Hmmm, new study shows that the smarter you are, the less likely you are to believe in God. The study, conducted by Miron Zuckerman, a psychologist at the University of Rochester. The majority of those studies found that more intelligent people were more likely to lack religious beliefs. But Zuckerman is careful to point out that his work—does not mean only dumb people believe in God. Rather, he said, it shows only that more intelligent people may have less need for religion. “It is truly the wrong message to take from here that if I believe in God I must be stupid,” he said. Rather, Zuckerman writes that more intelligent people may find certain basic needs—“functions” in psychology-speak—fulfilled outside of religion. These functions include self-esteem, a sense of community and a sense of purpose, among others. The study also concludes that more intelligent people are less likely to believe in God because they are more likely to challenge established norms and dogma. They are also more likely to have analytical thinking styles, which other studies have shown undermine religious belief. The news is not bad for believers, Zuckerman insists. “The functions we cover imply that in many ways religious people are better off than those who are nonreligious,” he said. “There are things about self-esteem and feeling in control and attachment that religion provides. In all those things, there are benefits to being religious, and that is the take-home message for those who are religious.”
Posted on: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 23:13:13 +0000
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