Posted on 04/08/2011 1:56:13 PM PDT by Red Badger
We all know that people at opposite ends of the political spectrum often really can't see eye to eye. Now, a new report published online on April 7th in Current Biology, reveals that those differences in political orientation are tied to differences in the very structures of our brains.
Individuals who call themselves liberal tend to have larger anterior cingulate cortexes, while those who call themselves conservative have larger amygdalas. Based on what is known about the functions of those two brain regions, the structural differences are consistent with reports showing a greater ability of liberals to cope with conflicting information and a greater ability of conservatives to recognize a threat, the researchers say.
"Previously, some psychological traits were known to be predictive of an individual's political orientation," said Ryota Kanai of the University College London. "Our study now links such personality traits with specific brain structure."
Kanai said his study was prompted by reports from others showing greater anterior cingulate cortex response to conflicting information among liberals. "That was the first neuroscientific evidence for biological differences between liberals and conservatives," he explained.
There had also been many prior psychological reports showing that conservatives are more sensitive to threat or anxiety in the face of uncertainty, while liberals tend to be more open to new experiences. Kanai's team suspected that such fundamental differences in personality might show up in the brain.
And, indeed, that's exactly what they found. Kanai says they can't yet say for sure which came first. It's possible that brain structure isn't set in early life, but rather can be shaped over time by our experiences. And, of course, some people have been known to change their views over the course of a lifetime.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
Naw,it’s just poor genetics...
No surprise. The liberal brain actually lies.
well that’s all nice and dandy but what if a subject is left-handed?
Left and Right are defined the same way in Europe.
By US Definitions, we define Europe as Left and Left.
How do they explain this?
“conservatives are more sensitive to threat or anxiety in the face of uncertainty, while liberals tend to be more open to new experiences.”
Translation: Conservatives have anxiety in the face of uncertainty - hence, when they have families to support and bills to pay, their anxiety sets them up to get a job and deal with the “uncertainty.”
Lib tend to be more open to new experiences. Thus, six children by six fathers (new experiences), leave a job where you have to work EVERY day and try not working, thus making EVERY day the opportunity for a new experience.
End of Lesson.
BS. It has less to do with anterior anything and more to do with posterior expansion from them sitting on their butts all the time with their hand out saying "gimme, gimme", and electing Liberals who will steal from me to give to them.
This could explain much. Why oral sex is not sex, why abortion is not murder, why a man and a man can be married, why raising prices or taxes raises revenues, why its wrong to kill a murderer yet okay to kill an unborn, why its wrong for a conservative to have an affair but okay for a liberal.
This actually makes sense. liberals are absorbed in dealing with their own conflicts, that is, between their hostile hateful feelings and their intense need to see themselves as morally superior people. Conservatives are focussed on external reality, recognizing that the world is not a utopian place, but a place where there are bad guys who want to kill us or dominate us and take what we have.
The researchers may just be right, although they probably don't get the significance of what they have really discovered.
Okay, does this mean that the ability for liberals to believe something even in the face of contradicting data (ie facts), is a function of their brain? And, wouldn't this actually be a brain malfunction?
“ability of liberals to cope with conflicting information”
IE: self delusion
“and a greater ability of conservatives to recognize a threat,”
IE; Liberals.
LMAO....
Liberalism is a mental disorder. End of discussion.
Explains a whole lot like
How Liberals claim to be for Women and Homosexual rights and believe all Christian are ignorant Redneck rubes while at same time loveing Islam
Not to mention how they believe a warm winter is proof that global warming is causing it to snow less and a cold one is proof that global warming is causing it to snow more.
Ok. A liberal can apparently believe that both A and Non A are true in the same manner at the same time. Figures.
Sounds like liberals have the contrary-contradictory gene. We all see and hear the same thing, but the brain makes them say it is the opposite of what it really is. And my observation makes me sense that there is some sort of pleasure or faux enhancement of self-esteem which reinforces their contrariness.
Beat me by >this< much, Dio! Frankly, I’m shocked it took that long for anyone to post that pic! We’re slipping!
That is, liberals can comfortably live with cognitive dissonance, being happy to believe a thing and its opposite at the same time.
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