Utilitarian
co-Cain Manager
People with extremist views less able to do complex mental tasks, research suggests
Cambridge University team say their findings could be used to spot people at risk from radicalisationwww.theguardian.com
Well , I think that deep down we all knew this. But scientific evidence like this will help our society combat the rise of extremist filth in years to come. It explains the herd mentality behind trumpism. The Capitol insurrection. The abusive and aggresssive stance and the overwhelming fear of "other".
Read the report's findings and find yourself nodding in agreement.
A key finding was that people with extremist attitudes tended to think about the world in black and white terms, and struggled with complex tasks that required intricate mental steps, said lead author Dr Leor Zmigrod at Cambridge’s department of psychology.
And
“Individuals or brains that struggle to process and plan complex action sequences may be more drawn to extreme ideologies, or authoritarian ideologies that simplify the world,” she said.
Extreme is relative. To Saudi Arabia, most Americans are extreme progressives. To Sweden, most Americans are extreme conservatives.
Authoritarianism also has plenty of influence on both the left and right.
Progressivism itself could be seen as "extreme" in its willingness to silence people who go outside of preferred narratives. They certainly believe that the world is black and white, at least in terms of viewing other perspectives as "bigoted."