Are the smart less religious?
I ran across this
compilation of studies on college students and their religiosity and possible intellect. The general conclusion tends to support the hypothesis that religious fervor correlates with diminished intellectual attainment. This of course applies only to the United States. It tends to track the finding that prominent scientists are
less religious than the
general population of PhDs.
To me, the most straightforward explanation is the brighter you are the less likely you are to buy into the idea of faith as opposed to reason. But, it could be that if you are raised in a very religious environment, you don't expend your reasoning capabilities to the same extent and don't push yourself toward individual achievement secure in the knowledge that you're going to heaven. Also-high levels of religiosity might demand time and energy that would divert from preoccupation with academics or preclude a high-level scientific career. And course, there might be negative social feedback on one's possible inclination to enter an intellectually demanding field from one's co-religionists who feel that secular pursuits are beneath them.