Religious people are more likely to have a poorer understanding of the world and are more likely to believe objects like rocks and paper have human qualities, scientists say.
The study comes from the University of Helsinki, where researchers went as far as comparing religious people with those with autism, after finding they struggle to understand the realities of the world.
People with strong religious beliefs tended to have a worse understanding of physical phenomenon, such as volcanoes and wind, and were more likely to believe that inanimate objects can think and feel.
Marjaana Lindeman and Annika Svedholm-Häkkinen, who completed the study, said:
The more the participants believed in religious or other paranormal phenomena, the lower their intuitive physics skills, mechanical and mental rotation abilities, school grades in mathematics and physics, and knowledge about physical and biological phenomena were… and the more they regarded inanimate targets as mental phenomena.
The study involved 258 Finnish participants, who were asked how much they agreed with the statement 'there exists an all-powerful, all-knowing, loving God' and if they believed in paranormal phenomena such as ghosts and psychic visions.
They were also tested on a range of other topics, including intuitive physics skills and understanding of basic biology.
But this bruising assessment of religious people didn’t stop there, with researchers also comparing their confusion between the mental and physical aspects of the world to that of those living in ancient civilizations and small children.
Previous studies have suggested religious people tend to have a lower IQ and are more likely to believe literally in what scientists called “bullshit statements” including phrases like “Earth wants water” and “Force knows its direction”. However, they are also found to be happier and have greater life satisfaction than non-believers and are seen as more generous and trustworthy.
Credits - Daily Mail Independent
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