Researchers Find Higher Intelligence Is Correlated With Left-Wing Beliefs and Seems to Be Genetic

Why do some people instinctively embrace change, while others hold tight to tradition? What makes one person question authority, and another seek it?

We like to think our politics come from reasoned debate or lived experience. But new research is raising a different, more provocative possibility: that the roots of our beliefs may run deeper than we realize — into how we think, how we process the world, and even into our DNA.

Could your mind be quietly influencing your views before you even speak them aloud?

Can Your Brain Predict Your Politics?

A recent study explored whether intelligence might play a role in shaping political beliefs. The study examined data from over 300 families, including both biological and adoptive siblings, to determine if cognitive ability influences ideological leanings.

To measure intelligence, the researchers used two tools: standardized IQ tests and polygenic scores. These scores are based on genetic variants that are statistically associated with traits such as educational attainment and cognitive performance. The combination allowed the team to assess both expressed and genetic aspects of intelligence.

One of the strengths of the study was its within-family design. By comparing siblings raised in the same household, the researchers were able to control for shared environmental factors like parenting style, socioeconomic status, and cultural exposure. Even among siblings with similar upbringings, those with higher IQ scores and stronger genetic indicators of cognitive ability were more likely to report socially liberal and less authoritarian views.

The findings were consistent across six political attitude scales. “Polygenic scores predicted social liberalism and lower authoritarianism, within-families,” the authors wrote. They emphasized that intelligence does not dictate ideology, but it may shape the way individuals approach complex political and social issues. As the study notes, cognitive ability may be linked with ideological differences because it influences how people reason about political issues.

How Thinking Styles Shape What We Believe

Many people believe political views stem mainly from values or upbringing. While those factors matter, research in psychology suggests that thinking style may also play a quiet but important role.

One of the most studied traits in personality psychology is Openness to Experience, part of the Five-Factor Model. This trait reflects how comfortable someone feels with new ideas, abstract thinking, and unfamiliar perspectives. A study in Political Psychology showed that individuals with higher levels of openness often score higher on cognitive ability tests and tend to lean toward socially liberal beliefs. These individuals may approach politics with more curiosity, ask different kinds of questions, and consider a wider range of possible outcomes.

Researchers have also explored a trait called Right-Wing Authoritarianism. This profile includes a preference for tradition, social order, and clear rules. People who score high in this area often seek certainty and feel less at ease with ambiguity. In contrast, people with higher cognitive ability usually show more comfort with complexity and are more likely to consider opposing views before forming conclusions.

These findings do not label one political view as better than another. Instead, they help explain how different people interpret the same social information in different ways. Intelligence may not decide what we believe, but it can shape how we reach those beliefs. By understanding these differences, we can hold conversations that focus more on thought processes and less on assumptions.

Alternate Perspectives: Intelligence Isn’t the Whole Story

While the study shows a link between cognitive ability and socially liberal beliefs, intelligence does not determine a person’s politics. It may influence how someone engages with information, but not what they value most.

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s research on moral foundations has shown that people prioritize different ethical concerns. Liberals tend to focus on care and fairness. Conservatives often emphasize loyalty, authority, and tradition. These are not signs of more or less intelligence. They reflect different worldviews.

Political beliefs not just forms through cognitive style but also through identity, upbringing, and community. Two people can think critically and arrive at very different conclusions, simply because they see the purpose of society in different terms. As such, intelligence helps shape how people interpret complexity, but values shape what they choose to do with it.

What Smarter Thinking Looks Like in Everyday Life

Many political conversations today feel unproductive, even when both sides care deeply. Part of the tension may come from something deeper than disagreement. People differ not just in values or priorities but in how they make sense of complex issues in the first place.

Psychological research shows that all of us rely on mental shortcuts. We absorb beliefs from trusted sources, hold on to familiar narratives, and often judge arguments more by how they feel than how well they hold up to evidence. These tendencies affect everyone, regardless of political leaning or intelligence level. However, learning to slow down and question how we think can reduce bias and support clearer reasoning.

Below are several practical strategies drawn from behavioral science and cognitive psychology. Each one encourages more self-aware political thinking—without asking anyone to abandon their core values.

• Ask how, not just what. It’s easy to focus on what you believe, but it’s more revealing to ask how that belief formed. Did it come from firsthand experience, repeated exposure, or critical analysis? Research on metacognition, the ability to reflect on one’s own thinking, suggests that people who pause to examine their reasoning process often make more informed judgments.
• Resist the urge to simplify. Complex issues often invite black-and-white thinking, especially under stress or uncertainty. People with lower tolerance for ambiguity tend to seek fast, definitive answers. This may offer comfort but can also lead to rigid or reactionary views. Practicing comfort with complexity, even when no perfect answer exists, supports more thoughtful decision-making.
• Make space for opposing views. Engaging with well-reasoned arguments from different perspectives challenges assumptions and helps refine your own position. One study shows that when one processes exposure to opposing information reflectively, it can reduce polarization and improve understanding, even if it does not change the end belief.
• Look for blind spots. Everyone is vulnerable to cognitive biases like confirmation bias, belief perseverance, or selective exposure. Recognizing these tendencies does not eliminate them, but it can make their influence weaker. Researchers have found that people who score higher on cognitive reflection tasks are more likely to detect when a belief relies on flawed reasoning or unsupported evidence.
• Recognize that growth is part of thinking well. Changing your mind in response to strong evidence is not a failure. It reflects intellectual humility, which researchers have linked to greater learning outcomes and interpersonal respect. Holding beliefs loosely enough to revise them signals cognitive flexibility, a skill associated with lifelong critical thinking and psychological resilience.

What If Belief Begins in the Brain?

We often assume that political beliefs reflect what we were taught, what we’ve seen, or what we stand for. But this research points to something deeper. It suggests that the way we think—our ability to reason through complexity or tolerate uncertainty—may quietly shape the direction we lean, long before we ever choose a side.

This does not mean intelligence decides your values. It means your mental habits may influence the kinds of questions you ask and the answers you’re willing to accept. That’s a subtle difference, but it changes everything.

If belief starts with how we think, then better thinking is not about being right. It’s about being willing to look closer.