Study finds left-wing brain, right-wing brain

Even in humdrum nonpolitical decisions, liberals and conservatives literally think differently, researchers show.

Exploring the neurobiology of politics, scientists have found that liberals tolerate ambiguity and conflict better than conservatives because of how their brains work.

In a simple experiment reported todayin the journal Nature Neuroscience, scientists at New York University and UCLA show that political orientation is related to differences in how the brain processes information. Full Story »

Posted by Cynthia Gilbert - via Randy Benson (f), Fabrice Florin (f)
Tags Help
Subjects: Politics, Sci/Tech, Media, Health
Member Tags: liberals
Stats Help
# Diggs: 1 (as of 2009-11-13)
# Tweets: 8 (as of 2009-11-13)
Editorial Help
Posted by: Posted by Cynthia Gilbert - Nov 13, 2009 - 1:32 PM PST
Content Type: Article
Edit Lock: This story can be edited
Edited by: Cynthia Gilbert - Nov 14, 2009 - 7:33 AM PST

Reviews

Show All | Notes | Comments | Quotes | Links
Fabrice Florin
3.8
by Fabrice Florin - Nov. 13, 2009

Fascinating report about a recent experiment by NYU and UCLA scientists, which suggests that liberals and conservatives have very different cognitive styles. This short article is factual, well-written, with good context and a variety of perspectives on this study.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
Michael Todd
4.0
by Michael Todd - Nov. 13, 2009

I'm particularly pleased that in a short report the author included a healthy dose of methodology, allowing the reader to determine how much stock to place in the findings.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
Cynthia Gilbert
4.2
by Cynthia Gilbert - Nov. 13, 2009
See Full Review » (5 answers)
Xenia Pineda
2.8
by Xenia Pineda - Nov. 14, 2009

Although the reporter seems to be well informed, the reason why i don't think this story is very factual is because i feel as though the study done was very one sided. I feel as though they could have also used another letter for the experiment. I like how the reporter presents different sides to the story and peoples opinions about the study.I would like to conclude that i do not think this piece is quality journalism. I didn't really learn anything new, i wasn't surprised, i also did not think the story itself was very interesting.

See Full Review » (4 answers)
Gian Antelles
4.6
by Gian Antelles - Nov. 13, 2009

The article's finding on the "two cognitive styles -- a liberal style and a conservative style," gives me a deeper understanding why social media in numbers can build trust across individual differences over time. Engage to understand.

See Full Review » (6 answers)

Comments on this story Help (BETA)

NT Rating | My Rating

Ratings

3.9

Good
from 6 reviews (56% confidence)
Quality
3.9
Facts
4.5
Fairness
4.0
Sourcing
4.0
Style
3.3
Context
3.7
Depth
2.7
Enterprise
2.7
Relevance
4.0
Popularity
3.6
Recommendation
3.7
Credibility
3.8
# Reviews
3.0
# Views
5.0
# Likes
2.0
# Emails
1.0
More
How our ratings work »
(See these related stories.)

Links Help

  • Psychologist Tackles Psychology of Liberals, Conservatives

    Liberals and conservatives conceive of morality in decidedly different ways. Jonathan Haidt has mapped out their competing ethical universes in hopes they can learn to ...
    Posted by W. MacKenzie