Political leanings are hardwired in our brains
April 8th, 2011 - 1:31 pm ICT by ANIWashington, April 08 (ANI): Wondering why people at opposite ends of the political spectrum often really can’t see eye to eye? Here is the answer.
A new study has revealed 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 said.
“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.
The study has been published online in Current Biology. (ANI)
- Our political outlook is hardwired into our brain: Study - Dec 29, 2010
- Scientists isolate brain part linked with embarrassment - Apr 17, 2011
- Political leanings could be wired into brain - Dec 29, 2010
- Too much thinking may not be as good as you believed - Sep 18, 2010
- Brain region behind introspective thinking unveiled - Sep 17, 2010
- Why some people may be more or less prone to anxiety disorders - Feb 10, 2011
- Karaoke experiment reveals neurological basis for embarrassment - Apr 16, 2011
- Neural activity linked to food addiction identified - Apr 05, 2011
- Brains of maltreated kids, combatants aware of dangers - Dec 06, 2011
- 11 hrs of meditation may boost brain function - Aug 17, 2010
- Brain tells you whether to stay or go while foraging - Jun 07, 2011
- Your brain structure could reveal your personality - Jun 23, 2010
- Brain's stunted growth behind teen misbehaviour - Apr 01, 2011
- Why some TV programmes are painful to watch - Apr 14, 2011
- Brain has built-in mechanisms that trigger our sense of justice - May 04, 2011
Tags: anterior cingulate cortex, biological differences, brain regions, brain structure, brains, cortexes, current biology, differences between liberals and conservatives, eye to eye, kanai, liberals and conservatives, personality traits, political orientation, political spectrum, psychological traits, university college london