Human intelligence is one of the most studied yet misunderstood phenomena in psychology. It predicts everything from academic performance to income and health, and now, it appears, even our political beliefs. A growing body of research suggests that higher intelligence may incline individuals toward liberal, progressive, or left-wing ideologies. Yet the story is far more intricate than a simple “smart people are liberal” conclusion. Intelligence itself is multifaceted, encompassing not only reasoning and memory but also the capacity for language, abstraction, and empathy. Political beliefs, too, are not monolithic—they evolve with time, culture, and personal experience.
Recent studies, including a landmark 2024 paper from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, have shed new light on this enduring question. By combining psychological testing with genetic data, researchers have discovered that the relationship between intelligence and political ideology might extend beyond environment or education and into the genetic fabric of who we are. The results hint at something profound: intelligence may not only shape how we think but also what we believe about society and the human condition itself.
When Politics Meets IQ
The relationship between intelligence and ideology has been debated for decades. Early psychological studies suggested that individuals with lower cognitive ability were more likely to endorse socially conservative and authoritarian beliefs. This view, though controversial, has been supported by numerous replications and meta-analyses, especially regarding social attitudes related to hierarchy, traditionalism, and conformity.
However, the picture became complicated when economists and psychologists noticed that high intelligence also correlated with certain forms of economic conservatism—support for free markets, limited regulation, and personal responsibility. The resulting paradox forced researchers to rethink what “conservative” and “liberal” even mean in scientific terms.
In a series of studies conducted in 2014, British sociologist Noah Carl found that self-identified Republicans scored slightly higher on vocabulary tests, a common measure of verbal intelligence, than Democrats. But when socioeconomic variables such as income and education were factored in, the advantage largely disappeared. The true signal, Carl suggested, was not party identity but the distinction between social and economic ideology. Individuals with higher verbal intelligence tended to hold socially liberal views on topics like gender equality and civil rights, yet often endorsed economically conservative views rooted in market freedom. Intelligence, it seemed, could push people in opposite directions depending on which domain of politics was under consideration.
Why Verbal Intelligence Matters Most
Not all forms of intelligence are created equal. Psychologists typically distinguish between verbal and non-verbal intelligence. Verbal intelligence involves reasoning with words, understanding abstract concepts, and using language to communicate complex ideas. Non-verbal intelligence, on the other hand, concerns pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, and problem-solving without words.
A 2017 study by Steven Ludeke and colleagues found that verbal intelligence, not general intelligence, best predicted liberal attitudes. When both verbal and non-verbal scores were analyzed, only verbal ability correlated with progressive beliefs. Non-verbal reasoning had no independent effect. This finding suggested that political liberalism may be rooted not in overall brainpower but in a specific cognitive skill: the ability to understand nuance, interpret meaning, and communicate empathy through language.
The implications are striking. Verbal intelligence allows people to grasp abstract moral concepts such as equality, justice, and systemic bias. It supports the kind of perspective-taking that underlies empathy and ethical reasoning. When a person with strong verbal skills encounters complex social issues, they are more likely to see multiple perspectives and less likely to default to black-and-white thinking. This cognitive flexibility aligns closely with liberal and progressive moral frameworks that emphasize inclusion and change.
The Genetic Connection: Nature and Nurture Intertwined
In 2024, psychology researchers Tobias Edwards and his team at the University of Minnesota expanded the conversation dramatically. Using data from more than 200 families that included both biological and adopted siblings, they explored whether intelligence-linked genes could predict political beliefs. The study used polygenic scores genetic indicators that estimate a person’s inherited predisposition toward certain traits, including cognitive ability.
The results were striking. Even within the same family, siblings with higher IQs or higher genetic scores for intelligence were more likely to hold liberal and less authoritarian beliefs. Since these siblings shared the same upbringing, socioeconomic status, and family environment, the results strongly suggested a biological influence. Intelligence, in other words, may be one of the genetic levers shaping how we think about freedom, fairness, and social hierarchy.
Yet even this genetic dimension is no simple matter. Intelligence genes do not dictate ideology directly; they influence the cognitive styles that make certain worldviews more appealing. A person predisposed to higher verbal intelligence may be more curious, open to ambiguity, and motivated to understand complex social systems traits that naturally align with liberal ideologies emphasizing empathy and reform.
Edwards himself cautioned against reading too much into the results. “There is no law saying that intelligent people must always be supportive of particular beliefs or ideologies,” he told PsyPost. “The way our intelligence affects our beliefs is likely dependent upon our environment and culture.” In other words, while genetics may set the stage, history and context determine the script.
When Context Rewrites the Correlation
The connection between intelligence and liberalism appears strong in Western democracies today, but it has not always been so. A century ago, many of the world’s most educated elites supported monarchies, colonial empires, or other authoritarian regimes. Even in the mid-20th century, highly intelligent intellectuals were drawn to radical ideologies of both the left and the right, from communism to fascism.
Psychologists such as Michael Woodley have proposed that the link between intelligence and ideology depends on what values are socially dominant. In societies where liberalism is the prevailing norm among intellectuals, smart individuals tend to adopt liberal values. In societies where conservatism is dominant, intelligent people may instead support traditional hierarchies. This “cultural mediation hypothesis” explains why the same cognitive traits can manifest as different political beliefs depending on the historical and social context.
In South Africa during the 1980s, for example, higher cognitive ability correlated with conservative religious and political views, because those views were considered normative and sophisticated in that society at the time. As social norms changed, so did the political expressions of intelligence. What looks like intelligence predicting liberalism may, in fact, be intelligence predicting alignment with the prevailing intellectual culture.
The Tug-of-War of Economic Ideology
If social liberalism correlates with higher intelligence, what about economic conservatism? Studies on this question reveal a delicate balance between two opposing psychological forces.
On one side is self-interest. People with higher cognitive ability tend to earn more, and higher income often aligns with economically conservative views favoring lower taxes and less redistribution. On the other side are what psychologists call epistemic needs the desire for certainty, structure, and simplicity. People with higher intelligence typically have lower epistemic needs, making them more comfortable with complexity and change. This comfort can lead them to favor economic systems that embrace regulation, reform, or experimentation.
A 2021 study by Alexander Jedinger and Axel Burger described these two forces as a “tug-of-war.” Higher intelligence increases both income and tolerance for ambiguity, but each factor pulls political beliefs in opposite directions. The result is a very weak or inconsistent overall correlation between intelligence and economic ideology. It is entirely possible, then, for an intelligent person to favor both progressive social policies and conservative economic principles, depending on how these psychological pathways balance within their personality and circumstances.
Beyond IQ: Emotional and Moral Intelligence
While traditional IQ tests capture reasoning and vocabulary, they overlook other crucial aspects of human understanding. Emotional intelligence, the ability to recognize and manage one’s own and others’ emotions, may play a vital role in shaping political attitudes.
A 2019 study in the journal Emotion found that individuals with lower emotional intelligence were more likely to hold prejudiced or right-wing authoritarian views. Emotional intelligence supports empathy, perspective-taking, and moral reasoning traits closely tied to liberal social attitudes. Combined with verbal intelligence, these abilities may create a cognitive-emotional synergy that reinforces open-mindedness and egalitarianism.
Still, this does not mean conservatives lack emotional intelligence or that liberals possess it universally. It means that the cognitive and emotional traits associated with liberalism such as openness, curiosity, and tolerance for ambiguity often overlap with those associated with higher verbal and emotional skills. These are statistical averages, not destinies. Every ideology, after all, has its geniuses and its fools.
Intelligence, Belief, and the Evolution of Consciousness
At a deeper level, the link between intelligence and political ideology may reflect an evolutionary story about the development of human consciousness. Intelligence is not merely the ability to process information but the capacity to imagine possibilities. From this perspective, liberalism the tendency to favor change, innovation, and inclusion mirrors the creative and exploratory functions of the human mind itself.
In early human societies, survival often depended on conformity and stability. As intelligence evolved, so did the ability to question norms, to empathize with outsiders, and to envision more complex forms of cooperation. Political liberalism, with its emphasis on pluralism and human rights, may therefore be an expression of this evolutionary impulse toward higher integration and collective awareness.
Yet evolution favors diversity, not uniformity. Just as ecosystems require both stability and change, societies require both conservative and liberal tendencies to remain balanced. Conservatives preserve the structures that prevent chaos; liberals push for adaptation and growth. Intelligence may tilt the scales toward one or the other, but both are essential expressions of the same cognitive continuum.
The Spirit Within the Science
From a spiritual standpoint, the emerging science of intelligence and ideology hints at a broader truth: the mind is not merely a calculator but a vessel for consciousness evolving through culture and experience. Intelligence, viewed this way, is not just an inherited trait but a bridge between the material and the metaphysical. It allows us to perceive patterns, question assumptions, and empathize with lives beyond our own.
The genetic findings are not destiny but reflection signs that the universe expresses itself through human diversity. One person’s intellect may lead them toward compassionate reform, another’s toward preservation of order. Both paths arise from the same cosmic curiosity: the desire to understand and improve the world.
What these studies ultimately remind us is that intelligence and ideology are fluid, shaped by the dance between genes, environment, and spirit. As culture evolves, so too will the meanings of liberalism and conservatism, intellect and emotion, reason and belief.
The Mind’s Mirror
The recent research linking higher intelligence with liberal beliefs offers a glimpse into how the architecture of thought shapes society. Verbal and emotional intelligence foster the empathy and abstract reasoning that underlie progressive ideals. Genetic factors may amplify these tendencies, but they do not determine them. Environment, culture, and individual experience remain powerful forces in sculpting ideology.
As study author Tobias Edwards observed, intelligent people across history have believed both brilliant and disastrous ideas. The quality of an ideology cannot be judged by the intellect of its adherents. Rather, intelligence provides the raw material the capacity to think deeply, question assumptions, and imagine alternatives. How that capacity is used depends on the values and consciousness guiding it.
In the end, intelligence may not make us liberal or conservative, but it does make us capable of choice. And perhaps that is the truest sign of wisdom not what we believe, but how freely and compassionately we arrive there.
