Evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa at the the London School of Economics and Political Science correlated data on these behaviors with IQ from a large national U.S. sample and found that, on average, people who identified as liberal and atheist had higher IQs. This applied also to sexual exclusivity in men, but not in women. The findings will be published in the March 2010 issue of Social Psychology Quarterly.
The IQ differences, while statistically significant, are not stunning -- on the order of 6 to 11 points -- and the data should not be used to stereotype or make assumptions about people, experts say. But they show how certain patterns of identifying with particular ideologies develop, and how some people's behaviors come to be.
Well that is very satisfying to read now isn't it?
So what about religion?
Religion, the current theory goes, did not help people survive or reproduce necessarily, but goes along the lines of helping people to be paranoid, Kanazawa said. Assuming that, for example, a noise in the distance is a signal of a threat helped early humans to prepare in case of danger.
"It helps life to be paranoid, and because humans are paranoid, they become more religious, and they see the hands of God everywhere," Kanazawa said.
Participants who said they were atheists had an average IQ of 103 in adolescence, while adults who said they were religious averaged 97, the study found. Atheism "allows someone to move forward and speculate on life without any concern for the dogmatic structure of a religion," Bailey said.
"Historically, anything that's new and different can be seen as a threat in terms of the religious beliefs; almost all religious systems are about permanence," he noted.
Seeing things that are new and different as a threat may have much to do with why many conservatives are so freaked out by having Obama in the White House.
I do have to disagree with one point made in this article.
I have read extensively about the origins and purpose of religion, and have come to believe that it DID play a significant role in the survival and dominance of humankind.
The idea of religion provided people with the belief that they were entitled to the rewards found on this planet, and that other creatures, or even fellow humans of a different ethnicity or faith, were not favored by their God(s) and therefore less worthy of survival. This feeling of exclusivity kept early humans in closely knit groups which were more than willing to fight and die for their tribe and their God(s).
It also impacted reproduction in that many religions contain very strong language encouraging large families and instructing followers to only mate with other members of their faith. In terms of competition for food and the ability to defend themselves, having larger numbers served to ensure the survival of people, and the religion provided a conduit through which they all felt connected. Religion also promised rewards in the afterlife for those who died protecting those who shared their faith making it easier to find warriors willing to sacrifice their life for the good of those in their religious community.
Other than that small disagreement I find this study to fall right in line with many of the opinions that I have formed over the years.
The older I get, the more I learn. The more I learn, the less I know.
ReplyDeleteLIFE is the 'Peter Principle'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle
Up down Up down Up down...and I love every minute!
higher IQ = critical thinking and analysis and planning. Combine that with a strong conscience and you've got people who have less children; who do not beat their children into submission; who encourage their children to make their own choices as to philosophy and religion and politics.
ReplyDeleteWe also tend to be less Power Hungry and more inclined to maintain a calm and peaceful demeanor, even in the face of severely obnoxious loud detractors.
Hence, Obama's marketing "problem". Also explains why so often the Republicans appear to be the "strong" party.
I noticed that since this piece broke on CNN this morning, the conservative sites have gone to great lengths to say "Oh, look! The leetusts are trying to look superior again."
I am very pleased to see so many progressive blogs running with this story though, and very much look forward to the study being released.
I am in good ole VA
ReplyDeleteand the reason this state is turning Democratic is because of the growth of the yuppies.. the educated, the cultured.. those that want to "expand" their minds
there is still alotta down home "keep things are they are, no "new" people/idears please" areas
just 1 hour from me
but Va is growing
businesses that require "brain" power.. "exposure"
Once one has had their mind expanded outside a "bubble" they tend to think Democratic
why?
Because the Nation doesn't revolve around them ..hello
The realization there are many cultures, lifestyles, and that is OK
Republicans - fight for Freedom
Democrats - fight for Justice
both very admirable
but in the end
Can you truly have Freedom without Justice?
Can you truly have Justice if your only concern is Freedom?
When a mind is "expanded" .. straaange things happen :D
(and I am truly of hillbilly roots.. more ho' down than most can declare.. and yet... I realize this so there! all ye 'bots I probably am kin to you:D)
anne s
Religion encourages large families and the rewards found on this planet? So atheists don't like sex or food? Guess that's why there are so few us and we're all emaciated.
ReplyDeleteYour awareness of what you don't know grows faster than what you learn about what you don't know. Does that make sense? At least that is my experience. The important thing is to keep learning. Anon's post at 4:28 said it better.
ReplyDeleteAncient Gods were a way to explain natural phenomena that we did not have scientific means to explain.
ReplyDeleteCurrent religion and it's associated rituals borders on OCD; give enough and pray enough and act out enough religious rituals and you might not actually be worm food.
Say that you are a superior Liberal enough times, and you may believe the lie yourself.
DeleteDon't take this wrong Gryph-
ReplyDeleteBut sometimes you seem pretty pissed off?
Not a troll dude- but at times anger takes away the take home message.
Anyway- it is what it is...
Um.....duh!
ReplyDeleteteutonic13
ReplyDeletethat's what make Gryphen one you just gotta keep coming back for
what's he gotta say next
His Pissyness DOES come through
But that is what happens when you are HUMAN
Why his blog is so interesting
It is real
It is based on a "real" persons thoughts/ emotions
otherwise
It would be just another filtered news source
continue to express yourself Gryphen! :D
Don't play the robotic, mold type or you will lose "thinker" followers
(think Pee land.. those posts are without any emotion.. they are void of human thought.. and are quite creepy..and then one looks at the comments.. jim Jones anyone??)
anne s
some people that post off topic lengthy diatribes should not complain about Gryphen's demeanor. He's actually a good guy that lets us mostly have our say, regardless of topic and length.
ReplyDeleteNot mentioning any names, but perhaps cut the Gryph some slack. He is pissed off, as are many of us.
If I were to make up my mind just on what was reported here, I wouldn't think much of this study or the spokesperson (who was presumably involved in the research).
ReplyDeleteI take issue with, well, every one of the quoted statements, and thanks Gryphen for touching on one of them.
The other issue is, as always, how are the groups being defined?
The brief is quoted "..on average, people who identified as liberal and atheist had higher IQs."
But later it says "Participants who said they were atheists had an average IQ of 103 in adolescence, while adults who said they were religious averaged 97, the study found."
It's not clear what choices the participants had in identifying themselves (or when - that quote mixes adolescence with adults. Very confusing) or whether those choices were satisfactory labels for them. Certainly wouldn't be for me. I cannot call myself an atheist, but if the other two choices were 'liberal' and 'religious', I'd have a problem having to choose between the two.
For all I know, people like me jacked up the 'religious' IQ rating in the study!
The point being, if we are going to say "all people who believe in a God of any kind are brainwashed and stupid, and here's a scientific study that kinda proves it!", we are going to get nowhere.
What is true is The Fear of The Unknown factor. As the guy in the study says, ""Historically, anything that's new and different can be seen as a threat in terms of the religious beliefs;"
Actually, you could put a period at the end of the word 'threat' and it would still be a valid sentence.
I think inherently human beings tend to be conservative - you go with what works. But we need the creative spark to come up with new ways of dealing with new situations which are always going to come up. Without that, there would be no technology, no science. We'd still be happy to have four to eight human slaves pull a wheatmeal grindstone when the power of properly harnessed draft animals, or wind, or water, or steam, or gas, or electricity or whatever else we can think of could do the job and do it better, faster, and cheaper. It took liberal ('free') thinkers to say "what if we did something different, like this!" and then tried it.
I guess my point is that as humans, I believe we have a conservative side, and a liberal side. The one will help us be cautious, preserving that which is proven advantageous, the other will help up be adventurous, allowing us to grow and change which is the essence of every living being. Both sides are necessary if we are to progress as human beings.
You have to have the + and- . That's what keeps this crazy country kind of sane.
Deletehttp://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-31532-Modesto-Political-Issues-Examiner~y2010m2d26-Sarah-Palin-had-an-abortion
ReplyDeleteIt also takes intelligence to read between the lines. Not having the ability to see something from another person's perspective is the reason those on the right seem so self centered. Their inability to work with the democrats to move this country forward is not just because they are influenced by corporations, it is that looking down their nose attitude at those less fortunate than themselves. They blame those people for their poverty, health problems, and profiling by engineering laws to get large numbers of poor people incarcerated. This is because they can't put themselves in the place of people who grew up in a horrible situation without opportunites or those who through no fault of their own are sick, yet can't get or afford health insurance. They can't understand those who are unable to find a job right now because there aren't any, so they end up loosing their home and possibly even end up on the street. They don't get that they could be the person who becomes mentally ill and gets warehoused in the prison system. Because they have no empathy which takes a bit of intelligence and creativity, coupled with lack of compassion and ethics they do nothing to help people in these situations, in fact they make things worse for them consciously.
ReplyDelete"The wickedness of pride has lost the light to understand how little grace is earned and how much given"
ReplyDeleteIgnorance is bliss
Struggle for a nickel struggle for a dime. Forget about the past leave your worrys behind. How come the future has to take such a long long time? When your waiting for a miracle.
Fear of understanding is real, thus the bliss of ignorance.
Since a young adult, I had developed my own perception that “Christianity” and other religions were simply a massive antiquated hoax on a huge global population to generate income and to control the masses with fear. I did not believe in a do-all, fix-all, or smite-all god. Although I was raised Prostetant and attended Sunday School and church, the only lasting impression was the “Golden Rule”, and if I have a “religion”, it follows that teaching of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. I do not believe in heaven or hell or any after-life (unless I can come back as a cat, lol! Just kidding). After my death, I believe my “immortality” is how my family and friends will remember me. I have no fears in that respect.
ReplyDeleteWell said.
DeletePlease remember that "The IQ differences...are not stunning..."
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure this is such a significant study. In fact, thinking back to my college study of the abolitionists and suffragettes of the 19th century, Julia Ward Howe, Angelina Grimke and Harriet Beecher Stowe for a few examples, were all women of deep faith and strong convictions.
There are many religious people who are liberal, bright, well educated and dedicated to progressive principles. I can think of two people of deep faith who are admirable: President Obama and his genius wife, Michelle.
There is a group called Cross Left that struggles against all that the right wing nut, religious crazies purport, but get little press and might be of interest to some of your readers.
As a person of faith, who believes whole heartedly that the Paliban must be stopped even if it takes on another moniker in the future, I believe that it is most helpful when we build consensus and reduce divisions as much as possible.
I can think of two more people who maintained a belief in a higher being while changing the world: Gandhi and Martin Luther King.
And I know a few atheists who have more of a Christian spirit of love and generosity than I've seen in some church communities.
Assuming a standard deviation of 15and a mean of 100, then the deviation from "normal" is +/- 8%...not much (I think, I'm only in beginning stats now).
ReplyDeleteWith Anon 7:55 1000000%. Absolutely perfect.
I don't believe those books about the origins and use of religion, especially as they are usually written by atheists who have an agenda to prove. If we speak in terms of evolution (which I can do but don't believe in it) then our religious origins were as hunter-gatherers, who always limit and control excessive births. It is only when civilization and agriculture reach a certain point that there is an effort to increase the population and the available soldiers. It is also at this point that king and priesthood hook up to propagandize the population.
ReplyDeleteLook at our Native Americans. They fought over territory and grievances but they did not fight about God; they found our behavior in that regard quite strange.
The problem is not spirituality, it is the gullibility of people who want to follow leaders who are then unworthy to lead them, because they gravitate toward power and greed.
Less intelligent people are no doubt a bit more vulnerable to not seeing through the charade.
This is what I love about Jesus. He taught true spiritual freedom and high principles, and bucked the priesthood and hypocracy of the controllers.
I liked the article, and I also question it's view on religion. People like structure and being around like-minded people.
ReplyDeleteBut at the same time, I take issue with it's view on atheists. Just because people approach life in a different way, doesn't make them wrong. Liberals tend to think things through, have the same thirst for the truth that Conservatives do, but they approach it differently. They tend to research the facts, be more critical of what they read and come to their own conclusions without the need for outside approval, not necessarily a bad theing.
You'd be well-served to read this interpretation of the study:
ReplyDeletehttp://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/02/stop_patting_yourselves_on_the.php
I'd like to believe it's true just as much as you, but PZ Meyers, as usual, does a fine job of explaining what's really going on with the data and how one accurately interprets it.
Gryph, as a loyal reader I have to tell you I like you less and less. Your little bit of blogger "fame" seems to have gone to your head. I'm sick of the arrogance. For example, you believe you know how Levi's legal team should run, what people through out the world should and should not believe, the whole story of Sarah's faked pregnancy (though we keep hearing "if you only knew" but you never do seem to say), how (based on your one doc friend's opinion) the medical system is screwed because we don't eat enough vegetables and exercise and go to the doctor too much??? Honestly? I think you believe we need to form the religion of Gryphen since you seem to hold intellectual property rights on just about everything.
ReplyDeleteThe old Gryphen offered his OPINIONS and gave us scoops without the arrogance typical of Palin herself! I guess power, even on the blogosphere, does corrupt. As a disabled person with two special needs kids, with a sis-in-law, maid of honor, and close friend who are ALL doctors, I was insulted and angered by your "my friend the doctor" piece, and your commandment to go forth and be healthy as Gryphen has commanded you in his infinite wisdom...I didn't bother posting b/c I was so mad I could spit. I can't tell how how many times and in how many ways my children and I have been denied necessary medical care or simply couldn't afford it.
But this...I had to post. I'm a liberal, UC Berkeley graduate who is a CHRISTIAN, not of the "Republican Gomorrah" variety. I respect your right to be an atheist, why can you not respect my religious views? How is making supposed statements of fact that are inflammatory provoke meaningful dialogue? You have made similar statements of fact, for example, that Bristol did not give birth to Trig, rather than working in cooperation with other bloggers and saying "My sources say.." or "My OPINION is..."
The Gryphen and Immoral Minority I "fell for" over a year ago is not the same one that exists today. You fought for truth, which was hardly immoral. Now it seems to have dissolved into a petty pissing match between you, Palin, and her supporters.
You have been subject to attacks by people who claim to be Christian, and for that I'm truly sorry. They give us all a bad name. You have the right to be angry. But I would ask that you not claim authority on all things, nor sign off posts with "Namaste," when you clearly are struggling with angry and bitterness yourself. When I have an agenda or am angry, I say it.
Signed,
One seriously ticked off Liberal, educated, disabled, ACTUAL mother of special needs kids, CHRISTIAN, and FORMER reader
Noelle
If you take the religion out of the last couple of paragraphs concerning the advantage of religion in early man, the same characteristics apply to many social animals.
ReplyDeleteApes, troops monkeys, elephants, flocks of birds, prides of lions and on and on.
There is an instinct in many animals to fear, distrust and to kill "others" even of their own species, and I suspect that is the source of our intolerance.
I suspect that the fight or flight instinct is the cause of the incredibly complicated hormonal system that Mammalia have evolved. The need to over come the instinct of fleeing for one’s live, attack and drive away or kill, or perhaps kill and eat has to be temporarily overwhelmed in order for mating to occur, or even for the development of tribal cohesion. The same is true of an animals reaction to offspring. Some system of turning off a powerful survival instinct had to evolve.
That religions have used that instinctive distrust and fear and desire to attack and kill to control their adherents and to build huge vicious armies, and the use those armies to murder, exterminate and steal, to amass power, vast riches, land and total control of their followers is, I think, the greatest reason that highly educated people tend to be less passionate about their faith than those less aware of religions’ history and of those who are less thoughtful.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"The wickedness of pride has lost the light to understand how little grace is earned and how much given"
Boy does that say it in a nutshell.
If diversity is to be valued on the planet, then we must recognize that natural selection should not be the only mechanism in the evolution of species. For example, you can take an island with 1,000 variations of bird and reptile species, then introduce a rat to the island and the rat will wipe out, via natural selection and competition, all the others. Soon the island will be exclusively a rat island.
ReplyDeleteThat's what modern humans are today, the rats of our species. We wipe out not only other species on the planet, but other humanoids as well. It is clear that in our evolutionary past, one type of early humanoid dominated all the others, with superior organization and agression. What remains is our lineage today. But the process is continuing, as small ethnic tribes with their own unique language and culture are quickly dying out.
Religiously, the same process is occuring. In the beginning, religion was varied, and tied to seasons and earth-based beliefs, which aided human survival. Then the 1 god concept was inflicted upon humanity, and thus christianity and islam dominate the world. The goal of these modern religions is homogenization - one world, one religion.
So, modern religion is progressing along the same path as modern humanity - elimination of diversity in dna, in belief, in economic systems, in culture. High IQ, low IQ, it doesn't matter. What matters is where the species as a whole is going, and how our changing culture takes us to that unseen destination.
Both liberal and conservative elites no doubt wring their hands over the detailed minutia of the culture, but the real gamechangers and culture warriors are smart operatives like Cheney and Rove, who recognize their task is not to deny powerful entities like religion, or the base nature of man,...but to manipulate them in the preferred direction. See the cards on the table, and play them, rather than lament over them.
In fact, Americans themselves can be literally played like a violin, and no one knows that better than advertising agencies, hollywood producers, and political pollsters. Progressives, to survive and thrive, need to find a way to do that as well, or they'll one day find themselves stuck on an island staring into the face of a rat.
You know what, Noelle and others who want to piss all over this latest post by Gryphen? Get a life.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how some people love to get their knickers in a twist when something triggers their own woundedness.
If you've thought that Gryphen was setting out to attack all disabled people, or sick people, or religious people in his writings then I'm afraid you're not a very sophisticated reader. His rants are about exposing hypocrisy and paradox and injustice.
If you feel attacked, then maybe his writing has hit a little too close to home and made you realize something uncomfortable about yourself.
Gryphen likes to post occasional "rants" about things, but all of these come from a place of tremendous love, passion, and respect. Anybody who has spent more than five minutes reading his blog knows this. So how did you "loyal readers" miss that? Perhaps you haven't been here very long, after all.
If you're somehow extrapolating that it's all about YOU - you being personally attacked, your religious lifestyle being threatened, you being blamed for your disability, etc. then you're one of those people who needs to read mindless, people pleasing pablum, material without any TEETH or authenticity. In other words, you need a babysitter, not a blogger.
And that's fine. Go elsewhere. I hear the mainstream media is full of material that won't ever upset you --- neither will it ever inform you or expose you to points of view different from your own -- you know, points of view that might actually get you thinking, learning, challenging yourself to expand beyond your limited point of view.
Those of us who love Gryphen and his writings want him to venture FURTHER out on a limb to be all that he can be as a reporter, thinker, and writer. And that means going beyond his (and our) comfort zone sometimes to take risks. He'll lose some readers in the process, and he'll gain others. Most importantly, his work will evolve and grow, and that's what is important.
I'm disgusted at people who have followed Gryphen's writings for a while, seen the sacrifices, time, and incredible work he has done publishing this blog, who have decided to take issue with one or two of his more recent (non-Palin focused) posts and are trying to shut him up.
It's his blog, his writing. Get over yourself. Get your own blog if necessary.
I HATE people who try to squelch free speech. Absolutely HATE them. Good riddance to all of you who are easily offended or who have to personalize everything you read in a blog, believing that it should all be somehow about you and catering to your insecurities.
The world doesn't revolve around you.
Just because you have problems and unresolved issues doesn't mean a gifted writer like Gryphen needs to pussyfoot around trying to please you and avoid offending you. You need to get your own life in order and get some 'freakin' perspective.
RANT DONE.
liberalism is evolution!
ReplyDeleteremember the saying and truism: evolve or die. it cannot be disputed that if a species doesn't evolve, it dies off.
think about that in the context of liberal/conservative viewpoints.
I have thought for many years now that conservatives were the part of the cell that refused to divide; the part of the cell that fights like hell to stay the same, to avoid any change. interesting to see something of a confirmation of my position in a study.
considering the whole idea of yin/yang, I think that some conservatism is necessary. the problem comes when things are out of balance - and there's no doubt that there's an imbalance in this country. for all the 'freedoms' and education opportunities we have, we should be a lot further along as a society than we are today. but we're not, and sorry if anyone is offended but it's because of conservatism. it's because of the refusal of people to expand their horizons, and the greedy who capitalize on said people.
i am reading The God Part of the Brain by Matthew Alper. it touches on many of these hypotheses about how spirituality works within the human evolutionary path.
ReplyDeletethose that are interested in continued reading along these lines may find it a worthwhile read. i am about 1/2 way through and give it a thumbs up.
i do get a tickle every time someone blasts gryphen for his technique of blogging. i, for one, find it highly enjoyable to join this blog everyday - to find a breadcrumb or two and watch the readership puzzle it all together.
carry on gryphen - and thanks
Gryphen, you know I'm simple minded!
ReplyDeleteI understand the tribal thingy. The KJV Bible did mention keeping the wealth within a tribe, the family, see Numbers Chapter 36, i.e., marry cousins!
and Numbers 12:1 KJV
-And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
----
Wait, where was I going with that? Dang!
Well, FWIW, I am not a republican or a conservative. I believe in God, but not in a church doctrine. And I am a strong advocate for the separation of church and state.
Anyway, great comments! Thanks, Gryphen!