Liberals & Conservatives ARE Wired Different
Liberals & Conservatives ARE Wired Different
By Karen Tate
Observed Experience
Who hasn’t confided to their most trusted friends their amazement at how different some people are in terms of what seems to be clearly black and white issues: Truth vs Misinformation, Democracy vs. Authoritarianism, Science vs Lack of Knowledge, Domination vs Partnership, Equality vs Inequality, Patriarchy vs Egalitarianism, Cruelty vs Compassion, Critical Thinking and NOT. Well, it turns out there is some science behind our general differences, but we have to realize there are exceptions to the ideas compiled in this writing about liberal and conservative brain construction and thinking styles. What’s being presented is group differences, not individual differences so this isn’t absolute, but I think you’ll find this concurs with much of what you’ve probably observed and experienced.
Meaningful and Non-Threatening
And I’ll jump to one important final conclusion before we dive in: Each side is going to have to recognize that not everyone thinks like them, processes information like them or values the same types of things because of their brain structure and thinking style. This is important as we move forward and attempt to find common ground because we want to be able to share information so that it comes across in a meaningful and non-threatening way. We have to be able to listen and hear each other.
Does Size Matter?
So, it turns out there are physical differences in the brains of liberals and conservatives. Studies have shown liberals have more gray matter in their anterior cingulated cortex (ACC) and they have a smaller amygdala. Conservatives have a larger amygdala. Why is this important? It means the two groups process facts and ideas differently. For instance, during a study of risk-taking behavior, it was found that Democrats showed significantly greater activity in the left insula, while Republicans showed significantly greater activity in the right amygdala. Similarly, it was found that greater liberalism was associated with increased gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate cortex, whereas greater conservatism was associated with increased volume of the right amygdala.
Processing Facts
Translated into non-brain structure talk: The psychological studies document differences in how liberals and conservatives process facts, interpret situations, feel fear and disgust, and even how well they sleep. Conservatives are less likely than liberals to be able to distinguish between facts and falsehoods, while also apportioning a similar amount of legitimacy to scientific and non-scientific viewpoints. Liberals show greater cognitive flexibility than conservatives, think more analytically, and use more effortful and deliberate reasoning, meaning they can more easily adapt to a changing situation and are more tolerant of ambiguity. Conservatives are more risk-averse than liberals and are more likely to respond to, and remember, negative stimuli.
Tough Daddy
In another study Berkeley professor and author George Lakoff in his article, The Primitive Conservative Psyche cites the conservative belief in individual responsibility to the exclusion of social responsibility is based on the model of the strict authoritarian father, sometimes called the psychological super ego or inner critic which can manifest in the weak or unaware mind as judgmental, aggressive, negative, ruthless, mocking, unforgiving and irrational, with a distrust of government. Lakoff equates conservative mentality to a primitive aspect of human nature, explaining “Conservatives’ mental gymnastics for disrespecting the poor enable them to practice guilt-free ruthlessness while feeling morally superior….” They rationalize their lack of empathy by claiming that the poor deserve their poverty because they are responsible for their own failings rather than considering they might be doing well considering the hand they’ve been dealt. Likewise we know many Christians see their wealth as a gift from God (Prosperity Gospels) and rationalize that poverty is punishment for sin. Traditional Conservatives tend to want to support established institutions for social stability even if this stable order means oppression or patriarchy. According to economist John Kenneth Galbraith “The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.”
On the Flip Side
On the flip side, according to Webster’s dictionary, liberals are generous, broad-minded, and tolerant and believe in individual rights and freedom. Liberals want progress and value equality, diversity and social justice. They view government as the protector of the environment and people and want government to help alleviate social ills and protect civil liberties and human rights.
Lesser Belief in Religion
Past studies, have shown that liberals are more likely to respond to “informational complexity, ambiguity, and novelty”. Considering the role of the ACC (anterior cingulated cortex) in conflict monitoring, error detection, and pattern recognition/ evaluation, this would make perfect sense. Liberals, according to this model, would be likely to engage in more flexible thinking, working through alternate possibilities before committing to a choice. Even after committing, if alternate contradicting data comes along, they would be more likely to consider it. Sound familiar? This is how science works, and why there might be so many correlations between scientific beliefs (and lesser belief in religion) and tendency to be liberal. Is this a hard and fast rule? Of course not. But you can see the group differences overall.
Using Emotion
Now let’s look at the other side. Conservatives, more likely to have an enlarged amygdala, and tend to process information initially using emotion. Conservatives respond to threatening situations with more aggression than do liberals and are more sensitive to threatening facial expressions. This heightened sensitivity to emotional faces suggests that individuals with conservative orientation might exhibit differences in brain structures associated with emotional processing such as the amygdala. So, when faced with an ambiguous situation, conservatives would tend to process the information initially with a strong emotional response. This would make them less likely to lean towards change, and more likely to prefer stability. Stability means more predictability, which means more expected outcomes, and less of a trigger for anxiety.
What I’m Thinking
Author’s thoughts: I interpret this to mean Conservatives are more fear based while Liberals can tolerate more change and risk. Why is this all making me think about dating and that conflict we women might sometimes have faced between the fun and interesting BAD BOY or the boring but reliable SAFE BOY? I think I just described husband #2 (married 40 years) and husband #1 (married 5 years), respectively. <smile>
Stability vs Change
Continuing with the findings of the study, liberals tend toward unpredictability. They don’t mind change, and in fact, they prefer it. They seek it out. This personality type would likely choose “change” over “stability” just because they tend to be more novelty-seeking by nature. The fact that they have a more prominent ACC helps them to deal with radically changing situations, still find the salient points, all without the emotion getting in the way. These individuals are the compartmentalizers, the logic-driven ones, while the conservatives are the ones driven by emotion and empathy.
It’s Not the Issue
Another interesting point to consider is that issues that Liberals and Conservatives support change over time. The issue doesn’t define the thinking style. It’s the preference for either stability or change that defines one as a Liberal or Conservative. For instance in the Guardian’s article, “What does it mean to be a liberal? Liberalism was defined as adaptability to changing environments while Conservatism was defined as wanting stability. We could see that conclusion play out as liberals would accept new ways of thinking as in gay marriage while conservatives wanted only previously held beliefs in family values and wanted traditional marriage. Or on the subject of war, Liberals seem willing to adapt to shifting world views while Conservatives see war as a means of “preserving the stability of the homeland.”
Click Here
Obviously, this is a thumbnail sketch of the differences in brain structure and thinking between Liberals and Conservatives and I’d encourage you to click on the three articles below that give a lot more detailed information and a more thorough understanding of the subject.
Segments for the above writing were taken from these three articles:
