Systemisers are better at maths

People with superior mathematical abilities turn out to have an autism spectrum disorder more often than others do. The empathising-systemising theory proposes that this link is mediated by these individuals’ stronger tendency to systemise (detect patterns, derive rules), along with the fact that mathematics is the perfect example of a rule-based, lawful system. This account, however, requires that individuals from the general population who are more inclined to systemise be better at maths than those who are less inclined to do so. Based on the scant available evidence, this has been argued not to be the case. The data presented here show, for the first time, that systemising tendencies do predict both self-assessed maths skills (201 participants) and mathematical intelligence (151 participants), before and after controlling for nonmathematical intelligence, sex, and occupation (social sciences vs biological/physical fields). These findings support the empathising-systemising theory and the “hyper-systemising” explanation of autism.