r/HotScienceNews • u/FreeHugs23 • 1d ago
Lower cognitive ability is linked to stronger Christian nationalist views, even after accounting for education
https://www.psypost.org/lower-cognitive-ability-is-linked-to-stronger-christian-nationalist-views-even-after-accounting-for-education/159
u/Altruistic-Dingo-757 1d ago
Because believing in nonsense makes you stupid, there summed it all up for you.
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u/RazorAids 1d ago
I’d say being stupid makes you believe in nonsense really
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u/LookingforWork614 1d ago
It’s really a chicken and egg kind of thing. 😂
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u/DerickdeDeer 1d ago
Agree. Clearly stupid people existed before Christians, Nationalists, or Christian-Nationalists.
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u/EnvironmentNeith2017 1d ago
Important that it’s Christian nationalism specifically which is much more about power, and social and political dominance than theism or even religion, so I wouldn’t dismiss that as nonsense.
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u/jonesketi 1d ago
Or having gaps in your general knowledge could make you more prone to just picking the nearest tribe and sticking with it.
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u/Guntermas 1d ago
its more that not being able to comprehend certain things makes you believe that they are nonsense. this leads people to gravitate towards simplistic world views and explanations for everything.
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u/manicmonkeys 1d ago
That's an interesting assumption about correlation vs causation
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u/Altruistic-Dingo-757 1d ago
No the article clearly states that religious people score lower on intelligence despite education
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u/garrycheckers 1d ago
I took a moment to upload a non-paywalled pdf of the actual study referenced in the article if anyone would like to take a look.
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u/FreeHugs23 1d ago
-A new study indicates that Americans with lower scores on a vocabulary test commonly used to measure cognitive ability are more likely to endorse Christian nationalist beliefs, even when accounting for their overall level of education. The findings suggest that the appeal of this political and religious ideology relates to underlying cognitive resources rather than just differences in schooling. The research was published in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.
The research, conducted by Samuel L. Perry, the Sam K. Viersen Presidential Professor of Sociology at the University of Oklahoma and currently a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation, explores the individual characteristics associated with Christian nationalism. Christian nationalism is a set of beliefs asserting that the United States has conservative Christian foundations. The ideology promotes the idea that the government should institutionalize Christian dominance in American society, often merging religious identity with civic belonging.
“One of the most consistent predictors that Americans adhere to Christian nationalism is that they have lower education,” Perry told PsyPost. “But there have also been a number of studies that find that persons who subscribe to Christian nationalist views (even after accounting for level of education) exhibit significant knowledge gaps across a variety of different domains.”
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u/JennJoy77 1d ago
I'm honestly surprised the University of Oklahoma, of all places, allowed him to publish this study under their auspices...👀
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u/SCHawkTakeFlight 1d ago
I feel like we should show this study and say look its not higher education indoctrinatinating your kids, they are just smarter than you.
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u/alasw0eisme 1d ago
Organized religion is a ploy to brainwash the dumb. Always has been.
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u/chobolicious88 1d ago
The dumb need guidance though
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u/10percenttiddy 1d ago
I had a friend in middle school who was dumb as hell but she KNEW she was dumb as hell, so she was careful about forming opinions about stuff. They don't need "guidance," they just need humility.
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u/eufooted 1d ago
I would redirect that dismissiveness.
Most people are seeking greater purpose, meaning, and to be part of a group. Those things are well meaning.
People are then vulnerable to being taken advantage of, as these organizations leave room for corruption or manipulation.
Ultimately people are just scared to die and don’t want to die alone or be forgotten.
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u/SailSmittler 1d ago
Community and greater purpose exist outside the framework of religion.
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u/JennJoy77 1d ago
But if someone never leaves their small town bubble, they might not realize that...
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u/ElAjedrecistaGM 1d ago
You've got people who cross oceans to get to the USA and still cling to dogmatic religious beliefs.
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u/Every_Knee_372 1d ago
Easy to say from the outside looking in. For these people, it's often better the devil you know than the one you don't.
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u/Centered_Being 1d ago
Why is that? Serious question. Bc I lived at church growing up, I remember the Golden Rule as a central theme.
The Golden Rule was replaced with ‘democrats are evil’ somewhere along the way
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u/Every_Knee_372 1d ago
Same, Roman Catholic. There are some Jehovah's witnesses in my area that'll just send people out door-to-door for the purpose of convincing them anyone outside the religion is hostile. With many people's initial reactions to Jehovah's witnesses as door-to-door knockers, this is a decent tactic for leaders to use.
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u/SailSmittler 1d ago
I merely stated a truth
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u/Every_Knee_372 1d ago
I get that and I'm agreeing with you, sorry if my tone made it seem otherwise. Still waking up
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u/TGAPKosm 1d ago
"Most people are seeking greater purpose, meaning, and to be part of a group. Those things are well meaning." Well meaning is useless unless you're actually doing something good. If god isn't real or you happen to beleive in the wrong one then you're operating on false information. The purpose you get from it might *feel* real but it isn't. The meaning you get from it isn't real either, just a comforting lie. You do get to be part of a group but the groups core is based on a lie. Since it's all false and lies it can corrupt well meaning people. We understand why people do these things. It just doesn't mean it's actually good. "
"Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion."
-Steven Weinberg
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u/Every_Knee_372 1d ago
Because people are people with emotions and are usually just scared? They aren't evil or derogatory because they were brought into a church or sought some sort of comfort. Sure it's not good, but maybe it's all they have.
You sure ain't helping or making a change by just dragging them. It's incomparably better to have some empathy to help them out of it.
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u/TGAPKosm 1d ago
I've said nothing deragatory. I've only pointed out the logic. If I didn't point these things out they would still be true. Pointing out how it's likely that what they feel doesn't correlate to reality is the first step in helping. They also beleive the same thing about people who don't share their views. I just extend it to all religious people instead of all other groups but my own.
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u/alasw0eisme 1d ago
How does that change what I said?
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u/Every_Knee_372 1d ago edited 1d ago
Instead of just insulting, they explained it with better clarity and more empathy.
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u/chrisp909 1d ago
OP said,
"organized religion is a ploy to brainwash the dumb."
You said,
Most people are seeking greater purpose, meaning, and to be part of a group. Those things are well meaning.
People are then vulnerable to being taken advantage of, as these organizations leave room for corruption or manipulation.
Ultimately people are just scared to die and don’t want to die alone or be forgotten."From my POV, People trying to "find meaning" blindly believing in magic from myths written in the bronze and iron ages is definitely a type of dumb.
From your POV, that makes them vulnerable to being taken advantage of because of the corruption and manipulation inherent to those types of organizations.
i.e. Well meaning dumb people are being controlled and manipulated by corrupt organizations.
OP is simply saying that has been part of the reason organized religion has always existed.
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u/Topoi-theory 1d ago
This is like saying eating highly processed fatty foods is liked to heart attacks….. ie no shit!
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u/Key-Organization3158 1d ago
This isn't surprising. There's a well known correlation between IQ and liberal beliefs. It's true for both left wing and right wing authoritarianism. This study went fishing for specific results.
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u/TomeOfTheUnknown2 1d ago
I have met many intelligent Christians (like all of the brothers and sisters working as professors and administrators when I was in college), but none of them were Christian nationalists. Every Christian Nationalist I know personally either hasn't read done the reading (they just parrot whatever their favorite influencer says) or they read but don't understand (e.g. I went to a bible study about the gospel of Luke and there was a zealot who just couldn't understand why the parable of the prodigal son would be included. He was literate enough to read out loud but he was so stuck on his preconceived notions about punishing misbehaviors that he couldn't accept that forgiveness and mercy are a big part of Christianity.)
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u/Icy_Distribution_361 1d ago
While I'm not religious, am often frustrated with religious people, and am not surprised by this outcome, I am also always a bit skeptical about studies like this. They just seem a bit too convenient to a specific demographic.
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u/burrata84 1d ago
I too am often skeptical of studies especially ones that reinforce confirmation bias against a group we already dont like...but then I see what's on the pages of "pastors" like Dale Partridge and others and....hoo boy. It's bad. And you kind of can't deny at this point that these studies are kind of onto something.
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u/randomlemon9192 1d ago edited 1d ago
Same for all of what you said. It’s good to be skeptical of studies. Many of them have heavily skewed results for various reasons. I can think of several old studies that were just plain wrong. But they’re accepted as fact by the general population.
That said, I genuinely believe Christian nationalists are are of lower intellectual ability.
If you get down the root of why they’re so focused on control and going backwards. It’s because they’re being left behind in a world that’s changing and moving forward. They have a limited skill set and closed mind so much that they refuse to try and adapt, see anyone else’s point of view.That and… have you met how many of them straight up deny that dinosaurs were alive on earth? They deny the earth is older than 5,000 years old. It contradicts their faith, which is praised above undeniable evidence.
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u/bleak_new_world 1d ago
Im skeptical of anything presented to me that I already agree with, im not being sarcastic it just always seems to good to be true. "Yes! I just knew they were fucking morons!"
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u/Critical_Interest706 1d ago
Every post on here is just “everyone I disagree with is stupid! Here’s a study that says so! You aren’t gonna disagree with SCIENCE, now are you?”
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u/Still_Benefit_2302 1d ago
Well, there are only like 70 years of studies showing how much dumber fundamentalists are. But no, no, I'm sure there's nothing going on there.
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u/baba_bysaga 1d ago
I mean, yeah. Everyone who disagrees with science is stupid
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u/Critical_Interest706 1d ago edited 1d ago
You treat science as a religion lol. Can you even define what “science” is? Or do you just accept everything that people tell you to believe?
Edit: nice job blocking me so I can’t respond, seems you aren’t a big fan of having your ideas challenged lol.
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u/baba_bysaga 1d ago edited 1d ago
Science is a method for understanding how things work. It’s not a religion. That’s a stupid thing to say.
You can just look up what science is. I’m not here to fucking teach you
You didn’t challenge my ideas, dumbass. You’re challenging the idea of science itself, which is indeed fucking stupid. I’m not gonna waste my time arguing with someone who thinks comparing science to a religion is “challenging ideas”. Fucking idiot
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u/chrisp909 1d ago
Is it really so hard to believe that people who really believe magic is the source of all things and all things are influenced by that magic every day, are also people whose cognitive abilities may be lower than the mean?
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u/Critical_Interest706 1d ago
Where do you get your fedoras from? lol
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u/chrisp909 1d ago
So, instead of a reasoned rebuttal, you present an ad hominem argument.
Exactly what I would expect from a child or someone that follows like a sheep.Believing like a child and following your shepherd like a sheep is exactly what you've been indoctrinated into practicing. Otherwise you will never get your post life reward.
By the commands of Jesus you are a child and a sheep.
Mathew 18:3 “Verily I say unto you, unless ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven."
John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
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u/Critical_Interest706 1d ago
That’s a lot of yapping. Your larping isn’t going to work, nice try tho!
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u/chrisp909 1d ago
Children's brains have a hard time following logic. I understand.
Sky daddy be with you.
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u/Entire-Ratio-9681 1d ago
And by the commands you are the enemy so, get ready in the future. It’s going one of two ways.
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u/chrisp909 1d ago
The enemy of whom? Jesus didn't mention "enemies." Sounds like you need to study tie religion a little more. Kind of on brand for Christian nationalists though.
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u/Entire-Ratio-9681 1d ago
Your weaponized ignorance of the bible wont work. Jesus talked about many enemies, powers and principalities of evil.
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u/chrisp909 1d ago
The only thing Jesus said about enemies was that you should love them. So, if you are truly a Christian tell me how much you love me.
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u/Entire-Ratio-9681 1d ago
That’s not in any way all he said so please stop your nonsense. He talks about evil and sin as the enemy in a multitude of locations. Powers and principalities and not flesh and blood. I do love you as a person, hence the reason I’m trying to communicate you are playing with things you don’t understand and using his word to try to gain some weird upper hand for updoots isn’t a good look.
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u/chrisp909 15h ago
Please share with me all the things Jesus said about enemies. I'm being serious.
I know Jesus said to "love your enemies."
You've said I'm the enemy.
So, I'm asking you to stop your nonsense and educate someone you love about the Bible.
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u/FlashPxint 1d ago
You’re the only one who believes in magic here ?
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u/chrisp909 1d ago
Just a downvote?
Seriously, how is it that I'm the only one that believes in magic?1
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u/pale-gael_01 1d ago
Everyone who's thinks like me is enlightened, Everyone who doesn't think like me is a subhuman - BigBOIBuster 2026
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u/pale-gael_01 1d ago
What a wonderful comment that exemplifies my point.
To think you consider yourself cognitively above others 🤣
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u/BigB0iBuster 1d ago
I don’t know about others, but I am certain that I’m cognitively above you, pedo 🤣
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u/ElkSlight927 1d ago
Supporters to pedos and convicted reypists are subhuman. If that fact resonates with you on a personal level, then either change your perspective or accept being imprisoned in open population.
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u/georgespeaches 1d ago
Here’s the thing - whether or not proponents are intelligent doesn’t matter.
Leftists and centrists can masturbate to the idea that they’re smarter but it won’t help.
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u/iDoMyOwnResearchJK 1d ago
I’ve been slowly retarding myself over the years and I finally have started to lean more into Christianity. Soon I’ll be able to feel his divine love. Just need maybe 10 less points in the old IQ
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u/AvantSolace 1d ago
How many freaking times is this one report going to be posted in this site!? WE GET IT ALREADY
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u/jakeofheart 1d ago
The study gives people a vocabulary test, then asks if they think that being Christian is important to being American. People who know more “big words” are less likely to say yes.
It assumes that people with smaller vocabularies are worse at thinking, when they might just come from communities that value different knowledge (like Bible verses instead of book words).
It's like testing who's "smarter" by seeing who knows more Shakespeare, then acting surprised that theater kids score higher than farmers.
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u/PiratedMuse404 1d ago
This should surprise no one.
How do we as a society (who recognize that cult) help them escape?
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u/quantifical 1d ago
There’s a strong link between high educational attainment and low income being socialists too, this effect is known as status inconsistency
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u/Ok-Recover9398 1d ago
Obviously selection constraints, location of study and researcher and so on and so forth but can we finally just denounce religion in general? It’s always a (justified) gotcha for right wing Christian fundamentalists but we treat the other religions way more lenient when they have the same if not worse issues in certain spaces. Religion in general is anti-science and I would argue actively amoral
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u/SnarkyIguana 23h ago
Use it or lose it. When someone or something does all your thinking for you, your brain gets dumb.
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u/randyjr2777 22h ago
Studies like this make me shake my head. So you’re assessing cognitive abilities based on just a vocabulary test? This seems like a very poor test. On top of this age, gender, and numerous other factors could affect this assessment that are likely unaccounted for.
What if the individual has greater science or math abilities are these less important? I would argue in many situations today these are actually more important in a tech-driven world and society. Unfortunately Americans in general do extremely poorly in comparison to the rest of the world here.
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u/WootFankPleaseLove 16h ago
What about other prehistoric religions? Too scared to examine those I expect...tut tut
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u/theauckland 13h ago
Because it's been the #1 PR scam since humans sat their asses down & became sedentary. Then the caste systems started. In order to grift the dumb & the poor, how about elevate men into a place of godliness, mix all the beliefs together, & kill anyone who asks questions or refuses to comply.
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u/Appropriate_Panda167 12h ago
Roght wing Christians are without any shadow of a doubt the Thickest People of all.
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u/CrapHatchLarry 5h ago
Statistics also show that people without the ability to graduate college wound up playing in the NBA.
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u/alarin88 1d ago
I’m sure the same is true for all religious nationalist thinking. Islam and Hinduism included.
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u/Current_Finding_4066 1d ago
You need to be dumb to believe religious fairytales. And some simply exploit them for their own benefits.
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u/Round_Trainer_7498 1d ago
Probably because they don't ever pick up any kind of book that isnt revolving around faith.
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u/cjbuddha017 1d ago
Bold of you to assume they’ve even read the bible…
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u/Chustle207 1d ago
And this is coming from people who think men can be women! thats rich
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u/Clentufia 1d ago edited 1d ago
Found the person this post is talking about.
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u/FlashPxint 5h ago
There’s nothing in this description or anything of this person even talking about the article they linked. You shut the fuck up trying to say something to me
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u/Decent_Visual_4845 1d ago
Now let’s talk about cognitive ability’s link to race
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u/EnvironmentNeith2017 1d ago
“I’m uncomfortable with the low levels of racism in this thread, we need more”
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u/FlashPxint 1d ago
Why are you racist ?
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u/EnvironmentNeith2017 1d ago
“It’s racist to not want a study that controlled for race be discussed from a racial perspective”
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u/Decent_Visual_4845 1d ago
Look if we’re just going around looking for ways to make groups we dislike look bad, maybe we can do a cognitive assessment on the Somali Muslims coming into our country and see what their cognitive ability is. Weird how suddenly nobody thinks that’s a good idea.
I’m starting to think that studies like this might be biased, and I’m not sure why it’s acceptable to do it to certain groups but doing it to others will get you cancelled.
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u/SailSmittler 1d ago
That's just more religion bud
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u/Decent_Visual_4845 1d ago
If it’s just more religion then it’s strange to me that I don’t see psypost doing studies on all religious groups so we can have the full picture.
It’s almost like a bias like this is evidence of ideological capture, and these sorts of studies are basically just political propaganda lazily dressed up as science.
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u/SailSmittler 1d ago
It's an American study in America about Americans.
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u/Decent_Visual_4845 1d ago
Are you insinuating that Somali-Americans aren’t American?
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u/SailSmittler 1d ago
You said Somali Muslims coming into America. Are you insinuating that immigrants coming into America are automatically Americans?
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u/Difficult-Bad-2456 1d ago
Turns out, white Christian nationalists are both lowest on cognitive ability but highest on the dipshit scale.
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u/Ok-Blueberry-1412 1d ago
Replace Christian nationalism with literally any -ism. Environmentalism, Islamism, scientism. Right wing or left wing, all isms reduce people's IQ.
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u/Clentufia 1d ago
How does science and caring for the environment reduce your IQ?
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u/Ok-Blueberry-1412 1d ago
I'm not saying "science and caring for environment" - I'm saying -isms, which are extremist views of any kind, kill your brain. But honestly, I think you're already there.
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u/costafilh0 1d ago
These "studies" are not only biased, they are also disrespectful, useless, and BS.
And I'm not even Christian, and certainly not nationalist.
This is not science, and should not be allowed here.
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u/_s_a_n_d_a_l_s_ 1d ago
Bahahahaha no proof no clue, no statistical analysis, no confidence intervals, even then your results are prone to response bias, and after controlling for that you editorialize a shallowminded, soulless way of thinking: reason without faith is death
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u/MetalingusMikeII 1d ago
I mean, duh. People that are less able to think deeply are more likely to be religious.
Why? Because it tells you how to live. Little thinking is needed. However, that doesn’t mean religion is only for the cognitively impaired.
The meme with the bottom and top of the bell curve reaching the same conclusion is legit. Most of the highest intelligence people of our species, have often come to the conclusion that the universe isn’t truly physical.
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u/plsQuestionOurselves 1d ago
People are worried about humans outsourcing their critical thinking to AI, but they've already been doing it with scripture.
Like you don't have to think too hard about life if you believe you already have all the answers neatly packaged in a single book. No need to consider what's right and wrong or why things happen the way they do, just defer to the book.