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Intelligence and homosexuality.
1Department of Management, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.
Journal of Biosocial Science
|February 2, 2012
Summary
More intelligent individuals are more likely to adopt novel values, such as identifying as homosexual. This finding supports the Savanna-IQ Interaction Hypothesis, linking general intelligence to evolutionarily novel preferences.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Sciences
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Human Sexuality
Background:
- The origin of human preferences and values remains a theoretical challenge.
- The Savanna-IQ Interaction Hypothesis proposes a link between general intelligence and evolutionarily novel preferences.
- Homosexuality is considered an evolutionarily novel trait, rare in ancestral environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the Savanna-IQ Interaction Hypothesis regarding intelligence and homosexual identification/behavior.
- To investigate the relationship between general intelligence and evolutionarily novel values.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of three large, nationally representative samples.
- Inclusion of prospectively longitudinal data from two nations.
- Statistical examination of the correlation between general intelligence and homosexual identification/behavior.
Main Results:
- Confirmed the prediction of the Savanna-IQ Interaction Hypothesis.
- More intelligent individuals were more likely to identify as homosexual and engage in homosexual behavior.
- General intelligence did not affect evolutionarily familiar preferences.
Conclusions:
- The Savanna-IQ Interaction Hypothesis is supported by empirical data.
- General intelligence is associated with the adoption of evolutionarily novel preferences, including homosexual behavior.
- This study provides insights into the evolutionary underpinnings of human values and sexual orientation.
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