Scientists from the University of Helsinki came to the conclusion that religious people are characterized by a poor understanding of the real structure of the world, as well as the conviction that objects of inanimate nature have human properties. On Wednesday, October 26, The Independent reports.
Research carried out by specialists has shown that the higher the degree of religiosity of people, the lower their knowledge, in comparison with the rest, about physical and biological phenomena. Scientists see the reason for this perception of reality in the fact that believers use subjective characteristics to describe the external world.
In a study conducted among 258 Finns, scientists asked respondents about belief in God and paranormal phenomena such as telepathy and vision of the future. The scientists correlated the answers to these questions with other factors, in particular, the results of examinations.
Previous research has shown that religious people have lower IQs compared to agnostics and atheists, and also see meaning in expressions such as "The earth wants water" or "Power knows its direction." Meanwhile, religious people are found to be happier and more satisfied with their lives, and are also perceived by others as more generous and trustworthy.