Not sure what to make of this, but it’s certainly interesting…
A study at University College London in the UK has found that conservatives’ brains have larger amygdalas than the brains of liberals. Amygdalas are responsible for fear and other “primitive” emotions. At the same time, conservatives’ brains were also found to have a smaller anterior cingulate — the part of the brain responsible for courage and optimism.
If the study is confirmed, it could give us the first medical explanation for why conservatives tend to be more receptive to threats of terrorism, for example, than liberals. And it may help to explain why conservatives like to plan based on the worst-case scenario, while liberals tend towards rosier outlooks.
“It is very significant because it does suggest there is something about political attitudes that are either encoded in our brain structure through our experience or that our brain structure in some way determines or results in our political attitudes,” Geraint Rees, the neurologist who carried out the study, told the media.
Well at least they were able to find a brain……would be questionable if they could locate one in a progressives skull. 🙂
I thought the fear centers were the same size, and it only looks bigger because conservative’s brains are smaller overall.
I kid, I kid. But it does make sense considering how some conservatives are more driven by fear and how much they try to scare others. And how much prone they are to emotional outbursts and emotions. (not saying liberals aren’t, but they often seem to be more driven by logic sometimes to the point they don’t acknowledge emotions. I think I said on the blog of “That’s logic. Most people are not driven by logic.”)
Not only that, the whole cynicism vs. optimism scale makes sense as well, since when I point out to many conservatives I sometimes have talked to. Much of them are motivated by fear, point out the sometimes nonexistent threats and are incredibly defensive. But as for the optimism vs cynicism thing? When point out what is wrong with their party like not giving veterans help, not helping the people in the military when they get home, sweeping 9/11 victims and first responders under the rug they try to justify it and don’t exactly acknowledge it. Instead, they go and say “Like the liberals/progressives would do any better.” without ever really giving them a chance believing that the liberals just say nice things to get the vote and won’t go through with it. Nevermind the liberals actually got some fair amount of awards much of the time from veterans organization in helping the military. Basically, they can’t break the view of their heroes much of the time because if they didn’t have that they wouldn’t know who to trust. Liberals demand change, and conservatives fear change unless it’s going back to the old way when ‘things were simple’ – but it never was simple because life was complicated.
I’ve even noticed when I caught a few conservatives in arguments here, when I tore down the walls it eventually reverted to one thing – cynicism and fear. If you rebuttal everything, if you point out the problems in what they belief, it comes down to a view of “It’s not like anything will ever change. That’s just how ways are run.” in a like a fact they accept the situation for what it is and believe they cannot do more or demand better from the people they put into office.
I wouldn’t say they’re more ‘primitive’ since a healthy amount of fear helps people survive. However for the most part in this day and age, while we do have a few things to fear it wasn’t like our ancestors those years ago. Now in this day and age, it’s irrational and it’s why more often than not you have many more conservatives attack at a perceived threat. Not saying liberals don’t do this either, but as someone who has kept track after 9/11? For every one liberal I see lashing out, I can give ten more examples in the same year of a conservative doing the same or possibly worse.
I do think this a nature vs. nurture scenario however. At the core, I think it’s a mix of both. This is why a lot of otherwise logical individuals prior to 9/11 got into a mentality of fear and were only with their freedoms being stomped all over.
That being said, as much sense as this makes? It was only out of 90 people and I think that’s too small of a population to make a proper judgment and they should continue to study about this. I’ve read the fear center also grows after a degree of a trauma of sorts, like if someone was viciously attacked or if they’ve been in a war so there are other factors to consider other than political beliefs.
Yeah, there’s a lot that raises red flags about the study; it was just something that caught my eye and I felt was worth sharing to spur discussion.
I’m interested in this on some level and want to see more tests on this study if it makes any sense.
Although I’m hesitant if this study eventually becomes well known – I’ve heard many arguments from conservatives who use this argument to justify their racism and irrational hatred when in reality everyone actually has those said things but they learn to control them over a period of time. In a sort of “I’m born that way so I can hate people as much as I like for no reason.” – in a way I am both excited at this study and both fearing it because it will give conservatives more excuses.
On the note of looking at politics whether they are lying are not, the brain may actually do some strange things. What if, what they said was the truth in their mind?
Yes, like traumatized at church.
Oddly the only time you really hear racist remarks and comments it is almost always a progressive
Selective memory, check. 🙂
I am afraid the Republicans’ amygdalas will grow bigger and bigger when Obama introduces his proposals in the House of Representatives right from the beginning of the next year.
Actually I have another theory – I think both conservatives and liberals may have at first both the same size of fear center. I know many liberals who have fear, myself included. However, there is a point where there is a lot to lose so the liberals begin to have their courage center begin to take action that may risk them. Furthermore, I think from liberal to liberal, I think it would be different. For example, a woman of a minority may have a bigger courage center than a white liberal in college.
Of course, those who are traumatized by war would grow an abnormally large fear center, but it’s possible for them to shrink down as they continue to get courage to overcome what they’ve been through.