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Working out: is everyone equal if some are physically stronger than others? Photograph: Alamy

Whats the link between your exercise regime and how you feel society should be run? To find out, simply answer the following question on a six-point scale.

Approximately how much time per week do you spend lifting weights, in order to build muscle? (a) None (b) less than an hour (c) 1-2 hours (d) 2-3 hours (e) 3-4 hours (f) more than 4 hours.

If you scored 3 or more, then you spend more time than the average person building muscle mass (or, at least, the average person in a recent study conducted at Londons Brunel University). In terms of your views on society, you are more likely than the average person to endorse statements such as: Some groups of people are simply inferior to other groups, or: Its OK if some groups have more of a chance in life than others.

If you scored 2 or less, then you are less likely to endorse these statements, and also more likely to support the idea of redistribution of wealth; that the government should heavily tax the rich to support the poor.

So its fair to say bodybuilders are rarely socialists if so, why? The researchers interpret their findings in terms of what they call the social-bargaining model. Individuals who are physically stronger and therefore more likely to benefit from inequalities in both status and resources are less likely to support movements that seek to level the playing field. Its more likely to be survival of the fittest.

A fully referenced version of this article is at benambridge.com. Order Are You Smarter Than a Chimpanzee? by Ben Ambridge for 11.04 at bookshop.theguardian.com

Original post:
Is there a link between fitness and socialism? Personality quiz - The Guardian