Neuroscience and psychology tell us that there is a correlation between political liberalism and conservatism and brain structure and brain activity. It comes down to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the right amygdala and the left insula. Liberalism is associated with the gray matter volume of anterior cingulate cortex. Conservatism is associated with increased right amygdala size. The results of various studies offer possible accounts for cognitive styles of liberals and conservatives.
The ACC is known to be involved with novelty detection,
conflict monitoring, and decision-making. On average, conservatives are more
“structured and persistent” in their cognitive styles and liberals are more
responsive to “informational complexity, ambiguity, and novelty.” Conservative
attitudes are correlated with increased gray matter in the right amygdala.
There is strong evidence in the neuroscientific literature that a primary
function of the amygdala is fear processing, and that the right amygdala and
the right cortical hemisphere have evolved to specialize in high levels of
arousal related to social interaction, primarily involving terror and shame.
Individuals with a larger amygdala (increased gray matter) are likely to be
more sensitive to social fear and more risk-averse. Conservatives demonstrated
greater volume in their left insula than liberals. This is significant because the
insula has been repeatedly implicated in the experience of disgust, and several
studies have shown that conservatives
are more easily disgusted than liberals. The studies suggest that conservatives
and liberals are characterized by differences in either activation or volume in
the ACC, right amygdala, and left insula. These different patterns of
activation indicate differences in emotional, cognitive, and behavioral
reactions to political issues. Perhaps what we see in the culture wars between
conservatives and liberals are the two poles of our social identities, both
equally important to the species and in constant dynamic tension—a tension that
may be necessary to allow humans to adapt to the constantly changing needs and
survival concerns of the group as a whole.
As we come to understand ourselves better, it may turn out
that our political differences are a natural expression of biodiversity that
support our survival over longer spans of time. It is likely that
bleeding-heart liberals and hawkish conservatives have both served the survival
of human groups for uncountable generations. The real question is will these
historic tensions within the group still serve us as we face the changing
realities for our species and the future of our planet?
If our brain structure and brain activity affect our
cognitive styles, what does that tell us about how we can learn to communicate
with each other? Personality studies show that conservatives value stability, and
loyalty, are adverse to change, and use more religion in decision-making, while
liberals like change and base decision-making on new information, like science.
If we understand what informs people’s opinions comes through the prism of
their brains, then we can structure our discussion to appeal to the cognitive
style of the other. We can't just tell each other that they are wrong. We have to address each other through the prisms of our brains. That is the only way conservatives can get liberals to
change their minds, and visa versa.
I encourage you to watch this video. It’s title is Liberal vs.
Conservative: A Neuroscientific Analysis, but I’d call it The Key to Learning
How to Talk to A .
And if you’re interested in this topic, just Google “Conservative and Liberal Brains.”
I took the first part of this post from https://www.thescienceofpsychotherapy.com/conservative-brains-vs-liberal-brains/
. For a more in-depth discussion, see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3092984/
.
Weekly Participation Summary
11/10 This post
11/07 COME TOGETHER post
11/07 Comment on Kate’s post on Home
11/11 Reply to comments on this post
Week Twelve Point Total – 5
Twelve Week Cumulative Point Total – 60
Very interesting. It's a chicken-and-egg question too, isn't it? The brain is pretty plastic. I confess that I thought I had a conservative brain when I started college in the 70s, due mostly to watching too much "Firing Line" in High School...
ReplyDeleteWOW. This is really something I have not thought about before, because I feel like our social background and who we surround each other with is one of the clearest answers on why we believe in certain things. Of course, it makes sense that also influences our brain and how we use it. It just raises the questions on how we can train our brain to do otherwise. I am sure we all know people that change their mind on topics, and not just what video game they like best but also on how they think about taxes or abortions. So obviously, just because one part of our brain is used more, that does not mean that we will always be stuck in the same thought pattern. I know that is also not what you are saying, Ed, but I was just wondering about that. I think the last paragraph is very important, because it can be an explanation and a reason why tolerating others with other opinions can be so important. We just discussed that in my other class, that it can be hard to tolerate and respect people right now, if we disagree on fundamental issues. I also believe that there are some opinions, which cannot be tolerated but is it really because these people are just evil or dumb, or just because their brains are wired differently, and they do prioritize other things than me.
ReplyDeleteIn the video, beginning about one minute in, Dr. Saltz discusses the plasticity of the brain. She says that studies show that if you just look at brain structural size difference, you could predict who would be liberal or conservative with a 71.6% frequency. If you look at a person’s parents’ political orientation as a predictor, the frequency is 69.5%. The brain is plastic. So the question is whether you have a brain structure to begin with that informs what you will be, or whether formation of certain thoughts from your parents shapes your brain structure. Does thinking certain thoughts, or using your right amygdala or ACC, inform the growth of those areas and therefor predict later who is conservative or liberal? The chicken or the egg question.
ReplyDeleteCarolin’s comments about training the brain raise an interesting question. Can we, through self-reflection and understanding of influences on cognitive style, exercise the different areas of our plastic brain through thinking? Would those exercises be any more than trying to understand the influences that shape the opinion of others?