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Posted by Moongoose on Sep-08-2011 16:40:

Your brain on politics

I know that by posting this im just begging for a torrent of tl;dr posts, but i thought it was interesting so im posting it here instead of in pdd which nobody visits anymore anyway.

Anyway

Your Brain on Politics: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Liberals and Conservatives

by Chris Mooney

This is an invited guest post by Andrea Kuszewski, a Behavior Therapist and Consultant for children on the autism spectrum based in Florida, and a researcher and manager with VORTEX: Integrative Science Improving Societies, based in Bogot�, Colombia. She blogs at The Rogue Neuron and tweets as @AndreaKuszewski.

Can neuroscience provide evidence for a liberal and conservative thinking style?

It may seem like a stretch to say that one could predict whether you lean left or right by looking at a brain scan�no questions asked, no opinions voiced�purely based on your neuroanatomy. However, this might not be too far from reality�at least insofar as predicting thinking style, which has been shown to be somewhat distinct based on party association.

Does brain structure determine your beliefs, or do your beliefs change your brain structure? What about those who switch parties at some point? How do they fit in to this model? We�ll be discussing all of this. It�s a complicated issue with lots of variables in play, so we�re going to take a pretty deep look into this topic from all angles, so we can draw the most accurate conclusions.

Please keep in mind from the beginning that this is not an endorsement of any one political party. This is science�we�ll just be discussing the data. Ready?

Let�s begin�

Read the rest at the source link, since its properly formatted and easier to read.

Source & references

Posted by ziptnf on Sep-08-2011 17:26:

c0r version: liberals are left brained, conservatives are right brained.

Posted by prolikewhoa on Sep-08-2011 17:33:

thank you. i clicked the link and it was like 10 pages worth of scrolling... no way in hell i'm reading all that!

Posted by nchs09 on Sep-08-2011 17:54:

Re: Your brain on politics

quote:
Originally posted by Moongoose
AndreaKuszewski.

Isnt she a contributor to this american life?

Posted by Joss Weatherby on Sep-08-2011 21:37:

I don't see why there had to be research. Conservatives not only have a different brain structure, but are not even human to begin with. Their inability to feel empathy or compassion, or any basic emotion that leads them to live just, moral, and ethical lives separates them from the rest of us, whom merely falter at some points, reverting temporarily to our older, more primitive ways like those of our conservative primate friends.

Posted by srussell0018 on Sep-08-2011 23:00:

This thread is destined to be really really gay.

And there is something wrong with that.

Posted by Sushipunk on Sep-08-2011 23:03:

Bigot!

Posted by r5a on Sep-08-2011 23:15:

politics make me take a dirt nap