Do you feel like you have to be just a huge honking moron to use Internet Explorer instead of a superior browser like Safari, Chrome or Firefox? That might not just be hyperbole: a new study has found that the IQ of people using IE is lower than the average of those using competing browsers.
Vancouver based consulting company Aptiquant recently did an experiment in which they offered free online IQ tests to over 100,000 people, then plotted the average IQ score based on the browser each participant used while taking the test.
The results?
With just a look at the graphs in the report, it comes out pretty clear that Internet Explorer users scored lower than average on the IQ tests. Chrome, Firefox and Safari users had just a teeny bit higher than average IQ scores. And users of Camino, Opera and IE with Chrome Frame had exceptionally higher IQ levels.
Okay, the merit of IQ tests are extremely debatable, it’s true, and as Aptiquant’s own breathless post on the matter makes clear, they have an axe to grind with Internet Explorer. Even so, it’s not too surprising to me that users with higher IQs tend to migrate to more standards-compliant and less mainstream browsers.
Anyway, next time you say someone who uses Internet Explorer is a total idiot, you may very well be factually right.
[via The Loop]
