Brain differences between Liberals and Conservatives

http://2012election.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004818

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20051706-10391704.html

These are some very interesting articles about some of the structural components of our brains that most likely determine our political leanings.

For example, liberals have a bigger anteior cingulate cortex, a structure that helps the left and right hemispheres of the brain communicate. This most likely explains why more liberal minded people tend to be more open minded, due to better use of both sides. This can also be a setback because such a mind is more likely to be disorganized or less likely to conform to a rigid ideology. That's not a bad thing, but it can make someone feel confused about where they stand.

On the flip side, these studies revealed that conservatives have a bigger amygdala, which is an almond shaped structure deep within the brain. It's also believed to be the most ancient portion of the mind, before the outer cortex's evolved. A person with a larger amygdala is more likely to perceive threats and respond to them quickly. This explains why many conservatives tend to be more reactionary and show outrage more often in their behavior than liberals. So while conservative brains are structured better towards survival, but they also don't process change very well, examples being gay marriage or exposure to different cultures.

It's best to read the entire article for yourself to get all the information, but one last thing I wanted to add is while doing brain scans of students as well as requiring them to take a political alignment test, they determined that while liberal brains are more open to new ideas, they are more likely to be scatterbrained and all over the place. Conservative brains are definitely more rigid and resistant to change, but because of that, they are more organized minds.

A lot of these are generalizations, but the brain studies on thousands of participants for these studies have revealed mostly consistent results. I think it also explains why so many of us here on the forum get so hostile with each other. Our brains are wired differently and therefore we all have deep rooted beliefs and ideologies that function well with that brain structure.

 

Ok, so what happens when a person changes their views on politics.? Does their brain structure change? Call me crazy, but I'm highly skeptical of studies like these.

 

iwould sat that drug use has a lot to do with it more than brain size..liberals have a tendency to use drugs a lot..which makes them lazier

 

I was actually wondering that as well when I read the studies. I think if a person ends up changing their beliefs over time, their brain structure is still the same, but depending on how it's structured, that individual might take longer to re-evaluate his or her political views.

I hope I made sense there. I've been up all night, so my mind is all over the place at the moment.

 

Conservatives were the last to get down from the trees and to leave the caves Some people are just afraid the unknown and some people are just terrified of change . Both are natural human conditions but if you think of it if our ancestors listened to them we would still be at the trees or in the caves.

 

I read this article about a week ago and was going to post in on here. I found it really interesting because it's not really partisan and it explains a lot. I found the bit about the conservatives sticking together to be quite interesting.

 

Your interpretation is laughable. What part of the liberal brain is responsible for their tendency to propose and blindly support unworkable impractical solutions to problems? Is their mind so open that logic and reason fall out?

 

Very Sceptical.

 

Dont blame him that's just what the article says.

 

Find me a leftist who breaks with party line, or wants to see one of the many failed programs that overlap repealed.

The leftist mind is unable to comprehend data, logic or reason. They are good with emotion and imagination.

 

I be skeptical too. Small differences in physical size are irrelevant, if development is complete.
Nordic guys are generally larger in physical stature than Asian guys, but nothing can be concluded by that comparison. I think stuff like this is medical busy work.

 

And leftists were the first to centralize authority against the will of free men.

Also the first to collectivize everything and to start up Eugenics programs.

- - - Updated - - -

Busy work, sure, but with a much darker agenda.

 

Makes me wonder where i fall when I have both conservative and liberal views, depending on the topic. I "feel" like I'm centrist, but that may be my personal belief more than what is true of how I think. It's difficult to self analyze ones political beliefs when they don't lie on one side or the other as cleanly as others'.

 

I used to be a lib. Than I grew up.

 

And I used to be a conservative, but then realized I can't force my mind to believe in things that have no evidence whatsoever. I didn't like people questioning my intelligence or thinking I was stupid.

 

I wasn't questioning your intelligence far from it.. I was stating a fact.I can't stand being told what I can and can not do. That is a lib motto. You need healthcare. You need to go on a diet government with their noses in my business that is the libs. Not for me.

 

I have problems in trying to align with either side as well. I'm "mostly" conservative, but I believe that a version of eugenics must be practiced if the human race is to prevail. In my version, everyone is observed as they progress through the public education system to determine whether or not they should be allowed to procreate by the time they come of age. This is simple stark fact. If a person was raised by monsters, he only knows how to raise more monsters. That's why I never had children.
This would not have to imply a darker agenda, but with the way things have come to be, you are right about that. For me, maybe it's just impossible to know the ways of the world, and hang my hope/belief on any popular platform.

 

I agree. Sterilization is not murder. But it is the starting point of a very slippery slope.

 

Lawl , anyone who thinks that one party is so much better than the other has a sub-par IQ.

 

Who are you referring to? The OP said nothing about who was better or worse, it just talked about differences in perspective and tendencies.

Now if you are speaking to some of the post from the peanut gallery here then by all means, go to town.

 

I am speaking to anyone who thinks that one party is somehow better or a "smarter" choice.

 

This post could provide some validation to the op if Whaler does in fact have a larger than average amygdala.

 

When has smarter been better? What is smarter? The ability to know what will happen or the ability to affect it?

The OP was just about brains. Not character.

 

Eh... It's not very accurate for me. I have a pretty mixed bag of traits, from that first site. Liberal though I am.

 

Unfortunately, this is not about what "you think" but about what the brain screening and the physical/biological structure show when an individual changes political tendency or beliefs...

(For scientific purposes, "common sense", "logic", "assumptions" alone, are not valid)

Cheers.