The Conservative vs. Liberal Brain

Hello and thanks for checking in.

Today, we have another good one. It's interesting and a little depressing at the same time. Have you ever argued politics with someone and no matter what you said, you could not sway the person you were speaking with? If you watch this space regularly, you'll know I nearly suffered a brain aneurysm, because I argued with a Fox News viewer for 4 hours. It can be a frustrating exercise. The good news is that it's not your fault, if your debate opponents don't see things your way.

The good folks at the University College of London did a study on 92 people in the U.K. Here is a wonderful synopsis of the study, thanks to the folks at Salon.com, "Specifically, the research shows that people with conservative tendencies have a larger amygdala and a smaller anterior cingulate than other people. The amygdala — typically thought of as the “primitive brain” — is responsible for reflexive impulses, like fear. The anterior cingulate is thought to be responsible for courage and optimism. This one-two punch could be responsible for many of the anecdotal claims that conservatives “think differently” from others." Full article here.

Within all that egghead brain talk is an amazingly simple idea: conservatives are simply more primitive and fear more things. It's incredible and it explains so much. I argue with conservatives a lot. I always wondered why they were afraid of change and unwilling to try anything new. A good chunk of them aren't even swayed by facts.

Admittedly, more work has to be done on this. (Not to get too wonky) But, there are other studies out there that are looking at the wiring of the amygdala and whether that is the reason for increased fear (not just the size of it). And, there was a study at the University of California (San Diego) that attempted to isolate a "liberal gene." (Stay with me here) They attempted to isolate neurotransmitter DRD4, which is responsible for an increased receptiveness to novel ideas (i.e, liberal/progressive positions).

Here is an excerpt of the article, full article is embedded here. "Fowler concludes that the social and institutional environment cannot entirely explain a person's political attitudes and beliefs and that the role of genes must be taken into account. "These findings suggest that political affiliation is not based solely on the kind of social environment people experience," said Fowler, professor of political science and medical genetics at UC San Diego.

"It is our hope that more scholars will begin to explore the potential interaction of biology and environment," he said. "The way forward is to look for replication in different populations and age groups."

So, now that the data is out there, the question is, "what else can we do?" Well, I have come up with 3 ideas.

Idea 1: Medication: This comes from my sometimes editor/all-the-time wife. Get Big Pharma on to the case and have them create an amygdala-shrinking pill. We have pills that enhance things (see, Cialis/Viagra) and some that shrink things (see, Flomax for the prostate). Why not one for the amygdala? It's a dream of mine to see someone being really hateful towards some minority group, bitching about regulations on corporations, telling me to lay off the banks, or really wanting to own automatic weapons and I just think, "they must be off their meds." So, get on it free market! The market of petrified, stubborn, inflexible conservatives is a large one. Do it for profit, do it for the country, do it for the world!

Idea 2: Electroshock therapy (or ECT): It might sound a bit harsh, even dangerous, to electroshock conservatives. But, it's a risk I'm willing for someone else to take. And, it's not unprecedented, ECT is already used in some cases to counter the effects of Tourette's syndrome. So, let's just electroshock the backwards-thinking out of them. 30 years of failed policies haven't done it, maybe this will work. Bam! Yup, that was a Reagan slam! I went there. I'm taking the argument right to GOP Jesus, St. Ronnie (see artist approximation of Reagan in heaven, right).

Idea 3: Treatment Centers: Another dream of mine would be to treat conservatism like we treat drug addiction. If a recovered conservative found themselves backsliding, they could check themselves into a rehab-like facility to get back on track. We can have interventions if they really go off the deep end. Loved ones can write letters on the evils of free trade, low taxes, and our high murder rate (and any other issues that fall under the conservative umbrella).

So, I hope this was informative. I was being sarcastic, but I do find it fascinating that there may be physiological differences between progressives and conservatives. And, honestly, that would explain a lot. So, when someone doesn't see the progressive/liberal view of an issue, just understand that it's not their fault. They were born with a defect (still being sarcastic, please no hate mail).

See you soon,

James