Are Left-Wing People Smarter?

3 minutes

Last update: 29 March, 2022

“Everyday people fix their hair.. Why don’t they fix their hearts?” It seems like a smart saying, doesn’t it? These words came out of the mind of Ernesto Che Guevara, the famous revolutionist. Many other historic sentences have survived from this mind to our present day. Does this have something to do with his left-wing ideology? A study performed by Brock University says it does.

Study on left-wing intelligence by Brock University

According to the results obtained by the researchers from Brock University in Ontario, Canada, those that scored lower on intelligence tests as children, grow up to have right-wing ideologies and racist and homophobic tendencies.

To reach these conclusions, the researchers relied on two studies conducted in the years 1958 and 1970 in the United Kingdom. In these studies, the level of intelligence was computed for thousands of children 10 and 11 years old, who then responded to political questions when they reached 33 years old.

Among the questions that the adult subjects had to answer, they were asked about their prejudice on being neighbors with someone of a different race and about their concerns on sharing work.

Other questions had to do with topics of conservative political ideology, such as toughening the penalties for violators or showing children the need for obeying authority.

Are left-wing people really smarter?

According to the researchers, less intelligent people are positioned on the right side of the political spectrum, because they feel safer there.

For the creators of this scientific study, it’s the innate intelligence that determines the level of racism in a person, far beyond education. Social status doesn’t play a key role here either.

Cognitive abilities are the key to having an open mind. This means that people who have low or very low cognitive abilities opt for conservative ideologies because of the feeling of order they offer. This is another of the study’s conclusions.

Innate intelligence

This means that according to the research published by Brock University, innate intelligence is very decisive in which ideology a person finally adopts. Does this mean that being right-wing is synonymous with stupidity? Not even close.

Today, ideologies are a bit tangled around the world. Nothing is what it seems. Can we consider a communist regime and the suffering in North Korea, Leftist? Their people have become accustomed to living under the orders of a dictator who says he follows a progressive ideology, but he manages the destinies of millions with an iron fist.

There are other examples worldwide where they have tried to establish left-wing and communist regimes with little success. Russia and Cuba ended up suffering huge population repression during a dictatorship. This eventually ended up being the mandate of a leader like Stalin or Castro with little access to freedom or thought.

Ultimately, it’s important to have an open and curious mind. Learn from all of the people who have something to contribute to your life. Even the people who you consider evil or stupid, they can show you the paths you should not follow.

And at the very least, stimulate your emotional intelligence. Be sensitive to all kinds of trends and ways of being and live a full and happy life. As Ernesto Che Guevara said, if you’re capable of having beautiful hair, you can also have a noble and beautiful heart.