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[Angrboda]

The Type Of People You Hate Depends On How Smart You Are, Study Says

For the study, researchers Mark Brandt and Jarret Crawford had 5,914 participants (a representative sample of the United States). The researchers first ascertained the subjects using a wordsum test (which is thought to be a good indicator of intelligence). Once the intelligence levels were determined, the participants were asked a series of questions that corresponded to two tests.

The first test was "Who are the targets of prejudice?" The researchers grouped the targets into two categories: liberal / unconventional and conservative / conventional.

"We replicate prior negative associations between cognitive ability and prejudice for groups who are perceived as liberal, unconventional, and having lower levels of choice over group membership," the authors said. "We find the opposite (i.e., positive associations), however, for groups perceived as conservative, conventional, and having higher levels of choice over group membership."

The second test was "Who shows intergroup bias?" The researchers found that "people with both relatively higher and lower levels of cognitive ability show approximately equal levels of intergroup bias but toward different sets of groups."

Researchers found that the smartest people were more likely to hate those more conservative.

It all sounds a bit confusing, but it actually makes a whole lot of sense. If you find yourself disliking someone, examine the reasons why you dislike them. Is it because of a trait or status that they have no ability to change, like their culture or sexual orientation?

Or, is it because they have an opinion or a belief system that they have the capacity to alter, but choose not to, like believing that women shouldn't have the right to vote? Obviously, these are extreme examples, but they help clarify the study findings.

In a nutshell, people who have lower cognitive ability tend to be prejudiced against non-conventional or liberal groups, as well as groups who have no choice in their status, such as people who are defined by their race or gender. On the other hand, individuals of higher intelligence were likely to be prejudiced against groups considered conventional and groups thought to have a choice in their associations, such as conservatives.

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Brandt and Crawford referenced previous research that has shown that less intelligent people often essentialize or see different groups as being distinct from each other with clear boundaries and less of a threat.

"On the flipside, people high in cognitive ability express more prejudice against high-choice [conservative] groups," Brandt and Crawford said. "They may be especially angered by groups that they think should be able to change their minds."

[AFTT47]

Brandt and Crawford referenced previous research that has shown that less intelligent people often essentialize or see different groups as being distinct from each other with clear boundaries and less of a threat.

"On the flipside, people high in cognitive ability express more prejudice against high-choice [conservative] groups," Brandt and Crawford said. "They may be especially angered by groups that they think should be able to change their minds."

Interesting. One group of people I have always had contempt for are those who defend a certain way of thinking by saying, "That's how I was raised." That defense never fails to vent steam out of my ears. As if they don't have a brain capable of deciding for themselves!