Neurologists came to this conclusion on the basis of studying the results of MRI. Right-wing citizens differ from those who vote for the left parties in two areas of the brain: the amygdala, which is responsible for negative emotions, and the anterior cingulate cortex, which is involved in error recognition.
According to a study by neuroscientists at the University of London, it is precisely these two areas of the brain that differ between right-wing and left-wing voters. Conservative British citizens have larger amygdala than liberal ones. But the area of the cerebral cortex, located at the junction of the two hemispheres, is larger in size among supporters of leftist ideas.
What do these discoveries mean? An enlarged amygdala in conservatives indicates a greater tendency to experience fear and react aggressively to danger. Earlier, the American neuropsychologist Jacob Vigil showed that the fear reaction to threatening faces is more pronounced among conservatives than liberals, and aggressive reactions in a situation of danger are more common among conservatives.
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- How the brain makes us what we are
The size of the anterior cingulate gyrus in the left electorate has a different explanation. This area of the cerebral cortex provides, among other things, recognition of changes in the environment and discrepancies between our expectations and reality. When we go to meet Petrov and meet Pavlov, it is the anterior cingulate cortex that is activated and prompts us to adapt our behavior to this change in situation. The larger size of this area of the brain in liberals indicates the ability to adapt to the new. What is particularly surprising about this study is the correspondence between brain function and the structural differences seen on MRI.
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- Yuri Grymov: “What is your political creed? – Is always!”
Two hypotheses can be put forward. According to one, two areas of the brain, in which differences are observed, develop differently in voters from different poles of the political spectrum from birth due to genetic reasons. The second hypothesis is that, due to the plasticity of the brain, the series of political choices that we make throughout our lives eventually change the structure of the corresponding areas of the brain. It cannot be ruled out that both mechanisms are at work: behavior and heredity jointly determine the features of our “political brain”.
And finally, the last observation: neuroscientists tried to blindly guess the political preferences of 118 participants, given only the size of the amygdala and the anterior cingulate gyrus.. And in three cases out of four they succeeded. Wouldn’t it be interesting to get MRI data of contemporary political leaders in order to finally know their true views?
Read more about this at popular science publication Cerveau&Psycho.
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