Scientists: Racism can make you stupid

Oh, like this is a surprise...

Bias taxes brain, research finds
Dartmouth scientists look at effects of racism

To the litany of arguments against prejudice, scientists are now adding a new one: Racism can make you stupid.

That is the message of an unusual and striking new series of experiments conducted at Dartmouth College, with the help of brain-imaging equipment and a crew of undergraduate volunteers.

According to the findings, the more biased people are, the more their brain power is taxed by contact with someone of another race, as they struggle not to say or do anything offensive. The effect is so strong, the team found, that even a five-minute conversation with a black person left some of the white subjects unable to perform well on a test of cognitive ability.

"Just having a prejudice makes you stupider," said John Gabrieli, a professor of psychology at Stanford University who was not involved in the research. "It is really interesting."

www.boston.com...

Hmmm. This is glaringly obvious from conversing with some of the membvers here.

Case In Point: Free Republic

Must....resist....obvious....comment.....

Just to clarify, I think they mean ANY Racism...not just racism against one particular group....

Originally posted by Gazrok
Must....resist....obvious....comment.....

Just to clarify, I think they mean ANY Racism...not just racism against one particular group....

Oh, yeah, I know.

I've always ascociated racism with stupidity. I'd have to agree with thier findings.

I've lived most of my life sheltered from racism.

Until I was 10, I never met a colored person.

From 10-14 years old, I lived in Missouri with racist, rednecks. This was my introduction to racism and boy were those locals stupid.

From 16 to 22, I worked and spent most of my time in coffee shops in holland, mostly frequented by Rastas, so there was no real racism (at least towards people of color) there.

Now, I live in East anglia in the UK. There is not much racism here.

So, except for 4 years in Missouri, I've never been around racists, the concept is almost alien to me.

I've never understood organized racist groups. You would have to be especially stupid to want to take your racism to that level, imo.

$0.02

Wish I was in Holland.............

Yeah...legal pot, and legal hookers! Woo Hoo!!!