A decade-long study found a small, consistent negative association between cognitive abilities and religiosity that remained stable over time. The research, contradicting the hypothesis that religiosity might buffer against cognitive impairments in the elderly, has been published in the journal Intelligence.
  • AmidFuror@kbin.social
    7·
    6 months ago

    There was a small but consistent negative association between cognitive abilities and religiosity. Individuals who engaged more frequently in religious activities, such as praying, tended to have lower scores in cognitive tasks assessing numeracy, verbal fluency, and memory. This cross-sectional correlation persisted even after controlling for other factors like age and sex.

    In their longitudinal analysis of the data, which tracked changes in cognitive abilities over time, the researchers found that the negative association between cognitive abilities and religiosity remained stable. This suggests that religiosity does not affect the cognitive decline of individuals.