Spank Your Kids, Make Them Dumb

According to a study by University of New Hampshire professor Murray Straus and Mallie Paschall at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation last year, being spanked as child is linked to lower intelligence. The research results showed that children who were spanked had lower IQ by 2.8 to 5 points. Though the study was small (806 children ages two to four, and 704 children ages five to nine), Straus insists that spanking does have a major impact.

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“The more spanking, the slower the development of the child’s mental ability,” said Straus. “But even small amounts of spanking made a difference.”

The stress and fear related to spanking can explain why corporal punishment slows cognitive development.

Even more alarming than the drop in IQ is how often children are getting spanked. The study showed that 93 percent of mothers had spanked their two- to four-year-olds once or more per week. Nearly half of toddlers’ moms had spanked them three or more times per week.

And IQ isn’t the only thing spanking can damage.

According to the American Academy for Pediatrics, “When compared with children who are not spanked, children who are spanked are more likely to become adults who are depressed, use alcohol, have more anger, hit their own children, hit their spouses, and engage in crime and violence.”