Research: The intellectual differences between liberals and conservatives

[Billy000]

I was reading an interesting article that looked at the differences in brain structure between samples of people who identified themselves as liberal and people who identified as conserative. The study indicates that conservatives have larger amygdalas while liberals have larger anterior cingulate cortexes.

The amygdala is involved with memory and processing emotional reactions. This suggest that conservatives are more efficient at processing threats.

The anterior cingulate cortex is involved with several autonomic functions, such as regulating blood pressure and heart rate, as well as rational cognitive functions like reward anticipation, decision-making, empathy and emotion. This means that liberals may be more efficient at managing conflicting information

Current Biology - Political Orientations Are Correlated with Brain Structure in Young Adults

This study says that liberals, on average, have higher IQ's than conservatives:

Why Liberals and Atheists Are More Intelligent

I can't wait for all of the rants about the supposed "liberal indoctrination" in higher education as a response to this thread.

 

[DaGoose]

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[Billy000]

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Yeah, that may sum it up to an extent.

 

[Billy000]

I wonder if anyone takes issue with the atheist comment.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

I was reading an interesting article that looked at the differences in brain structure between samples of people who identified themselves as liberal and people who identified as conserative. The study indicates that conservatives have larger amygdalas while liberals have larger anterior cingulate cortexes.

The amygdala is involved with memory and processing emotional reactions. This suggest that conservatives are more efficient at processing threats.

The anterior cingulate cortex is involved with several autonomic functions, such as regulating blood pressure and heart rate, as well as rational cognitive functions like reward anticipation, decision-making, empathy and emotion. This means that liberals may be more efficient at managing conflicting information

Current Biology - Political Orientations Are Correlated with Brain Structure in Young Adults

This study says that liberals, on average, have higher IQ's than conservatives:

Why Liberals and Atheists Are More Intelligent

I can't wait for all of the rants about the supposed "liberal indoctrination" in higher education as a response to this thread.

The explanation is simple, free will is real, but only conservatives have it, liberals are programmed by the chemicals in their brains to believe things that have been thoroughly debunked.

 

[del]

*yawn*

this again?

*yawn*

 

[Zander]

fat people smell....

 

[Photonic]

Liberals also generally accept new technology while conservatives, by definition, want nothing to do with progress.

Hence the conservative title.

I do not see liberals being more intelligent, just more open minded.

 

[westwall]

Wow, is this like that "Bell Curve" book that stated blacks were stupid because they were the ones that got caught? Is this written by the same author?

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Liberals also generally accept new technology while conservatives, by definition, want nothing to do with progress.

Hence the conservative title.

I do not see liberals being more intelligent, just more open minded.

Conservatives resist new technology and liberals embrace it? Why do liberals like light rail? Do you really think that something that has to run on tracks that cannot be moved works better than a bus that can take a different route to avoid problems? Doesn't it make more sense to buy 8 buses that are more flexible and can carry more people than it does to purchase a single light rail car that shuts down completely if there is an accident?

For the record, being a conservative, I oppose light rail because it sucks, not because it is new.

 

[Billy000]

Wow, is this like that "Bell Curve" book that stated blacks were stupid because they were the ones that got caught? Is this written by the same author?

I don't see how the first study is similar. That study is based upon brain scans and the Bell Curve is based upon IQ numbers. The second study simply compared IQ scores between liberals and conservatives.

 

[Photonic]

Liberals also generally accept new technology while conservatives, by definition, want nothing to do with progress.

Hence the conservative title.

I do not see liberals being more intelligent, just more open minded.

Conservatives resist new technology and liberals embrace it? Why do liberals like light rail? Do you really think that something that has to run on tracks that cannot be moved works better than a bus that can take a different route to avoid problems? Doesn't it make more sense to buy 8 buses that are more flexible and can carry more people than it does to purchase a single light rail car that shuts down completely if there is an accident?

For the record, being a conservative, I oppose light rail because it sucks, not because it is new.

There is also the point that every technophile I have EVER known has been conservative. (Not necessarily republican)

Also if we don't work on things like the light rail now, the technology will never advance to the point where it would be better than the old shit it is replacing.

Imagine if they had never build the car because at first it was more trouble than a horse and far more costly?

 

[Billy000]

Liberals also generally accept new technology while conservatives, by definition, want nothing to do with progress.

Hence the conservative title.

I do not see liberals being more intelligent, just more open minded.

I can't see much difference as far as embracing technology. I'm willing to bet Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were both conservatives, for instance.

As far as intelligence goes, you can't get more objective than IQ scores.

 

[daveman]

Liberals also generally accept new technology while conservatives, by definition, want nothing to do with progress.

Hence the conservative title.

I do not see liberals being more intelligent, just more open minded.

 

[Photonic]

Liberals also generally accept new technology while conservatives, by definition, want nothing to do with progress.

Hence the conservative title.

I do not see liberals being more intelligent, just more open minded.

I can't see much difference as far as embracing technology. I'm willing to bet Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were both conservatives, for instance.

As far as intelligence goes, you can't get more objective than IQ scores.

Steve Jobs was a well known hyper-liberal Buddhist. Bill Gates was liberal until the 80's.

Also, IQ are actually fairly subjective.

My Uncle had an IQ of nearly 260. He was also insane (literally). He never forgot anything till the day he died either.

 

[mskafka]

Hmmmm.....one has to wonder if conservatives were opposed to flushing toilets as well.
"AWwwwwwww, we don't need that! That will cost too much money".....REBUTTAL-"But our streets will smell so much better!" Conservative-"If youons don't like it, hold your nose....that's all I've gotta say about that."

"LOOK OUT BELOW!"-(what people used to say before hurling their waste out of a 3rd story window to the street below.)


Don't get angry...just playing!

 

[Billy000]

Liberals also generally accept new technology while conservatives, by definition, want nothing to do with progress.

Hence the conservative title.

I do not see liberals being more intelligent, just more open minded.

I can't see much difference as far as embracing technology. I'm willing to bet Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were both conservatives, for instance.

As far as intelligence goes, you can't get more objective than IQ scores.

Steve Jobs was a well known hyper-liberal Buddhist. Bill Gates was liberal until the 80's.

Also, IQ are actually fairly subjective.

Fair enough.

No way are they subjective. Just because it it isn't a comprehensive measure of intelligence, it doesn't mean it isn't objective. What could possibly be more objective?

 

[rdean]

I was reading an interesting article that looked at the differences in brain structure between samples of people who identified themselves as liberal and people who identified as conserative. The study indicates that conservatives have larger amygdalas while liberals have larger anterior cingulate cortexes.

The amygdala is involved with memory and processing emotional reactions. This suggest that conservatives are more efficient at processing threats.

The anterior cingulate cortex is involved with several autonomic functions, such as regulating blood pressure and heart rate, as well as rational cognitive functions like reward anticipation, decision-making, empathy and emotion. This means that liberals may be more efficient at managing conflicting information

Current Biology - Political Orientations Are Correlated with Brain Structure in Young Adults

This study says that liberals, on average, have higher IQ's than conservatives:

Why Liberals and Atheists Are More Intelligent

I can't wait for all of the rants about the supposed "liberal indoctrination" in higher education as a response to this thread.

Perhaps this is why a measly 6% of scientists are Republican.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

I was reading an interesting article that looked at the differences in brain structure between samples of people who identified themselves as liberal and people who identified as conserative. The study indicates that conservatives have larger amygdalas while liberals have larger anterior cingulate cortexes.

The amygdala is involved with memory and processing emotional reactions. This suggest that conservatives are more efficient at processing threats.

The anterior cingulate cortex is involved with several autonomic functions, such as regulating blood pressure and heart rate, as well as rational cognitive functions like reward anticipation, decision-making, empathy and emotion. This means that liberals may be more efficient at managing conflicting information

Current Biology - Political Orientations Are Correlated with Brain Structure in Young Adults

This study says that liberals, on average, have higher IQ's than conservatives:

Why Liberals and Atheists Are More Intelligent

I can't wait for all of the rants about the supposed "liberal indoctrination" in higher education as a response to this thread.

Unfortunately, as is evidenced by dumbshits like you and DaGoose, these findings are contradicted.

FAIL.

 

[Photonic]

I was reading an interesting article that looked at the differences in brain structure between samples of people who identified themselves as liberal and people who identified as conserative. The study indicates that conservatives have larger amygdalas while liberals have larger anterior cingulate cortexes.

The amygdala is involved with memory and processing emotional reactions. This suggest that conservatives are more efficient at processing threats.

The anterior cingulate cortex is involved with several autonomic functions, such as regulating blood pressure and heart rate, as well as rational cognitive functions like reward anticipation, decision-making, empathy and emotion. This means that liberals may be more efficient at managing conflicting information

Current Biology - Political Orientations Are Correlated with Brain Structure in Young Adults

This study says that liberals, on average, have higher IQ's than conservatives:

Why Liberals and Atheists Are More Intelligent

I can't wait for all of the rants about the supposed "liberal indoctrination" in higher education as a response to this thread.

Unfortunately, as is evidenced by dumbshits like you and DaGoose, these findings are contradicted.

FAIL.

Even if they really are "dumbshits," they would be very small number sin the full statistic.

Unless you want to go out and do your own study, let it go.