Atheists Have Higher IQs and Self Esteem Than Religious People

According to a new study, atheists tend to have higher IQs than people who adhere to any particular religion.In addition to having higher IQs and even self esteem, atheists demonstrated higher self-control and were more self-sufficient – making them non-reliant on the comfort aspects that religion provides for most people.
From The Daily Mail:

The University of Rochester psychologists behind the study defined religion as involvement in some or all parts of a belief.
They defined intelligence as the ‘ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly, and learn from experience’.
In their conclusions, they said: ‘Most extant explanations (of a negative relation) share one central theme – the premise that religious beliefs are irrational, not anchored in science, not testable and, therefore, unappealing to intelligent people who ‘know better’.
‘Intelligent people typically spend more time in school – a form of self-regulation that may yield long-term benefits.
‘More intelligent people getting higher level jobs and better employment and higher salary may lead to higher self-esteem, and encourage personal control beliefs.’

The study even extended to children, showing that more intelligent kids were more likely to be the ones who stayed home from cult.