Intelligence Study Links Low I.Q to Prejudice, Racism, Conservative Views

A recent study study from Brock University in Ontario suggests that IQ and the way our brains our formed affects whether someone is conservative or liberal. The Huffington Post reports that 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. is a score determined by standardized tests, but whether the tests truly reveal intelligence remains a topic for debate among psychologists.

Theories include that people of low intelligence gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, which stress resistance to change and, in turn, prejudice. Less intelligent people are possibly drawn to conservative ideologies because such beliefs feature "structure and order," which make it easier to comprehend a complicated world. Many of these features can also lead to prejudice, one experts says.

Dr. Brian Nosek, a University of Virginia psychologist, reached out to The Huffington Post and stated the following:

"Reality is complicated and messy, he wrote 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."

Interesting. The one thing that is certain is that this study probably has quite a few people upset! Don't take it to heart, no one said this was written in stone but the explanation does make sense.