A new study is out and this link gives a good summary about how adolescents fare cognitively, depending on their worldview.
The full study is here, and its tile is: The Relationship Between Cognitive and Emotional Abilities and Ideological Attitudes Among Adolescents. The bottom line is that teens who express authoritarian viewpoints, tends to have lower cognitive abilities.
According to the summary, authoritarianism relies heavily on simple messages. Think of George Orwell’s Animal Farm and lines like “Four legs good, two legs bad,” which the pigs use to associate some animal groups more with the humans (and thus the oppressors) than the other animals.
It’s a limiting phrase that prevents the other animals from discussing and debating any nuance of behaviors or disagreements. It works because it boils a philosophy down into a few words requiring no further thought.
The researchers noted that they found lower cognitive ability linked to authoritarianism anywhere on the political spectrum.
Whew. I’m glad I’m (-5, -5). Middle of the road liberal.