That Would Explain A Lot…

No matter what your political affiliation is, haven’t you wondered, “What is wrong with those people? Can’t they see how misguided they are?!” God knows, I’ve said that countless times. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some explanation why political paralysis and polarization are so prevalent? Look no further than science!  Finally we have an answer why some see black and others white when looking at the exact same thing. The amygdala, sometimes called the amygdaloidal nucleus, a little almond shaped bit of gray matter amongst our other gray matter, in the anterior section of the temporal lobe, might be the culprit. Frankly, I don’t care what it is or what it’s called. I’m just pleased as punch there is ANY explanation for the insane cognitive dissonance and schizophrenic contradictive perceptions of what is our current political theater of the absurd.

MRI images of test subject’s brains revealed that conservatives have a larger amygdala than liberals. Now before you conservatives start high-fiving each other, the larger size the scientists are referring to is a biological anachronism from the Pleistocene era where our earliest ancestors had a highly developed sense of fear as a survival tool. Very handy when a Cave Bear or Saber Tooth Tiger is chasing you, but maybe not so essential when traversing the more nuanced modern world.

According to a report in Psychology Today, those with the larger amygdalae are more likely to mistrust things foreign to them, such as people and cultures. Because of this prehistoric hangover they are more likely to embrace a strong military and the sense of security, real or imagined, that it affords. The same MRI showed the brain of the liberal differs in that it contains more gray matter in the anterior cingulate cortex, or the part of the brain that helps cope with complexity.

In another study reported on in the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences, scientists measured and recorded eye movement response to certain visual stimuli. The more conservative subjects reacted more strongly than their liberal counterparts with a “negativity bias” when viewing disturbing images. University of Nebraska’s John Hibbing’s paper in the journal explores the science of ideology and concludes that “conservatives are characterized by traits such as a need for certainty and an intolerance of ambiguity”.

As a result, the conservative is more likely to be a proponent of tough law enforcement, personal fire arms, nationalism and strong anti-immigration. The good news for them is, in spite of their fears, they are generally a happier lot than the more liberal individuals. Perhaps this is the happiness derived from the certitude perceived by the conservative mind itself.

On the other hand the study finds that the liberal tends to be a bit more neurotic and politically individualistic, though the science does not explain their historic apathy and lackluster attendance at the polls (lack of fear?) allowing the Republican Party to win elections even though there are more registered democrats than registered republicans. Our conservative congress is adept at voting in simplistic lockstep whereas the congressional left, like their constituency, can’t seem to vote their way out of a wet paper bag with a hole in it. This is apparently caused by their tiny amygdalae.

In defense of the amygdala challenged, the leftist is more likely to be educated and views the things that the rightist might be afraid of as challenges to be confronted and sorted out, thus reinforcing the physiological evidence of the greater ability of the liberal brain to handle complexity. The liberal is more inquisitive, less fearful of “different” and tends to embrace diversity. The liberal mind has always looked for solutions to injustice and been the champion of the poor and less fortunate. That is their nature.

So, now we know we aren’t really crazy after all and that our differences may very well be caused by genetic physiological conditions beyond our control. Armed with this liberating information, perhaps we might develop some fresh new methods of communication and debate that avoid the pitfalls of focusing on the insoluble, that which keeps us in a perpetual state of imbalance, but rather focus on the more numerous issues that are of common benefit to both left and right. Is my amygdala showing?

Alex Symington

Alex lives with his wife, Anna in Key West, Florida. He enjoys writing poetry and prose and making the complacent uncomfortable.

More from other sources:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-beast/201104/conservatives-big-fear-brain-study-finds

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/07/biology-ideology-john-hibbing-negativity-bias

http://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_haidt_on_the_moral_mind?language=en