The brain's makeup influences political decisions, new study says

Nov 2, 2012 06:41 GMT  ·  By

The US presidential elections are just around the corner, and many are busy debating how they will be influenced by climate change and hurricane Sandy.

Still, a group of researchers working with the University of South Carolina (USC) has decided to investigate how it is exactly that certain people choose to support one candidate or the other. Their findings are quite surprising: the biological makeup of the brain influences political decisions.

More precisely, while studying the brain structure and the brain activity of a group of Republicans and Democrats, these scientists have found that their grey cells are wired differently.

This suggests that their approving of various political views while showing an utter disregard for the others is not so much a question of choice, but a question of being “talked into it” by biology.

Lead researcher Roger D. Newman-Norlund explains that, according to the MRIs carried out as part of this investigation, Democrats display more neural activity in those parts of the brain that deal with social and emotional abilities.

On the other hand, Republicans have been found to have a brain significantly more preoccupied with social connectedness.

To cut a long story short, the first care more about friends and the world at large, while the latter are highly preoccupied about their family and their country.

“The differences are significant and real,” specialist Roger D. Newman-Norlund wished to emphasize.

Furthermore, “The results were a little surprising. The brain differences could be a result of genetics, experiences, or a combination of both. It takes a lot of effort to see the other side and we’re not going to wake up one day and all start getting along.”

The group of people whose brains were analyzed by researcher Roger D. Newman-Norlund comprised 24 USC students.

All of them were asked to state their political affiliation and later, questionnaires were used to see how their brains reacted when confronted with a political issue.