Low-Effort Thought Promotes Political Conservatism - Cool study here.

[Maraya1969]

Last edited Fri Mar 3, 2023, 06:51 PM - Edit history (1)

Abstract

"The authors test the hypothesis that low-effort thought promotes political conservatism. In Study 1, alcohol intoxication was measured among bar patrons; as blood alcohol level increased, so did political conservatism (controlling for sex, education, and political identification). In Study 2, participants under cognitive load reported more conservative attitudes than their no-load counterparts. In Study 3, time pressure increased participants’ endorsement of conservative terms. In Study 4, participants considering political terms in a cursory manner endorsed conservative terms more than those asked to cogitate; an indicator of effortful thought (recognition memory) partially mediated the relationship between processing effort and conservatism. Together these data suggest that political conservatism may be a process consequence of low-effort thought; when effortful, deliberate thought is disengaged, endorsement of conservative ideology increases."


https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0146167212439213

EDIT: - I wanted to add another study that I posted below in this thread that concludes not just laziness but also good old dumbness.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222682950_Conservatism_and_cognitive_ability

"Conservatism and cognitive ability are negatively correlated. The evidence is based on 1254 community college students and 1600 foreign students seeking entry to United States' universities. At the individual level of analysis, conservatism scores correlate negatively with SAT, Vocabulary, and Analogy test scores. At the national level of analysis, conservatism scores correlate negatively with measures of education (e.g., gross enrollment at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels) and performance on mathematics and reading assessments from the PISA (Programm for International Student Assessment) project. They also correlate with components of the Failed States Index and several other measures of economic and political development of nations. Conservatism scores have higher correlations with economic and political measures than estimated IQ scores."

[alwaysinasnit]

1. Interesting. If I'm reading that correctly, you can distill it down to this thought; the more

intellectually lazy you are, the more likely you are to lean conservative.

[Maraya1969]

10. Yes! But there are other studies that show that conservatives just have lower

Intelligence quotas. I like posting them one Youtube and Twitter hoping that some will decide they do not want to be in that group of losers. Here is another one.


https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222682950_Conservatism_and_cognitive_ability

"Conservatism and cognitive ability are negatively correlated. The evidence is based on 1254 community college students and 1600 foreign students seeking entry to United States' universities. At the individual level of analysis, conservatism scores correlate negatively with SAT, Vocabulary, and Analogy test scores. At the national level of analysis, conservatism scores correlate negatively with measures of education (e.g., gross enrollment at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels) and performance on mathematics and reading assessments from the PISA (Programm for International Student Assessment) project. They also correlate with components of the Failed States Index and several other measures of economic and political development of nations. Conservatism scores have higher correlations with economic and political measures than estimated IQ scores."

[alwaysinasnit]

17. Thanks Maraya1969!

[Tesha]

2. Anyone who participates in any forum with the red hats

we fully well knows this, but it's good to see it perhaps proven.

How many times, when you ask them for background on some opinion that they hold strongly on an issue, have they refused to discuss it any further or jump to a new issue if you try to expand their thinking.


Every damned time!

[Maraya1969]

11. One of my relatives would walk out of the room if I went to open my laptop to show

that what they were saying was absurd. They don't want to know! I guess it is easier to believe that, for an example, poor people are just lazy.

[enki23]

3. Obvious, but it's good to see the data backs it up.

Can be summed up as: conservatives are stupid people, lazy thinkers, and, though that's not in this study, the evil fuckers and frauds who use them to gain power.

[MomInTheCrowd]

6. Agreed

[live love laugh]

4. IOW: WOKE is the enemy of conservatism.

[patphil]

5. Low effort thought! Translation: Brain dead zombies.

Herd mentality...tell me what to think, say, and do because thinking hurts my poor low capacity brain.
Note: I think over indulgence in alcohol is used to "release the hounds" so to speak and allow people to be who they truly are. If you're a good person, you still express that, but if you're an asshole...well then look out MFer!

[SheltieLover]

7. Toss in enlarged, overactive amygdalas & it's a histrionic mess!

[Caliman73]

8. Like I have been saying...

Conservatives tend to be binary thinkers and struggle with the real nuance of everyday life. They are typically drawn to conservatism by the idea of "simple answers to complex questions". As the study suggests, all of us are prone to that kind of thinking when under cognitive load or when our cognition is impaired by substances. Difference between us Progressives/Liberals and Conservatives is that our typical cognitive state embraces nuance and the complexities of life, while people who are conservative run to the comfort of "simple answers"

[LakeArenal]

9. "There are two militaries. A good one and a bad one"

That’s one low thought voter right there.

[Maraya1969]

13. Who said that? I looked it up - nothing

[LakeArenal]

16. It was from a Jordan Kepler Video at a trump event.

I believe this is it….

Look up two militaries on You tube.

Nope not that 👇

https://m.youtube.com/hashtag/dailyshow

[LymphocyteLover]

12. I've long thought this, certainly it makes a lot of sense

[Hortensis]

14. Low-effort thinking would be more reactive, simplistic thinking,

which definitely fits.

[TeamProg]

15. Critical thinking requires effort and critical thinking is easier if you are educated and practised.

Low effort thinking people aren't super excited about getting an education to become practised at thinking.

TOO MUCH WORK!