Science proves it, Conservatives think less.

Discussion in 'Politics' started by spidergoat, Sep 11, 2007.

  1. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12614-political-affiliation-could-be-all-in-the-brain-.html

    Brain recordings taken using electroencephalogram (EEG) technology showed that liberals had twice as much activity in a deep region called the anterior cingulate cortex. This area of the brain is thought to act as a mental brake by helping the mind recognize "no-go" situations where it must refrain from the usual course of action.

    ...He adds, however, that the new finding that conservatives stick with habit is still interesting given that previous studies have found they are more likely to resist change than their liberal counterparts.
     
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  3. Fettman #1 Bounty Hunter Registered Senior Member

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    So I think less?
     
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2007
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  5. GeoffP Caput gerat lupinum Valued Senior Member

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    ....although, couldn't the high liberal activity in that area also indicate a limitation in accepting novelty, or thinking flexibly?

    Let's not do the "my brain is better than your brain" thingy. I dislike a lot of conservative thinking, but I'm not prepared to say I'm a better human. Same goes for religous types.
     
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  7. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    No, because it means instead of instantly reacting to stimuli, they tend to question their response more.
     
  8. GeoffP Caput gerat lupinum Valued Senior Member

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    Or are unable to choose the "no-go" option even in the face of logic.

    Come on. No brain thingy.
     
  9. Read-Only Valued Senior Member

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    Yeah, I agree. Studies like this are often pretty worthless at best and misleading at the worst.
     
  10. S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

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    This is what I call a "no brainer"

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  11. Xev Registered Senior Member

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    Faulty analogy - more electrical activity in a specific area of the brain is not the same thing as "thinking more."
     
  12. S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

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    Would you consider a lack of electrical activity as an indication that the person was still thinking?

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  13. Xev Registered Senior Member

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    No, but barring the possibility that conservatives are zombies, the results can be interpreted multiple ways.
     
  14. S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

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    So there is no linear association between amount of electrical activity and amount of thinking? One does not expect to see more electrical activity in a part of the brain that is stimulated as compared to one that is not? And magnitude of electrical activity does not correlate to extent of stimulation?
     
  15. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    The brain acivity was a second, explanatory finding - the "liberals" made more correct responses, and made them faster, to the rare situations, while matching the normal response in the common situation.

    The conclusion was that the "liberals" were less rigidly conditioned by repetition, more easily capable of altering their response to the altered stimulus. The brain activity measurements were an attempt to explain that.

    On average.

    Myself, I wonder how they handled the self-classified "liberal" and "conservative" crowd in the first place - did they control for education? IQ? Age? I would also like to see some data for a situation in which solid conditioning or ability to ignore distraction was an advantage.
     
  16. Exhumed Self ******. Registered Senior Member

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    Nice title. I don't care if this study doesn't mean much, I'm going to spread this as much as possible.
     
  17. GeoffP Caput gerat lupinum Valued Senior Member

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    Hmmm. Well, that is a bit more categorical. Still smacks a bit of eugenics, though.
     
  18. Exhumed Self ******. Registered Senior Member

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  19. VitalOne Banned Banned

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    Seems to make sense...although I'm ultra-conservative and think a lot more than most...

    More studies have to be done though...

    My personal take on this whole liberal conservative thing is that it mostly has to do with how you were raised...I'm sure you spidergoat, a radical liberal communist socialist, who believes the government should take care of everyone and pay for everything, regulate human activity, have free welfare, free medicare, ban guns, etc..also have liberal parents...right?
     
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2007
  20. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    Those aren't exactly my opinions. My parents are socially conservative but vote Democratic.
     
  21. Tiassa Let us not launch the boat ... Valued Senior Member

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    How so?

    Remember that liberals are more likely to let you be as you are. It's conservatives who want to "cure" homosexuality, for instance, and who draw more frequent correlations to extremist groups that prefer eugenic outcomes (e.g. racism, ethnic separatism, &c.).

    What is the eugenic about the study outcome?

    The abstract from the related paper:

     
  22. Xev Registered Senior Member

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    Define "thinking." Problem solving? Intuition? What is "amount of thinking" anyway? A person who knows what 2*45 is by memorization won't need to think about it, but a person who doesn't know the answer will. One will think about it longer, but that doesn't mean that either is smarter.
    I don't think it's so cut and dry that you can reduce thought to "electrical activity in the brain."
     
  23. GeoffP Caput gerat lupinum Valued Senior Member

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    It implies intellectual disfunction on the part of conservatives. Usually that's taken to be "right-winger" in my experience, so it's a little...maybe not dangerous, but unappealing. If it were true it would be "evidence" that conservatives are "sick", which is not really an acceptable societal stance. Once upon a time - and even today - it was vogue to think that homosexuality was a "disease" that could be "cured".

    Didn't follow the latter part of your second sentence. Liberals might let conservatives be as they are...and then again they might not. 'Liberal' is highly identified with 'left', yet there are a lot of 'old guard' and 'new guard' types that are every bit as conservative in their thinking as the classical right winger. I'm maybe a bit hesitant to start trumpeting this as necessarily a good finding. I don't have much use for rightist politics, except when they coincide with socialist aims, but I'm loathe to lean so readily into biological disenfranchisement.
     

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