This report comes as no surprise whatsoever, of course, but it is nice to have confirmation of all that snarkitude so many of us have felt compelled to share. Via Yahoo:
There’s no gentle way to put it: People who give in to racism and prejudice may simply be dumb, according to a new study that is bound to stir public controversy.
The research finds that children with low intelligence are more likely to hold prejudiced attitudes as adults. These findings point to a vicious cycle, according to lead researcher Gordon Hodson, a psychologist at Brock University in Ontario. Low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, the study found. Those ideologies, in turn, stress hierarchy and resistance to change, attitudes that can contribute to prejudice, Hodson wrote in an email to LiveScience. [...]
[T]here is reason to believe that strict right-wing ideology might appeal to those who have trouble grasping the complexity of the world. [...]
They found that what applies to racism may also apply to homophobia. People who were poorer at abstract reasoning were more likely to exhibit prejudice against gays. As in the U.K. citizens, a lack of contact with gays and more acceptance of right-wing authoritarianism explained the link. [5 Myths About Gay People Debunked]
Of course, this will be “refudiated” by all those conservative geniuses out there who think science is a bad word. But the fact that the word “refudiate” even exists should pretty much put everyone else’s doubts to rest.
H/t: @TheShowstopper1
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