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The Negative Intelligence-Religiosity Relation: New and Confirming Evidence.
Miron Zuckerman1, Chen Li1, Shengxin Lin2
1University of Rochester, NY, USA.
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|October 16, 2019
Summary
This meta-analysis confirms a negative relationship between intelligence and religiosity. Intelligent individuals may favor analytical thinking, potentially explaining this intelligence-religiosity relation.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Previous meta-analyses indicated a negative intelligence-religiosity relation (IRR).
- The existing literature and conclusions from prior meta-analyses have faced challenges.
- An updated dataset necessitates a re-evaluation of the IRR.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a new meta-analysis on the intelligence-religiosity relation (IRR) using an updated dataset.
- To confirm or challenge previous findings regarding the IRR.
- To investigate potential mediating factors of the IRR, such as education and cognitive style.
Main Methods:
- A meta-analysis was performed on 83 studies, updating a previous analysis of 63 studies.
- Correlations between intelligence and religious beliefs were calculated across college and noncollege samples.
- Statistical analyses were conducted to test for mediation by education and analytic cognitive style.
Main Results:
- The updated meta-analysis confirmed a negative correlation between intelligence and religious beliefs, ranging from -.20 to -.23.
- No significant mediation of the IRR by education was found.
- Partial mediation of the IRR by analytic cognitive style was supported, suggesting intelligent individuals may favor rational approaches.
Conclusions:
- The negative intelligence-religiosity relation (IRR) is robust and confirmed by updated data.
- Analytic cognitive style partially mediates the IRR, indicating intelligent individuals may be more inclined towards rational problem-solving.
- Further research is required to fully understand the cognitive mechanisms underlying the IRR and the role of analytic style.
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