Are Vegetarians the Intellectual Elite?!
Are Vegetarians the Intellectual Elite?
A recent study has clearly shown that people who become vegetarians are statistically more intelligent that those who eat meat.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/618075...
From your own experience of vegetarians would you agree with these findings?
Answers:
Wow - it's amazing to see so many unproven theories thrown around as fact around here (not just in this question but all over this site).
Eating meat made us evolve? What kind of crackpot theory is that? Being a vegetarian means you die sooner. Huh? And some study showng that vegetarians are smarter is just as silly to take as any kind of absolute. Some of you people really need to be more aware of how skewed studies and statistics can be. Clearly people who put thought into their diet and go to the trouble of researching proper nutrition and the good reasons to not eat meat and who have pondered the ethical question of whether its "right" to eat animal products are likely going to be smarter than the average Joe who stuffs his face with processed, high-fat foods that any moron would know is not healthy. But I can't imagine that across the board vegetarians are smarter than meat-eaters - it just can't be that cut and dry. Does the study take into account how trendy being a veg is today? Peer pressure can make someone into a temporary vegetarian - that does not make them smarter than anyone else. I would say, however, that I would not be surprised that statistically the smarter people ARE vegetarians and they probably also do not smoke, or do illegal drugs, or screw strangers without a condom, or stand in the way of moving trains. Are we going to see a study that proves that condoms MAKE people smarter or cigarettes leach intelligence from the brain. *sigh* Probably.
Studies are important, don't get me wrong, I just take everything I read with a grain of salt and any study I see that makes me want to change some aspect of my life is going to be researched to death before I make a decision that goes against my common sense (unlike going veg which makes absolute sense!). I hope the rest of you do the same!
This particular study was lame - the researchers correlate high IQ with reading a newspaper, income, blah it just doesn't sit right. And they adjusted the results to account for those differences? How'd they do that? And they tell us that, of the 8,000 plus people in the study, 366 were vegetarians and had IQs of over 101. Well...how many of the rest of them had IQs over 101? That's a pretty important piece of data left out of the article. And they said that those 366 AVERAGED higher IQ - what does that mean? That there were a few with very high IQs and a lot with lower IQs and those high ones bumped the number up? Ugh - what a joke! Bad form, BBC. We need more info!
P.S.
For the record, people who say being a vegetarian is more expensive irk the hell out of me. My food bill is HALF what it was when we were meat/trash eaters.
Um it's probably because we think about what we eat. But overall I wouldn't say that we are more or less intelligent. We probably have had the option to opt out of eating meat whereas those in poorer countries can't and don't have a good a standard of education.
I don't see a correlation though.
if you are a vegetarian... this question obviously shows us that you are not
what a load of garbage i know a very fat veggie man who is intellectually challenged or nuts
Yes, vegetarians are smarter. Generally, people with low level Intelligence eat meat.
I think any group of people who think differently than the norm and break with set convention will skew higher in intelligence. Those with lower IQs and specifically those who are mentally impaired will not even consider such choices. It just won't occur to them. If institutions who server the profoundly retarded started serving all vegetarian meals to their wards then it would skew the other way.
I'm in Mensa and love meat - pork spare ribs on the grill today!
And may I just gently point out to kate that intelligence and education are two entirely separate things. Intelligence is genetic, you are born with it.
The way I see it, anyone who uses any personal choice to either lift themselves about others in their own minds, or bring others down to their level has bigger problems to worry about than what they're ingesting. It's a lifestyle choice and should be viewed as that and little else.
No, the ones that I know are just the opposite. Finicky spoiled brats with pale drawn out faces.
Prime example of statistical manipulation in support of the authors hidden agenda... is one interpretation.
"Ethical dietary choice" and intellectual capacity have no viable correlation. In my experience, intelligence, memory, educational background and natural aptitude are as diverse across any group large enough to be statistically significant regardless of restriction placed on the diet, voluntary or otherwise.
What does elite mean?lol
No, intellect does not have anything to do with being vegetarian.
But, Vegetarians tend to be more health conscious and I do think a healthy lifestyle does make your mind more clear.
Kate
Actually, the Western World consumes much more meat than Developing Countries. Meat is not a daily staple in lesser developed countries because of the cost.
I've never had a great philosophical discussion with a cow.
no, and as ever miss use of statistics proves nothing.
People with money are able to become vegetarians - the correlation of intelligence is with wealth and that with education to be able to acquire it or benefit from a familial or spousal relationship. Poor people generally do not have that luxury and they are in the majority in western culture hence they eat the proteins they can afford, and humans are not designed to be vegetarians so overcoming the carnivorous nature is a factor of nurture lacking in those who could not afford to be vegetarian in today's society.
Contrast this with natural vegetarian diets around the globe - they tend to be agrarian based and subsistence oriented,m when you factor in the religious beliefs in these areas too the statistics at such an abstracted level is simply created to try and prove a point; Most pedestrians killed by automobiles are walking on the roads, since car drivers are almost always held to blame should they drive on the sidewalks to lower the risk? I don't think so.
No, not at all, Humans who have a health balanced diet are.
I accept that certain veg can improve your intelligence, and this is why a lot of people eat veg, but these people eat meat too.
You can't be all that clever if you die sooner from not eating certain nutrients that are found mainly in meat. Meat helps people produce fat to keep you warm, gives you protein, helps with concentration and energy levels. liver for example is rich in nutrients and is not man made, and chemically produced. Meat was one of the reason for our evolution from monkey cave people into today modern forward thinking human.
I think Intelligence comes from genetics rather than diet.
anything in balance is the best way to live. Your choice not to eat meat dose not make you more or less intelligent it just gives you some sort of odd preaching complex.
Well lets see, following people were vegetarians. I'm not saying that all vega*ns are superior, but looking at this list, those people were certainly not idiots, like some consider all of us to be. I'd like to see the trolls who visit this section argue with Einstein or Socrates about natural order and the food chain. That would be fun to witness. Personally I believe that ethical veganism is the next step of evolution of the human mind and progress of humanity.
Albert Einstein, physicist, Nobel Prize recipient
Epicurus, Greek philosopher
Emily Dickinson, writer & poet
Franz Kafka, writer
Gandhi, Hindu spiritual leader
John Lennon, Beatles singer, songwriter
Leo Tolstoy, Russian writer and philosopher
Leonardo Da Vinci, Italian painter and thinker
Mark Twain, American writer
Plato, Greek philosopher
Socrates, Greek philsopher, "Know thyself to be true"
Vincent van Gogh, painter
Voltaire, writer and philosopher
Charlotte Bronte, novelist
Aristotle, the Greek philosopher
Thomas Alva Edison, inventor
Charles Darwin
I don't think being a vegetarian is anything whatsoever to do with rich poor intelligent or other silly descriptions being banded about. It is a choice. For me personally .I can eat to live not live to eat without sacrificing a living thing and that is good enough for me. Also where do we get this from that you have to be "well off" to be a veggie ?. I live much cheaper than my friends for sure minus the cost of meat fish and chicken.I don't consider myself any different from anyone else and have no problem with meat eaters. Live and let live.
Albert Einstein,Buddha,George Bernard Shaw,Van Gogh,Da Vinci,Benjamin Franklin,Darwin,Thomas Edison,Pythagoras,Isaac Bashevis Singer,Newton,Henry David Thoreau,Ralph Waldo Emerson,H.G. Wells,Mark twain,Leo Tostloy...do I really need to keep going?
I dont think they became intelligent because of eating a vegetarian diet of course, but I think there is good reason that many people with high iqs choose to live a vegetarian lifestyle. Your average person doesn't really consider thinking outside of the box, especially when it comes to their diet, something like meat and dairy which is programmed into most peoples minds from the time they are able to chew solid foods! Its more likely that someone with a higher intellect would take the time to actually question all the things they were raised to believe, and research the true effects these things have on that person.
Well, when it comes to food, generally speaking, the poorer the person's diet, the poorer their mind works too.
A lot of vegetarians/vegans are also intellectuals because they are the thinkers. They think about things, including "what the hell is this in my food, where did it come from, and what are the consequences of eating this. They are generally inquisitive investigative people; those are the ones at the forefront of the 'movement'... they are the educators, the investigators... Most become vegetarian/vegan not because they were influenced by others, but because it is an inevitability, because it is common sense; because all roads lead in this direction.
Usually people with a bad diet generally don't like to think about things too much -- they like to just live in the here-and-now and not be bothered with thinking, as that takes lots of energy and makes them feel tired. Besides, junk food is easy and highly available. Healthy food is lots of work, reading ingredients, and maybe even doing some real cooking with real ingredients such as flour, water, vegetables,... oooh, the headaches... oooh the thinking... oooh, so much work...
There are also people out there who are very smart, yet never use their brains to think about their food -- rather they are only using their intellect for specific aspects of their life but ignore other aspects; such as, for example, the architect who only thinks about their latest project.
Many people think it's cool to eat crappy foods and say things such as, "I eat whatever I want and enjoy it; you only life once, right?"
It seems to me there is a correlation between people who eat crappy food, drink alcoholic beverages, smoke, ...
Many people, especially males, think that throwing caution to the wind makes them look cool, strong, tough, manly, etc. So, they are not going to be 'afraid' to eat/drink something just because it's 'bad' for one's health. They'd rather be 'cool' and eat/drink whatever everyone else is eating/drinking. I live in a Hells Angels neighbourhood -- what do all these 'tough' guys have in common? Small brains, big motor bikes, tattoos, beer guts, crappy food, tough talk, criminalistic hobbies -- the dude next door was just in the hospital and almost died twice all due to his horrible diet -- yeah, pretty tough... now anyone can just push him over and he wouldn't be able to get up. Wow -- the irony. But I digress...
My step brother and sister are vegetarian. And I have never met such a pair of clueless f*ckwits as these two. So no in my experience they are anything but intellectual. In fact I wouldnt trust either of them to walk my dog.
Gal D. You forgot Adolf Hitler from your list of famous vegetarians
Definitely but then I'm biased
Smiles
YES! Lol
Well, its true that veggies are a higher percentage fo A1/2's than any other food group. proven fact.
Although i have to say i don't think its becauase of our diet. The survey is self-selecting. Anyone who is veggie is more likely to think about many things in general. They have already proved they think about thier diet. So they are more likely to be in the intelligent groups.
Just spend 10 minutes looking at the meat-eaters Q&A on this forum and all will become clear.....
Hmm...
So an IQ of 144 is low, is it?
you cant belive statistics
for example on my statistics coursework
i proved the more tv you watch the thinner you are in comparison to your height
so if you watch tv you loose weight.
anyway everybody is different you CANT generalize especially on inelligence where there are so many different measures. what i might think is intelligent another person doesnt.
mick b hitler didnt eat meat because it made him ill or something which is slightly different than choosing not to eat meat.
IF being veggie means you are more intelligent then i think it would be because you thought about not eating meat and made a concious lifestyle decision not that being veggie means you are automatically clever.
YES Vegetarians know where their meal is coming from and think deeply about what are the consequences of that.
Interesting article. One article doesn't prove, however, that if you gave up meat you would become smarter or that if vegetarian ate a hamburger their IQ would drop.
That's said, both my kids, by their own choice, are vegetarians. My oldest scored a perfect SAT score and my youngest had straight "A"s in gifted classes this year. I think it has more to do with the fact that both their parents are above average intelligence. Neither of us are vegetarians. I don't eat "red meats", however, so does that make me in between intelligence? Personally I think I'm more intelligent than my ex but I could be a bit bias. :)
I'm also a little worried that the research might be a bit skewed by the "366 of the participants said they were vegetarian - although more than 100 reported eating either fish or chicken." If want to to be a vegetarian, fine but at least be honest about it. If you're just choosing to eat less meat, for personal or dietary reasons, just say so.
I liked Dr Frankie Phillips quote at the end of the article.
"It is like the chicken and the egg. Do people become vegetarian because they have a very high IQ or is it just that they tend to be more aware of health issues?"
I wouldn't necessarily use the word intelligent or intellectual. We are just less of a jerk than some meat eaters! Also we vegetarians aren't an elite( small) group any more. I run into vegetarians nearly everytime I go downtown! It use to be that I'd hardly see a vegetarian or vegan! I live in a small town too! Still unfortunately the meat eater group is still larger than the none meat eaters!