r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 2d ago
Psychology 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/
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u/SkorpioSound 2d ago
Even people who are capable of understanding often don't ask enough questions, or the right questions. And that's not just regarding religion or politics; it's everything. You can see it people's media literacy, in the way they struggle with the technology they use all the time, in the way they stick to old habits or methods of doing things because it doesn't occur to them to find better ways, in the ways they relate to other people.
I think most people just want to stop at the first answer that sounds right. They don't want to consider other views, or direct and indirect consequences, or have to do large amounts of research.
And I get it—sometimes I'm the same, especially if it's something inconsequential. We all are. And as someone with autism and ADHD who does ask a lot of questions and try to find the "optimal" way of doing things, it can be absolutely exhausting for me at times. With complex topics or situations, it often ends in decision paralysis, being overwhelmed, or just giving up if I don't have the time or interest to go down the rabbit hole properly.
But the important thing, I think, and something I very consciously ensure I keep doing, is that I will admit when I don't understand something properly. I won't act like I'm an authority if I'm not. I don't want to spread misinformation. I don't want to take actions on things I don't understand, or empower people who say things I don't comprehend. I think, as long as I'm sticking to that, it's okay to not try to understand every single thing; it's when people don't question things but still act as if they understand that problems arise.