People who score lower on emotional intelligence tests are more likely to hold right-wing and prejudice attitudes, according to new research.
Psychologists have long been interested in how personality traits and cognitive abilities relate to political ideologies and prejudice. Past research, for example, has shown that people with lower cognitive abilities are more likely to hold right-wing and prejudiced attitudes. But relatively few studies have examined how emotional intelligence factors into the mix.
The results echo those of a similar 2017 study, which indicated that people who scored lower in trait Emotional Intelligence were more likely to hold right-wing and subtly racist views. Why? People with lower emotional intelligence have less empathy and are less able to assume the perspective of others, the authors suggested.