Drink a Little, Think a Little, Lean to the Right

Conservative thinker considering question.

OK, put your guns down. I'm just the messenger here. BUT in yet another study, conservative thinking comes out on the low end of the intellectual pile.

This time, Dr. Scott Eidelman, a University of Arkansas psychologist, says people who put forth little thought and effort when answering political questions tend to be conservatives.

Here's Eidelman (story here):

"Our research shows that low-effort thought promotes political conservatism, not that political conservatives use low-effort thinking. ... Keeping people from thinking too much ...or just asking them to deliberate or consider information in a cursory manner can impact people's political attitudes, and in a way that consistently promotes political conservatism."

Eidelman led a team of psychologists that asked people about their political viewpoints in a bar and in a laboratory. The drinkers were questioned about social issues and then had their breath analyzed to see how loaded they were. The more drunk they were, the more they leaned right.

The same research was conducted in a lab with sober people and found "that people who were asked to evaluate political ideas quickly or while distracted were more likely to express conservative viewpoints."