Your brain on politics

By Sanders Kleinfeld

As presidential primary season gets under way in the U.S. and voters begin to align their loyalties with their candidate of choice, here's an interesting hypothesis to ponder: what if our political leanings are ingrained in our brain chemistry?

The results of a cognitive study released in September of last year by Nature Neuroscience suggest that just may be the case. While the full text of the report isn't available for free online, an LA Times article provides a great summary:

The results show "there are two cognitive styles -- a liberal style and a conservative style," said UCLA neurologist Dr. Marco Iacoboni, who was not connected to the latest research.

...

Analyzing the data, Sulloway said liberals were 4.9 times as likely as conservatives to show activity in the brain circuits that deal with conflicts, and 2.2 times as likely to score in the top half of the distribution for accuracy.

So, the next time you get into a heated debate with your coworkers, mother-in-law, etc., about politics, consider that those views you find so objectionable may be primarily motivated by the innate predisposition of their anterior cingulate cortex. Don't blame the politico, blame their brain!

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