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The Political Brain

  • Writer: Patricia Faust
    Patricia Faust
  • Oct 2, 2024
  • 4 min read


This election season has been brutal.  My brain is overwhelmed and now fried in response to the intensity of the political advertisements on TV.  The mute button on my remote is showing signs of wear and tear!  As it turns out, our politics may be shaped by our brains.  Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), neuroscientists have found specific differences between conservative and liberal brains.  This compilation of studies reveals the inside workings of our brains and politics.   

 

The Voting Brain

In the past decade, neuroscience has enabled us to identify the parts of the brain that get activated when we watch political ads.  What these results show is that most are driven by fear and emotion rather than rational argument. Negative political advertising works and we now have the fMRI scans to prove it.  By playing on our fear and anger, those who devise election slogans are producing messaging that triggers the parts of the brain associated with revenge and pent-up rage including the anterior cingulate cortex.

Older people are particularly interesting here.  As we age, we become more prone to activating the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain associated with caution.  People of all ages have a strong tendency to activate the amygdala — a part of the brain associated with fear.

 

Political Manipulation of the Habenula

The Habenula is a small pea-sized brain region that is involved in behavioral responses to stress, pain, anxiety, sleep, and reward and its dysfunction is associated with depression and schizophrenia.  Attack ads and negative campaigning aim at the reaction of the habenula.  Negative ads rarely convince people to switch candidates, but they conceivably activate the habenulas of the opponent’s supporters by instilling doubt about their candidates’ chances.  This saps voter motivation and can result in inaction for that candidate.

By proactively managing our brain’s motivational systems, we become empowered voters rather than falling victim to manipulation, apathy, and disillusionment.

 

Neuropolitics

Neuropolitics uses brain science to understand politics.  It applies the insights of neurology to explain why we take part in protests, vote for parties, and even lie about our true feelings in opinion polls, potentially skewing the results to give the public a false impression of who is going to win.  Advance in social neuroscience means that we can identify the parts of the brain that get activated when we watch political advertisements.  We can do this because of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI scans).

When we like a particular candidate — we activate a part of the brain called the ventral striatum.  It is part of the basal ganglia, a part of the brain that is associated with rewards.  So, if your brain is activated when you see candidate A, it is a cue that you will vote for him or her.  When we like something, the area is bombarded with the neurotransmitter dopamine in the ventral striatum.

 

If you are center-left

No single area of the brain is responsible for how we think, but some areas are associated with political thinking.

A study – co-written by Colin Firth – found that “greater liberalism (left-wing thinking) was associated with increased gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate cortex”. This part of the brain is associated with empathy. So, maybe this research shows that those on the left are more empathetic.

 

If you are center-right

What about conservatives? Individuals of this persuasion tend to be skeptical of change and cautious when they make choices.  The brain region associated with these traits is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, on the top side of the brain.

This part of the brain was activated when subjects were exposed to video clips with political messages or images of people living alternative lifestyles – something that perhaps suggests a negative response to these lifestyles.

 

If you’re receptive to authoritarianism

So far, we have looked at moderate leftists and conservatives, but some people take a more extreme position.  Some describe themselves as religious fundamentalists and are willing to stop abortion, for example.  Others identify with the far right of the political spectrum.

A small study of these people found their brains — when under the fMRI scanner — show signs of damage to the ventro-medial-prefrontal cortex. This is an area associated with social intelligence and tolerance.   It should be added that those with extreme views on both the far right and the far-left show activation of the amygdala when they are shown clips of political opponents.  The amygdala is the part of the brain that kicks in when we are in mortal danger.

 

Neuropolitics can be scary, but researchers already know that they can predict ideology with up to 85% accuracy.  You may choose to ignore this science and the results it is discovering, but it is already being used in the real world of political advertising.  It is no longer fiction, and when it is abused, it can be dangerous.

 

Last Thought

“When people feel a strong connection to a political party, leader, ideology, or belief, they are more likely to let that allegiance do their thinking for them and distort or ignore the evidence that challenges those loyalties.”

Social psychologists Elliot Aronson and Carol Travis



References :

Bobinet, K. (June 27, 2024). How neuroscience will decide the presidential election. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbookauthors/2024/06/27/how-neuroscience-will-decide-the-presidential-election/

 

Qvortrup, M. (April 16, 2024).  4 things your brain can tell you about your politics.  Retrieved from   https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2024/0416/1443773-neuropolitics-neuroscience-politics-brain-influence/

 

Qvortrup, M. (June 7, 2024). Neuroscience can explain why voting is so often driven by emotion. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/neuroscience-can-explain-why-voting-is-so-often-driven-by-emotion-231469

 

 

 
 
 

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March was an unusual month for me.  Normally I work on articles, give presentations and generally just stay tuned to what is going on in the field of aging.  This month I “learned” a lot.  Last year I learned how to write a book.  At the time I took the course I thought it would just be a natural extension of all the writing I had done over the years.  WRONG!!  The actual writing of the book was the easy part.  Putting it together into a book was difficult for me.  The course gave me step by step lessons on constructing a book.  Then editing and formatting were just as challenging.  On June 7 last year the book was published!  It was one of the most satisfying days of my writing career. 

Naturally, when you self-publish, you do not have a publisher promoting the book and getting it in the right categories for best sales on Amazon.  That was crushing because I really didn’t know to appropriately market it.  I am a brain health person!  In December of last year, I purchased a marketing program that is based on statistics.  I am technical minded and so this approach made sense to me.  The course is almost completed.  Can’t wait to see if it improves sales!

The next step I am looking at is recording an audiobook.  This is another venture I knew nothing about.  But I am already tagged on Facebook for marketing of audio book programs.  Facebook picks up everything.  Now my husband was creative director for an advertising agency and when I told him I purchased another class – he couldn’t believe it.  “This was my business.  I know how to do recordings, why didn’t you ask me?” Well, I knew he was an expert in that business, but this audiobook needs to meet all the criteria that Amazon requires for publication.  So, he can take care of the recording part of this audiobook, and I will navigate the process of meeting Amazon’s requirements.  We worked on the book together like this. 

Then I talked with some coaching experts on the viability of starting group teaching programs.  Reading The Boomer Brain book and implementing the Brain Healthy Lifestyle have two entirely different outcomes.  This lifestyle is important to maintaining high cognitive function throughout the later years of our lives.  Look for updates as to when I will roll this program out.

My last learning endeavor was attending a two-day bootcamp for Speakers.  I am really excited about what I learned there.  That is a late this year or next year project, but it is one I am really looking forward to.

 

What Is Happening in April?

The American Society on Aging is having their annual conference in Orlando Florida April 21-24.  This is the largest multidisciplinary conference on aging and the annual conference for Members of ASA.  I have attended a number of these conferences throughout the years, and it is consequential.  Keynote speakers and special events are focused on combating ageism in our society.  Although this is a professional meeting, the attendees come from all aspects of aging services.  They have their work cut out for them this year!

April is Stress Awareness Month.  We should be aware of stress every month and understand how we can break the stress cycle.  These are stressful times, and we need to protect ourselves

Here is a positive one “April is National Volunteer Month”.  When I am working with new retirees who don’t know what to do, I talk to them about volunteering. It is important to have a purpose after you leave the workforce.  There are so many nonprofits who need help in all aspects of their organizations.  It is a perfect way to give back.

Finally – It was Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds – the oldest major league team in the nation.  Cincinnati takes that responsibility seriously.  There is always an Opening Day Parade through downtown to the Ball Park.  Huge crowds line the streets and every year there is talk of making it an official holiday.  Schools and employers look the other way when there is an empty desk.  No matter what the outcome of the game is, there is so much joy, and you can feel that energy.  I am fortunate that I get to experience that.  We all need some joy right now. 

Enjoy your April.

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