People with religious beliefs have a poorer grasp of the physical world than their non-believing counterparts, a new study claims.

Researchers from the University of Helsinki surveyed 258 people about their beliefs, and whether they thought "there exists an all-powerful, all-knowing, loving God."

Respondents were also asked to complete tasks including matching rotated images together, and solving mechanical and physics-based problems.

The study, published in Applied Cognitive Psychology, concluded that believers were less scientifically knowledgeable – evinced by their propensity to agree with statements such as “flowers are able to think” and “stones feel the cold”. They were also more likely to struggle with solving physical tasks.