Nikki Tundel from MPR found a scientific study (pdf) from Emory University that claims there is proof that liberal and conservative brains think differently. “The research sheds light on why staunch Democrats and Republicans can hear the same information, but walk away with opposite conclusions.” Well, that may explain this.
Our Brains on Politics
Sep 19 2006 — 2:00am
16 Reader Comments
4:51 am
yes…but will it explain this???
5:22 am
That was a great piece. Nikki is like a one-woman “This American Life” nestled into The Current.
8:45 am
Republicans laugh that any such alleged studies are even attempted, although we certainly know why. I wonder how the good doctors at David Geffem school of medicine at ucla would explain that they share the same political party affiliation with the same people standing in line at Dorothy Day. Maybe they’re frat brothers or something.
9:31 am
I’m worried about tatemani. All he does it surf the Internet and post on chat boards. I think he might be depressed and someone should intervene.
Who’s up for an intervention to get him out of the house? We can go see Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. If were going to that I think we should bring raindog also, I think she would be able to relate.
9:34 am
This post clearly shows why Republicans are better than Democrats.
9:40 am
Please, anything but that.
9:52 am
OK – I just need to step in and clearify here before everyone runs around and starts quoting this study.
Here is what they did:
They got some self reported democrates and self reported republicans. They then stuck them in a machine that measures activity in different parts of the brain. Them they showed the people pictures of the 2004 presidential candidates and looked to see which brain regions were active while viewing the different faces. They found that different brain areas were active when a person viewed their own candidate vs the opposing candidate. There was no big difference between the liberal and concervative brain, it is just that if you like someone your brain has a different activity pattern when looking at a picture of them than if you were looking at a picture of someone you dont like.
10:32 am
Women on the Verge has everything a paranoid conservative would love, including virgins and Shiite terrorists hijacking airplanes.
Better hurry though. It closes Thursday, I think.
10:46 am
wow, that’s a great study! pseudoscience at its best! ):<
because obviously poorly-executed faux-scientific ’studies’ are really going to do a lot to civilise political debate.
also, wait, raindog is a girl?
10:53 am
Pseudoscience does a lot for funding though!
Per: Raindog66, Would a man be that insane?
Receptionist: How do you write women so well?
Melvin Udall: I think of a man, and I take away reason and accountability.
I can’t think of a quote that is more apt!
10:58 am
Do any self-assured liberals recall what movies closed on 9/9/01? My point being, you’ll never know when it may have been time to have hurried.
11:01 am
hrm. I wonder if she’s hot …
11:17 am
Do any self-assured liberals recall what movies closed on 9/9/01? My point being, you’ll never know when it may have been time to have hurried.
This is the exact reason I have Netflix! No late fees.
12:09 pm
Yeah, you never can tell when terrorists are going to fly a plane into the Lagoon Theater. (Almodovar made Women on the Verge in 1988, however, which means he got the idea it could happen at least 13 years ahead of Bush.)
1:40 pm
Here are more examples of the Republican “Brain”.
2:28 pm
Anyone else still trying to figure out how to ‘clearify’ what a self-reported ‘democrate’ is?