Are Liberals and Conservatives Wired Differently?

By SAM URETSKY

The study of neurologic differences between liberals and conservatives has been going on for some time. In 2003 a team of researchers from New York University found that liberals, when making decisions, showed greater activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, a section of the brain that has been associated with empathy, impulse control, emotion, and decision-making, than conservatives faced with similar decisions.

A 2013 British study summarized past discoveries:”liberals and conservatives have significantly different brain structure, with liberals showing increased gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate cortex, and conservatives showing increased gray matter volume in the in the amygdala.”

These biologic findings correlated with behavioral observations of the two groups. It had been noted that conservatives are emotionally rigid, with needs for closure, regulatory focus, terror management, as well as social dominance, and system justification.

In contrast, liberals have been described by a number of different traits, not all of which are complementary. The traits listed in various scientific papers include “Slovenly, ambiguous, indifferent,” “Open, tolerant, flexible,” “Life-loving, free, unpredictable,” “Creative, imaginative, curious,” “Expressive, enthusiastic.”

There are a number of other observations, two of which seem to reflect a normal cognitive process. Being scared can make people more conservative. A major conservative trait is threat recognition, and some events may make fear and threat recognition as rational behavior. After the attacks of 9/11 people in general became more conservative.

In contrast, a 2017 NYU study titled “Superheroes for change: Physical safety promotes socially (but not economically) progressive attitudes among conservatives.” Conservatives were asked to imagine that they had been given the super power of invulnerability (forget Superman, there’s too much kryptonite around. The original Captain Marvel, circa 1941 is a better example) The authors write that when study subjects imagined themselves as invulnerable they“ were more socially (but not economically) liberal ... and less resistant to social change ... Results suggest that socially (but not economically) conservative attitudes are driven, at least in part, by needs for safety and security.”

There are other distinguishing traits. In the January 2018 journal Behavioral Brain Research there was a study titled “Is that disgust I see? Political ideology and biased visual attention.” In the study, subjects were shown pictures that were “... rated high in fear, disgust, sadness, and neutrality.... Greater endorsement of socially conservative political attitudes was associated with less attentional engagement (i.e., lower dwell time) of disgust scenes and more attentional engagement toward neutral scenes.” That is, shown pictures of things that were disgusting, such as feces and vomit, conservatives averted their eyes more rapidly than did liberals. There was no difference when subjects were shown pictures meant to depict fear or sadness.

Other writers have suggested that conservatives are essentially xenophobic – with in intrinsic dislike of “others,” people or things that are not part of their group. Liberals, by nature, are more tolerant of otherness and novelty. Further, liberals have a greater tolerance for ambiguity – as a group they are more accepting of situations with no simple answers.

Ultimately it reduces to this, from a 2012 article in Psychology Today: “Conservatives see the world as a more threatening place because their brains predispose them to being fearful ... They are also predisposed by brain biology to hating complexity and compromise. That would help to explain why politics can be so polarized, particularly in a rather conservative era like the present. It also explains many of the quirky differences between Democrats and Republicans. My favorite is the mind-blowing fact that four times as many Republicans as Democrats have mud rooms in their homes ... Got to protect your home from that contaminating mud.”

In the past, conservatives have pretended to moderate their worst instincts, as with “Compassionate Conservatism.” Donald John Trump has established a loyal following by a free display of the most stereotyped behaviors. The germophobe in chief, in spite of a video showing him making a meatloaf sandwich with Martha Stewart, has become known for a diet of fast food, out of fear that somebody might want to poison him. There is no tolerance of ambiguity: “I alone can fix it.” As for threat recognition, nobody does it better. Richard Nixon had a list of enemies by name, Donald Trump has it by categories: the media, except for Fox, Democrats, immigrants, the NFL, the FBI, Hillary Clinton, Kim Jong Un (part time), and several Hollywood stars and finally the Deep State, whether there is one or not. In short, Donald J. Trump has plumbed the deep well of conservatism.

Charles Blow said it well in the New York Times, “Trump’s magical mixture is to make being afraid feel like fun. His rallies are a hybrid of concert revelry and combat prep.” If we haven’t already, it’s time for the rest of us to be afraid.

Sam Uretsky is a writer and pharmacist living in New York. Email sdu01@outlook.com.

From The Progressive Populist, October 1, 2018

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