Brain structure differs depending on politics

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Fri, 2011-04-08 11:40

Doug

Everyone knows that liberals and conservatives butt heads when it comes to world views, but scientists have now shown that their brains are actually built differently.

Liberals have more gray matter in a part of the brain associated with understanding complexity, while the conservative brain is bigger in the section related to processing fear, said the study on Thursday in Current Biology.

It certainly helps explain why conservatives do so well with fear-based political messaging.

Fri, 2011-04-08 12:56

absentia

Chances are, it's really the other way around: politics differ, depending on brain structure.

Of course, only if the world is two-dimensional does the individual's handling of fear determine their affiliations through life. Or maybe, the external application of judicious amounts of fear at optimal intervals will actually alter brain structure. That's a scary thought.

Fri, 2011-04-08 13:04

Slumberjack

They clearly didn't have Iggy's Liberals in mind during this study.