Liberal vs. Conservative: Does the Difference Lie in the Brain?

Larger than normal brain parts (anterior cingulate cortices and/or amygdalae)... neuroscientific reasons you may or may or may not be a political "fraidy cat"

By Ozboy

I just read an article on the Time magazine site about a study that identified some differences in the brain structure between liberals and conservatives.

One interesting paragraph reads:

In the study, led by Ryota Kanai of the University College London, people who identified themselves as liberals generally had a larger anterior cingulate cortex — a comma-shaped region near the front of the brain that is involved in decision-making. By contrast, those who identified as conservatives had larger amygdalas — almond-shaped structures that are linked with emotional learning and the processing of fear.

This seems to explain why "liberals" when confronted with a situation will think it through and come to an intelligent understanding of it, while "conservatives" usually just react in fear and circle the wagons - ala the current Tea Party Tin Hat crowd.

Read more:

• Liberal vs. Conservative: Does the Difference Lie in the Brain?

Liberal or conservative... "size" may actually mean something.

Don't let the cat get your tongues!