as it really is meant to comment on how to best spend stimulus money: to the rich==almost totally wasted. To the poor/bottom rungs of the economy==many times multiple.

      Simple stuff really. Smart and dumb alike get caught up in lazy ways of thinking. Again as you focus on it: its not WHAT you think, but rather HOW you think about what you think about.

      Know what I mean?

      • bobbo, the pragmatic existential evangelical anti-theist and junior Sigmund Frued says:

        I normally don’t correct my HORRIBLE typo’s and spoonerisms, but given the topic and the audience and the level of posting: ““everyone here” can spout off the happy sayings about correlation: they are NOT proof,……”

      • Benjamin says:

        Getting a low score on an IQ test is still a fail.

        Bobbo also said, “The issue of the Rich creating jobs has to be read xxx (forget the word right now) as it really is meant to comment on how to best spend stimulus money: to the rich==almost totally wasted. To the poor/bottom rungs of the economy==many times multiple.”

        The stimulus was wasted no matter who they gave it to. Welfare, no matter if it is corporate welfare or individual welfare, is still redistribution of wealth. The government needs to get out of the way of job creation if they want to create jobs.

        Besides, its neither WHAT you think, or HOW you think that matters. What matters is results.

    • Dr Spearmint Fur says:

      …well thought out beliefs…

      A very reasonable argument, unless you put the cart before the horse. Or the belief before the thought.

      And that just doesn’t apply only to religion.

  11. Anonymous says:

    Why does this study really surprise anyone?

    In nature, almost every higher living creature fears the unknown – and for good reason since death would seem to be about the only alternative. But take death out of the equation (like we humans have in most cases) and you have tradition!

    Humans are full of tradition especially when it comes to religion. And I think we can all agree that almost all of us need a few traditions and will almost always side with other groups with like-minded views – which doesn’t necessarily mean it’s always right/wrong either.

    Humans resist change probably because it’s a natural reaction from millions of years of evolution (even if you don’t believe in it). Few of us actually reason things out since that ability is still relatively new in nature. Cause even when we do use reason and see a real need for change we still resist it and even try to convince ourselves that things will get better if stick to those traditions. And we often attribute that belief structure to something called faith which, if you ask me, is just another word for insanity.

    So should this study really surprise anyone? Conservatism, liberalism, racism and especially religion are all traditions!

    And on a side note: Even if you do believe in a magic man called God, you can’t deny under your own beliefs even that God gave all humans the ability to use their brains and think. So wouldn’t it be a “sin” to deny that ability? And isn’t that what you do when you let someone else do your thinking for you – on Sunday?! Think again (if you can) if you say “no.”

    The only good thing that religion has ever done for humanity is teach us the importance of empathy (it’s called “the golden rule”). And I find it especially strange that religious types are of the least empathetic towards other people who might have different beliefs. I find it particularly repulsive that certain religious types seem to always want to enforce their beliefs on other people since history teaches us again and again that this kind of tradition almost always leads to war. It’s absolutely insane – and evil!

  12. bobbo, the pragmatic existential evangelical anti-theist and junior Sigmund Frued says:

    Benji–I do so much respect you good intentions, so I continue to respond well after my own natural urge to pontification. Lets parse:

    Getting a low score on an IQ test is still a fail. /// Well–“ok” but define “low” and define “fail” and after that who’s ox is being gored for what purpose. 100 IQ is “average” with about half the people below and half above. Average college grad has an IQ of 110, average Doctorate has an IQ of 120. Average happy person has an IQ of ……((I’ll keep that a “secret”–because in addition to a high IQ that is still well below the wifey==I have a perverse sense of analysis. But on that mark, regardless of the vagueness and ambiguity==do I win or lose because I am higher than average, or do I win or lose because I am lower than wifey?)) Do you win or lose only in comparison to those around you, or somehow inherently all on your lonesome? How about a loser IQ but an incredible joy in making music? Is there an offset there? How much of my IQ would I give up in order to be pitch perfect? How about muscularity by doing nothing to be attractive to the babes? And so forth. DEFINE YOUR TERMS, and their effects.===and the alternatives and substitutes.

    Bobbo also said, “The issue of the Rich creating jobs has to be read xxx (forget the word right now) as it really is meant to comment on how to best spend stimulus money: to the rich==almost totally wasted. To the poor/bottom rungs of the economy==many times multiple.”

    The stimulus was wasted no matter who they gave it to. /// Thats just silly Benji. Stimulus was to “stimulate” the economy. It either did that or it didn’t. How thats measured, how alternative scenario’s are played out is the issue now. Not a blanket statement of faith/dogma.

    Welfare, no matter if it is corporate welfare or individual welfare, is still redistribution of wealth. /// Yes, it is. Just as money put into the economy is a stimulus to that economy with good and bad effects to be balanced off each other.

    The government needs to get out of the way of job creation if they want to create jobs. /// Silly. Dogmatic. Unthinking. When the private economy CANNOT create jobs, the only remaining default not preferred JOB CREATOR is the government. Get real Benji.

    Besides, its neither WHAT you think, or HOW you think that matters. What matters is results. /// Silly boy. What you think and how you think informs you as to what the result was.

    Benji, Benji, Benji===you got to think a little bit more deeply on these subjects. Or not. Certainly, demonstrably==your choice. Are you making a choice????—or just reacting as a matter of course?

    Know what I mean?

  13. bobbo, the pragmatic existential evangelical anti-theist and junior Sigmund Frued says:

    FUR–just in case==I still don’t see any run on sentence “anywhere.” Can you copy and paste?

  14. Grey Bird says:

    Benjamin: I don’t think you read the study carefully. First, it doesn’t say that begin conservative makes you stupid, or that anti-gay beliefs make you stupid. It said that someone who scores low on an IQ test is more likely to have those beliefs. See the difference?

    You also said: “If it is stupid to be a conservative, then I wonder what it is to support a President who won’t respect the Constitution.” directed at President Obama, ignoring the fact that the “Patriot Act” was initially passed under the President _Bush_ administration. So it was his administration that first decided that the constitution could be ignored when inconvenient. I don’t think that attitude is correct, regardless who the president is.

    Maybe you should go back and read the study again until you understand it. (Also, using poor grammar: “I can explain how star formation and natural selection theories as well.” doesn’t make your point that you are intelligent, so proofread your post before you click “Submit comment.”

  15. KevinL says:

    Sticking my dick in another man’s hairy ass seems smart to me. What’s the problem?

    • Dr Spearmint Fur says:

      You don’t have to be Freud to figure out what you’re repressing.

  16. Susie says:

    Being politically conservative does not mean that you are a closed mind person who isn’t open to anything new. This stereotype is as equally insulting as saying that black people are criminals.
    By the way, the definition of bigot is someone who believes their opinions are superior and correct. Both liberals and democrats believe their opinions are right over the other. You can’t call a conservative a bigot without calling a liberal one. Well, not without being close-minded that is…

  17. CftxP says:

    Ummm…. Susie, the point of being “Conservative”, in the sense of social issues, is to maintain the status quo, a mark of being close-minded, it’s not about the stereotype, it’s about the proper use of the word. The only reason why a “Conservative” may not be a close-minded person is because they only bear that label due to their economic beliefs. Political correctness really is somethin’ ain’t it?

    But it is true that both sides can be bigoted, the definition of a bigot is someone who won’t listen to others’ opinions because of their own personal bias. The strange thing is, we appoint bigots (for the most part) to represent us in government and expect compromise! XD


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