r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 9h ago

Psychology Lower cognitive ability is linked to stronger Christian nationalist views, even after accounting for education

https://www.psypost.org/lower-cognitive-ability-is-linked-to-stronger-christian-nationalist-views-even-after-accounting-for-education/
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u/KogasaGaSagasa 8h ago

Still, I wonder if it's not something that could possibly be reinforced. Like if you express your curiosity or thoughts, your guardians (parents, pastor, etc) might punish you for it. Wouldn't a child be conditioned into a state where they would intentionally deny their own cognition and curiosity, in that case, in fear of punishment? And overtime, become underdeveloped.

This isn't my area of expertise, so I am genuinely just curious.

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u/duxpdx 8h ago

Yes, they would. It is quite easy to break a child’s will and curiosity.

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u/Sherry_Brandt 8h ago

it absolutely can. it won't work on everyone - hence the stories of rebels and ex-______, but it does have an impact. 

makes me think about how educational attainment is correlated to less dementia - ofc there are other factors in educational attainment, but using your brain consistently, and being trained how, does seem to have an impact independently of socioeconomic factors (like learning spatial skills, a new language, a new instrument, etc in midlife is also protective for later dementia). 

so, the converse is also true - using your brain less leads to being less able to use your brain, over time.

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u/Coroebus 7h ago

Yes, this is why people have been rightly naming religious indoctrination as child abuse.

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u/wontyoujointhedance 7h ago

There’s a saying in neuropsychology — “neurons that wire together fire together.” I don’t see any reason that wouldn’t apply to things like seeking out new information, asking questions about opposing views, and internally questioning the narratives authority figures in their lives when they’re regularly punished for those things.

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u/mcove97 4h ago

Not necessarily. I just hid my curiosity from my parents and researched everything Christianity to death on my computer as a teen.

Kinda just like teens who hide that they're drinking from their parents. You're just going to find another private way to express what you want to do if you really want to do it, if the community/family around you discourages it