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Open the following article and read 5 of the peer-reviewed studies.  After you read the study, find the corresponding number to the right (use the scroll bar at the bottom to see all 20) and write a reflection about what you read, i.e. something you found interesting, how it relates to a real-world example, etc.  

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Open the following article and read 5 of the peer-reviewed studies.  After you read the study, find the corresponding number to the right (use the scroll bar at the bottom to see all 20) and write a reflection about what you read, i.e. something you found interesting, how it relates to a real-world example, etc.  

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Make sure you add your name to top of the post.

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20 peer-reviewed studies show liberals and conservatives physiologically different

In the 20 peer-reviewed scientific studies summarized below, researchers found that liberals and conservatives have different brain structures, different physiological responses to stimuli, and activate different neural mechanisms when confronted with similar situations. Each entry below cites the source document. The studies are arranged from most recent to oldest. We included all the peer-reviewed studies on this subject that we could find. If you know about others, please contact us with details.

1. Brain responses to a disgusting image are sufficient to make accurate predictions about an individual's political ideology.

2. Neurocognitive responses to conflict differ among the children of liberals, moderates, and conservatives.

"Given recent evidence that political ideology is associated with neural responses to cognitive conflict in adults, we tested the exploratory hypothesis that children's neurocognitive responses to conflict may also differ depending on their parents' ideology.

We assessed relations between parental political ideology and children's neurocognitive responses to conflict...

Because previous research documents heightened liberal-conservative differences in threat-relevant contexts, each trial of the task was preceded by an angry face (threat-relevant) or comparison face (happy or neutral).

An effect of parental ideology on the conflict-related N2 [a measure of electrical activity of the brain surface] emerged in the threat condition, such that the N2 was larger among children of liberals compared with children of moderates and conservatives. These findings suggest that individual differences in neurocognitive responses to conflict, heightened in the context of threat, may reflect a more general pattern of individual differences that, in adults, relates to political ideology."

Tracy A. Dennis, David M. Amodio, and Laura J. O'Toole, "Associations between Parental Ideology and Neural Sensitivity to Cognitive Conflict in Children," Social Neuroscience, Oct. 16, 2014

15. Genetics influence political attitudes during early adulthood and beyond.

"The present research attempts to characterize how the transmission of political orientations develops over the life course... [G]enetic influences on political attitudes are absent prior to young adulthood. During childhood and adolescence, individual differences in political attitudes are accounted for by a variety of environmental influences... However, at the point of early adulthood (in the early 20s), for those who left their parental home, there is evidence of a sizeable genetic influence on political attitudes which remains stable throughout adult life."

Peter K. Hatemi, Carolyn L. Funk, Sarah E. Medland, Hermine M. Maes, Judy L. Silberg, Nicholas G. Martin, and Lindon J. Eaves, "Genetic and Environmental Transmission of Political Attitudes Over a Life Time ," The Journal of Politics, July 21, 2009

16. Conservatives learn better from negative stimuli than from positive stimuli and are more risk avoidant than liberals.

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Differences in Conservative and Liberal Brains

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In the 20 peer-reviewed scientific studies summarized below, researchers found that liberals and conservatives have different brain structures, different physiological responses to stimuli, and activate different neural mechanisms when confronted with similar situations. Each entry below cites the source document. The studies are arranged from most recent to oldest.

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There should not be comments added below as these are the directions.  Thank you!

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There should not be comments added below as these are the directions.  Thank you!

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Conservatives are likely risk avoidant as a result of them valuing  tradition and authority. Because they are not progressive by nature, they are more skeptical of change

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Liberals are potentially more risk taking and thus will constantly reflect on past decisions to think inf there was a better option or think towards the future and what it will uphold while conservatives are tradition bound and will more oftenly be satisfied with their past decisions knowing that theyve stayed in line with their morals and values.

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This makes sense to be because conservatives typically like to hold on to traditions and and past morals. Change is usually resisted because it brings more fear and uncertainty, which would explain why they want to hold onto older and already established things.

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Kayla : This makes sense because conservatives tend to want most traditions to continue while liberals push to change

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Kayla : This makes sense because conservatives tend to want most traditions to continue while liberals push to change

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Liberals tend to be more optimistic while conservatives tend to be pessimistic.

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This is really interesting. I feel like it can't be super accurate but now that I know I might notice it more

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Possible way of saying that conservatives are more scared of change than liberals are

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This seems to play into the idea that with Conservatism, people value order, tradition, especially when they espouse "Law and Order" rhetoric, while Liberals are far more in tune with defying authority (to a degree), having a more ideologically diverse coalition, things of that nature.

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This makes sense because the conservative ideology is based on tradition. Liberals are more open to challenging the authority and suggested new ideas. Conservatives also seem to be somewhat unified among each other which probably contributes to their orderly and organized nature.

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I definitely see this in liberal vs. conservative ideals

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This felt strange to me. Although, essentially, it said liberals are more optimistic and like looking at positive stimuli. But does our environment impact the way our brain associates pictures with our political ideology. Why?

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I was interested to read that a correlation was actually found because I would have though there would be little to no correlation. Also, I wonder how they were able to analyze people's dream?

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I was interested to read that a correlation was actually found because I would have though there would be little to no correlation. Also, I wonder how they were able to analyze people's dream?

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Nick V

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While I don't know about the left insula area of the brain, I know the amygdala is connected to fear. It was previously stated that Conservative minded people responded more to fear stimuli than liberals, and I find it interesting to see that the make up of the brain backs that up.

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This makes a lot of sense because conservatives are typically religious + a lot of their beliefs are to preserve tradition and purity within America.

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The article does not tell what political group reacts more to the disturbing images but I think that liberals would react more because they care more about helping others and helping the state of the earth and it would sicken them to see something harm it. On the other hand when I saw the picture I laughed and thought the hand looked like glizzy fingers

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I never really noticed this or acknowledged it but now that I read this article, it seems to make some sense.

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It is easier to process thoughts about something you are familiar with which might be why Conservatives who rely on low effort thought processes support maintaining traditions.

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This makes sense because typically, conservatives like to follow tradition and keep things the same. Which would make sense why they would be more organized. Whereas liberals are more supportive of change.

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This makes sense because of how the tradition bound conservatives will tend to be more sensitive to change in their lives than liberals who are more free thinking.

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This is interesting and now it makes more sense as to why conservatives are more consistently on the defensive. They have a stronger reaction to threats than most liberals.

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This was surprising because I feel like in mainstream media, liberals are viewed as the most sensitive and easily phased. Yet this apparently isn't the case.

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this makes a lot of sense because conservatives really like tradition and they may see their traditions as pure

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this makes a lot of sense because conservatives really like tradition and they may see their traditions as pure

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This makes sense because liberals are more adaptable while conservatives tend to keep with tradition.

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This makes sense because liberals are more adaptable while conservatives tend to keep with tradition.

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Nick V

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This makes sense because Liberals are more open-minded to progressive change. Conservatives likely are sensitive to fear because they want to respect tradition and authority. This makes change unsettling

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Conservatives react more aggressively when something is done that upsets their idea of  social norms.

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Children raised by parents who hold different world views would likely inherit the heuristic traits of their parents

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I feel like this would be very evident in debates, liberals may try to back down, compromise, perhaps admit fault yet conservatives may be more stubborn.

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I feel like genetics do have a way to influence political attitudes especially since they grew up alongside maybe really politically focused parents/family, but this article was interesting.

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This makes sense because conservatives are typically opposed to immigration which means they are afraid of people they don't know and aren't likely to meet gaze with someone they don't know.

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This is very interesting because it shows how personality and genetics and be reflected in political views.

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Conservatives rely less on morals and care mainly about traditions, instead of thinking critically on a problem. Liberalism requires much more thought.

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Areas with lower quality of school systems tend to turn out a more conservative force, while it might be rude to say I am amused by the fact that "low effort" though processes coincide with conservatism.

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This makes sense considering how religious the right is and their favoring of abstinence, staying pure while they're unmarried.

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Definitely plays into the dichotomy between the two ideologies when it comes to something like "Law and Order" or keeping traditions alive versus forward progress. Negative outcomes hurt what Conservatives view as the foundation, positive outcomes produced progress, something Liberalism is about.

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Conservatives are about conserving tradition and upholding certain moral values, while liberals want certain things to change and see things as a certain kind of unique. Conservatives would be more disgusted by these images because to them it is disgusting, wrong, or different from their values

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Hints that on the right side of your brain is where more extreme and fearful thinking occurs and on the left side of your brain the opposite is true.

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this makes sense because conservatives getting really hyped up when someone is fear mongering 

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this makes sense because conservatives getting really hyped up when someone is fear mongering 

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Conservatives like things to follow tradition and they are very religious which makes sense why they would want to remain pure.

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This goes along with the points in article 8. Basically liberals are more adapt to change while conservatives want to stay the same, which is reflected in their political views.

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I think that Liberals have lower life satisfaction because they are never content with how the world currently is. They always strive for progress even though it may be very hard to achieve. Conservatives on the other hand are satisfied with tradition and authority. These two themes are easily maintained in the United States.

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This made me laugh because so often leftists and liberals are called "snowflakes" and portrayed as very sensitive. So this was kind of ironic. However, conservatives are also often portrayed as intolerant, so this made sense.

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This makes sense because I feel like if you're raised on a certain set of ideals, you're more likely to bring that with you into adulthood especially since it's been embedded in your brain since birth. However this definitely isn't always the case, especially if someone migrates to a whole different region, political views may change more easily. I think political views are definitely influenced by what kind of neighborhood you're living in.

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Due to their beliefs being rooted in tradition conservatives may be less likely to change their ways of problem solving to fit the situation

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I think this is interesting because it is another one of many studies done that has shown conservatives have a greater general fear of the unknown and progress. They have a general distrust therefore are more likely to distrust new ideas, and try to stick with and fix old ones.

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I think this makes sense because a core values in conservatives is upholding tradition, and maintaining purity, while liberals like to focus on how change will make the world a better place.

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This makes sense. As I have gotten older and thought harder about political issues I have become more liberal.

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This interested me because of how its a subconscious analysis of your views and how the action speaks louder than the words you say

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This was a really interesting thing to read about because I'm not sure if it's that accurate. I don't see the correlation in how you view pictures deals with your political views that much, because sometimes you can't really have control over what you view in the medias (ex. news channels and instagram).

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I wonder how the data was gathered for this? I am not surprised by the results because conservatives value tradition.

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Definitely makes sense, tradition and order frown upon risk and chaos, positive stimuli is focused on progress, going outside the normal sphere of daily actions.

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This makes me associate conservatives as wanting to imply that they are more "purified" because they take care of their hygiene or body, particularly to dignify themselves as morally better, or sophisticated, than others.

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Maybe this is why conservatives drive the criminal mexican immigrant narrative, because it is easier for them to believe that these unknown people are threatening.

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While the idea of the sensitive liberal may have taken off in the past 5 years it likely comes from conservatives root fear of change to what they see as righteous in society such as not eating worms

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This makes a lot of sense because of lot of conservatives are religious and rely on the bible as part of their arguments.

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This makes sense because liberals try to go toward a good future while conservatives try to avoid a bad future

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This one is funny because it is essentially saying that conservatives are genetically better at making decisions.

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Liberals tend to be more caring than conservatives about the well being of others and pictures that were of other people being hurt would make them upset.

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This makes sense because typically conservatives try to avoid a bad future outcome.

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This surprised me a little that conservatives have more brain activity relating to fear in stressful situations. I assumed conservatives were more fearless and more radical and would think less rationally before jumping into a dangerous situation.

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I don't know so much that conservative minded people want ti preserve purity for purity's sake, it seems more likely to me that conservatives want to preserve purity because it is familiar and an easily justified explanation of what is "correct," there is no uncertainty, which seems to be the greatest fear of the conservative, in the topic of purity.

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This could be caused by conservatives wanting to stick to tried and possibly true methods that they know which due to the nature of easy solutions, are low effort.

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This could be because liberals are more open minded so they are more likely to be open to meeting new people. I wonder if liberals also tend to be more curious than conservatives?

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I think this makes a lot of sense because one of the basics of holding conservative beliefs is a need to hold onto traditions. Where as liberals are more willing to adapt to fit the situation, regardless if the way they are reacting is new.

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Makes sense. Everyone likes incentives, you have something to gain from an action, but stimuli plays into what you favor more, order or progress.

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This one makes sense in how conservative views are reflected because it sort of states that conservatives are less trusting, which would make sense for their views on foreign policy.

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I feel like this makes sense. It feeds into the idea of "traditionalism," where conservatives try to keep tradition alive. Whereas, liberals are usually more about making change.

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I would assume conservatives don't dream as much is because they are not worried about nearly as many things as a Liberal woman. The liberal woman has the worst sleep quality because they are probably worried the most.

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This is similar to #11 where it says liberals have lower life satisfaction, and therefore can't sleep as well as conservatives. Their mundane dreams might be because conservatives favor simple thinking and low effort thought processes, maybe that's how their brain likes it when they sleep, too.

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This makes a lot of sense! I can understand why conservatives would be more likely to be in favor of defensive spending and gun laws if they physiologically feel more threatened in general.

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I feel like this one does make sense

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I think this makes sense due to the fact most conservatives are religious, and religion usually teaches cleanliness and purity.

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It seems like republicans are more paranoid in the aspect of fearing someone different than themselves, whether regarding race, 🤬, age, ethnicity, or even difference of opinion.

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If it's out of the ordinary, something that isn't adhering to what conservatives view as the norm, they react poorly to it, it's just how the ideology tends to work. Also funny as Danielle pointed out because conservatives call liberals snowflakes but react this way to out of the ordinary stuff.

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I feel that this fits very well with hard core conservatives. I feel that they don't think of others when they have their ideologies and they are quicker to jump into which ever option will benefit them even if it wont last.

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This doesn't surprise me because if you parents are strong supportives of one side of the other there children tend to follow that. Although, I'm not sure if this is because of genetics or because of external influence.

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I think this is so cool. I never thought of eye cues as a form of falling in line with other peoples ideas but I guess it makes sense.

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Before reading this article, I honestly did not think that there would be a correlation between political opinions and how you sleep. I still don't really get the science behind how the scientists came to this conclusion, but I'd like to do more research on why conservatives and liberals differ in this area.

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This makes sense because typically conservatives value traditions and morals from history and they don' want them to change.