Intelligent people have 'unnatural' preferences and values

February, 2010

Findings from a survey of adolescents provides support for a theory that more intelligent people are more likely to adopt evolutionarily novel preferences and values, and that these values include liberalism, atheism, and, in men, monogamy.

A new theory suggests that more intelligent people are more likely than less intelligent people to adopt evolutionarily novel preferences and values, and that these values include liberalism (caring about numerous genetically unrelated strangers they never meet or interact with), atheism, and, in men, monogamy. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) provide support: Young adults who self-identify as "very liberal" have an average IQ of 106 while those who self-identify as "very conservative" have an average IQ of 95; young adults who self-identify as "not at all religious" have an average IQ of 103, while those who self-identify as "very religious" have an average IQ of 97. The study follows on from a previous study showing that more intelligent individuals were more nocturnal, waking up and staying up later than less intelligent individuals. Being nocturnal is evolutionarily novel for humans.

Reference: 

[184] Kanazawa, S.
(2010).  Why Liberals and Atheists Are More Intelligent.
Social Psychology Quarterly. 73(1), 33 - 57.

Related News

Data from more than 20,000 18-year-old Israeli men has revealed that IQ scores are lower in male adolescents who smoke compared to non-smokers, and in twin brothers who smoke compared to their non-smoking brothers.

A study involving 136 healthy institutionalized infants (average age 21 months) from six orphanages in Bucharest, Romania, has found that those randomly assigned to a foster care program showed rapid increases in height and weight (but not head circumference), so that by 12 months, all of them w

Pages

Subscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest health newsSubscribe to Latest news
Error | About memory

Error

The website encountered an unexpected error. Please try again later.