Study by the Heraclitus Research and Analysis Center, backed by the Infinity International Society, examined political orientation and twice-exceptionality
The Centro de Pesquisa e Análises Heráclito (CPAH), known in English as the Heraclitus Research and Analysis Center, has released a study on the political preferences of 100 volunteers with high abilities or giftedness from different regions of Brazil. Data was collected in October 2026 and included members of Mensa, Intertel, the Infinity International Society (IIS), the Triple Nine Society (TNS) and ISI.
The paper, titled “Political preference and twice-exceptionality in individuals with high abilities/giftedness: a Brazilian exploratory study,” was published on October 24, 2026, and carries the DOI 10.66741/sys.2026.002.
The right leads, but subgroups tell a different story
Of the participants, 52.6% identified with the right, 21.1% with the left and 10.5% with the center-left. Libertarians, centrists and apolitical respondents each accounted for 5.3%.
The most striking finding emerged when researchers cross-referenced political orientation with twice-exceptionality, meaning giftedness that coexists with ADHD or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Among those on the left, 100% reported ADHD alongside giftedness. On the right, 40% reported twice-exceptionality: 20% ADHD alone, 10% autism alone and 10% autism combined with ADHD. The remaining 60% reported none. No one in the center-left group reported it.
When only twice-exceptional participants were considered, the split was even: 50% right, 50% left.
Different motivations
Among right-leaning respondents, 50% named economic issues as their main motivation and 30% cited pragmatism and management. On the left, everyone pointed to social issues. In the center-left, half highlighted skepticism toward the political system.
In addition, 42.1% said the left-right divide only partly captures their thinking, and another 42.1% described Brazilian political debate as distorted.
Reading the numbers with care
The study is observational, cross-sectional and exploratory, using descriptive statistics. The sample was voluntary and not probabilistic, and neurodevelopmental conditions were self-reported. The authors stress that the figures describe the groups studied and do not show that ADHD or autism determines political orientation. The research also does not claim that any political leaning is intellectually superior to another.
