Intelligent People Are More Likely to Trust, Study Says
By Ned Hepburn
We all have a family member or friend that is, perhaps, of the tinfoil hat-wearing sect-the kind of dude that thinks that "they" are after "our guns," or perhaps "the government" is simultaneously "communist, fascist and socialist."
Now we know why this might all make sense: It turns out that there might be a basic correlation between trust and basic intelligence.
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Researchers at Oxford University analyzed data from America's GSS Survey (or General Social Survey), a census that has been analyzing America's population since 1978. The researchers concluded, among other findings, that "Intelligence is shown to be linked with trusting others, even after taking into account factors like marital status, education and income.
"This finding supports what other researchers have argued, namely that being a good judge of character is a distinct part of human intelligence which evolved through natural selection."
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This doesn't necessarily mean that intelligent people trust more and that you should leave your door unlocked all the time. It, instead, means that intelligent people are more likely to understand that we are no longer cavemen.
More intelligent minds are aware that we have moved on from hunter/gatherer responses -- like "Get off my land! I don't know you!" retorts -- and are able to make more modern reactions. They'll now opt for a, "Hello stranger on my land! Are you lost?" before, say, reaching for their revolvers.
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Professor Francesco Billari, of Oxford's Nuffield College, said: 'People who trust others seem to report better health and greater happiness. The study of social trust therefore has wider implications in public health, governmental policy and private charity, and there are good reasons to think that governments, religious groups and other civic organisations should try to cultivate more trust in society."
Of course, these findings come out at a time when trust in others is apparently at an all-time low. Your move, NSA.
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