Study suggests Internet Explorer users have lower IQ

**Chris** · 02-08-2011, 18:52

Quote:

Internet Explorer users have a lower than average IQ, according to research by Consulting firm AptiQuant

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14370878

danielf · 02-08-2011, 18:57

Yeah, read that earlier. Computer users who stick to default browser (and never upgrade) have a lower IQ then those who seek out alternatives seems more appropriate description of the results.

denphone · 02-08-2011, 18:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14370878

Well what a load of rubbish in my mind and how they can say that IE users have less of a IQ then users of other browsers is bunkum but what do you think about it Chris.

martyh · 02-08-2011, 19:06

wats iq mean

**Chris** · 02-08-2011, 19:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by denphone

Well what a load of rubbish in my mind and how they can say that IE users have less of a IQ then users of other browsers is bunkum but what do you think about it Chris.

Pretty much what Dan said - that those who use their computers in their default configuration are, statistically, less likely to have a mind that enquires after knowledge, experience and new or better ways of doing things.

That's not to say that everyone who uses IE is thick, far from it. But the study that was undertaken found a correlation between the subjects' IQ and the browser they used to complete the study questionnaire.

peanut · 02-08-2011, 19:07

Has to be true, I only use Opera.

dilligaf1701 · 02-08-2011, 19:09

Well I feel thick as I'd not heard of camino....

I use IE safari and firefox if I have to.

Peter_ · 02-08-2011, 19:11

I wonder what they would think about me then as I have Firefox 5, Internet Explorer 9, Safari, Opera, Chrome, Slim Browser, K-Meleon and Nightly Tester for Firefox 6 on my machine.

**Chris** · 02-08-2011, 19:13

Camino is a Mac browser. It was my default browser a few years back, until Firefox took over my affections with all its wonderful extensions and themes. I guess I deserve to have my IQ downgraded for choosing my browser based on all its potential colour schemes.

denphone · 02-08-2011, 19:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masque

I wonder what they would think about me then as I have Firefox 5, Internet Explorer 9, Safari, Opera, Chrome, Slim Browser, K-Meleon and Nightly Tester for Firefox 6 on my machine.

Ah you must have the IQ of a Einstein then.

danielf · 02-08-2011, 19:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

Pretty much what Dan said - that those who use their computers in their default configuration are, statistically, less likely to have a mind that enquires after knowledge, experience and new or better ways of doing things.

That's not to say that everyone who uses IE is thick, far from it. But the study that was undertaken found a correlation between the subjects' IQ and the browser they used to complete the study questionnaire.

There's also the fact that the IQ test used may well be rubbish, as suggested by that Professor of Statistics. That doesn't mean there is no difference, just that the scores reported are only loosely related to properly measured IQ scores, and actual differences may be a lot smaller.

Peter_ · 02-08-2011, 19:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by denphone

Ah you must have the IQ of a Einstein then.

I have them just to test any issues people mention.

My main is Firefox 5 or Nightly.

martyh · 02-08-2011, 19:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by denphone

Ah you must have the IQ of a Einstein then.

either that or can't make his mind up

**Stuart** · 02-08-2011, 20:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielf

Yeah, read that earlier. Computer users who stick to default browser (and never upgrade) have a lower IQ then those who seek out alternatives seems more appropriate description of the results.

That's probably part of the reason, but they also concluded that Opera users were the most intelligent, having a much higher IQ than Firefox or Chrome users..

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/07...ant_iq_survey/

danielf · 02-08-2011, 20:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuart

That's probably part of the reason, but they also concluded that Opera users were the most intelligent, having a much higher IQ than Firefox or Chrome users..

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/07...ant_iq_survey/

Actually, that's exactly the conclusion drawn in the El Reg. article:

Quote:

From the test results, it is a clear indication that individuals on the lower side of the IQ scale tend to resist a change/upgrade of their browsers," the study concludes. "This hypothesis can be extended to any software in general, however more research is needed for that, which is a potential future work as an extension to this report."

And the same reasoning would probably apply to Opera, which is a pretty obscure browser with a market share of under 3% (according to Wikipedia). Those who seek out an obscure browser are more likely to have tried them all. It simply is a more select group.