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Liberals and conservatives think differently
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Liberals and conservatives think differently First, a little<b> background. </font></b>The brain divides our thought life into two activities: appreciating what we have and desiring what we need. What we have is experienced through the five senses plus our emotions. The brain uses a cocktail of chemicals to orchestrate these experiences that might be called the “Here & Now” brain chemicals, chemicals like oxytocin, which encourages us focus on intimate relationships, and endorphins, which provide feelings of fulfillment and satisfaction. By contrast, desiring what we don’t have is the domain of a single chemical in the brain: dopamine. It gives us the drive to pursue new things. You know the feeling of that dopamine “buzz” when you find a package on your doorstep and can’t wait to open it, when you think you might have a shot at a promotion, or when you’re out shopping for a new phone. Dopamine orients us to the future. It helps us think about possibilities; not what is, but what might be. It drives the ambition of the businessman, the creativity of the artist and the speculation of the scientist. In general, the higher the dopamine level in your brain, the greater the urge you feel to find new things, to create new things—to pursue change. And we know that dopamine activity isn’t purely situational. Some people are born with genes that naturally make their dopamine circuits more active. These people are more likely than others to pursue creative endeavors. Often, they end up as actors, academics, entrepreneurs and writers. Consider how this might extend to politics. Progressivism, the pursuit of progress, is, by definition, the pursuit of change, of new things. So, we might expect to see progressive ideology in people with more active dopamine circuits. And that’s just what we do find. Researchers from the University of California discovered that people who inherit particularly active dopamine receptor genes are more likely to subscribe to a liberal ideology. (They also tend to get bored easily and seek novelty, and can be impulsive, exploratory, excitable, quick-tempered and extravagant.) It’s no surprise that so many actors, artists, academics and writers tend to be liberal: Dopamine may be driving both their creativity and their politics. Similarly, people with lower levels of dopamine and higher levels of the “Here & Now” brain chemicals are more likely to take their enjoyment from the appreciation of things they already have. They value tradition. They take more satisfaction from the here and now enjoyment of, say, watching a football game with friends rather than the future-focused promises of a presidential debate. Not surprisingly, genes that code for a less active dopamine system have been linked to people who identify as conservative politically, who tend to prize tradition and see safety in the status quo. A study of 1,771 students in Singapore found that conservative attitudes were more common among those who had a receptor gene that was less reactive to dopamine. This chemical difference can also help explain why liberals tend to be more politically engaged than conservatives. A 2017 study conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute found that liberals were more likely than conservatives to express political opinions on social media, contact elected officials, donate money to a political campaign, and attend a political rally. If a hundred liberals are marching down the street, it’s most likely a protest. With conservatives, it’s probably a parade. But even though under ordinary circumstances liberals are more engaged in the political process, liberals don’t always have the enthusiasm edge. Why? Because conservative brains, chemically inclined toward preserving the here and now, are more sensitive to threats that might undermine their current way of life. When a group of volunteers were divided by political affiliation, researchers found that, compared to liberals, conservatives had a stronger physiological reaction to frightening images, such as a spider crawling on a man’s face. Also, when presented with a selection of positive and negative images, conservatives spent more time gazing at the negative images—pictures that represented a threat. This neuroscience suggests that the current confrontational political climate may be helping the conservative cause. News articles that describe public harassment by activists, for example, trigger threat circuits in the brain and can turn the ordinarily complacent conservative into an enthusiastic partisan. Perhaps conservative leaders know this, which is why they frequently emphasize threats. (See the GOP midterm campaign ads accusing Democrats of encouraging “mob rule.”) In response, liberal leaders might reduce conservatives’ motivation to vote by playing down confrontation, and instead emphasizing the commonality all Americans share. |
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Trump instinctively understands that he can mobilize his base with fear mongering about immigrants, caravans of terrorists invading the U.S. Of course the facts are irrelevant and fear can be based on total speculation untethered to reality. Trump promises his conservative followers safety if they just follow him. Let the great daddy take care of everything.
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This is very interesting. Makes sense to me. Have a great day, and be nice to one another.
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The liberal view is more popular with adults, but lots of liberals do not vote for various reasons. I voted by mail weeks ago. I like to study the propositions at home and carefully decide which makes sense to pass.
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I delete the comments of conservatives who love Trump. Go peddle that stuff elsewhere.
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We cannot get rid of Trump so easily, but we can halt some of the crazy stuff if the Democrats have the House, and more right wing judges if Democrats take the Senate. Resist, vote and keep a positive view of the world. I voted by mail weeks ago. Easier and comfy to review the propositions carefully at home.
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