[andyt]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/scie ... ently.html

Quote:

Conservatives and liberals really do see things differently, according to a study which suggests right-wingers’ brains are wired to concentrate on negatives while left-leaning people naturally focus on the bright side.

The research could explain why liberals traditionally accuse the right of scaremongering and exaggerating perceived threats, while conservatives say the left is too self-indulgent and dithers on urgent issues.
Researchers from the University of Nebraska measured brain and emotional responses in 200 people with strong right or left wing views as they were shown combinations of pleasant and unpleasant pictures on a screen.
The test showed that liberals tended to focus on the more pleasing images, such as a beach ball or a pet rabbit, while conservatives were naturally inclined to stare at the negative pictures such as an open wound or an unflushed lavatory.

A second experiment showed that when shown images of Republican or Democratic politicians, right-leaning people had a stronger emotional reaction to Democrats, who they would naturally view with suspicion, as did left-wing volunteers, who would be inclined to view them positively.
The findings, published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B journal, suggest our political views could in part be down to our biology.

Here's the full paper: http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/ ... 1187d7ac78

[BartSimpson]

andyt wrote:

Quote:

Conservatives and liberals really do see things differently, according to a study which suggests right-wingers’ brains are wired to concentrate on negatives while left-leaning people naturally focus on the bright side.

I'm not always negative. Like right now I'm positive that you're being an ass and a troll.

[andyt]

Hey, I didn't make this study up. Just thought I'd share. Don't be so negative.

[EyeBrock]

This was in the Star early last year. I think parts of it make sense when looking at the hard core partisans on either side.

[Lemmy]

"I grew up in central Illinois, midway between Chicago and St. Louis, and I made a historic blunder: all my friends became Cardinals fans and grew up happy and liberal - and I became a Cubs fan and grew up embittered and conservative." - George Will

[andyt]

EyeBrock wrote:

This was in the Star early last year. I think parts of it make sense when looking at the hard core partisans on either side.

It was just published, so you must be confusing it with something else.

[andyt]

The findings are actually critical of liberals:

Quote:

Seen from this perspective and given the compelling evolutionary logic for organisms to be particularly sensitive to aversive stimuli [26], it may be that those on the political left are more out of step with adaptive behaviours. The question becomes why those on the left display so little aversion bias either in their physiology or, to a lesser extent, in their patterns of attention despite the acknowledged adaptive value of an aversion bias....

...those on the political right and those on the political left may simply experience the world differently. It is probably because of these differences that some on the right view those on the left as hedonists who ignore pressing issues while some on the left view those on the right as doomsayers who obsess over constructed threats and problems.

It supports the cliche that a conservative is a liberal that's been mugged.

[saturn_656]

If right wingers are pessimists and left wingers are optimists, I put forth that those of us in the centre are realists.

[andyt]

saturn_656 wrote:

If right wingers are pessimists and left wingers are optimists, I put forth that those of us in the centre are realists.

Everybody thinks they're in the center.

[Prof_Chomsky]

Interesting article. Clearly there are some engrained differences in thought patterns. But I'm guessing people already knew that given the vast amount of attention given to controlling early childhood education, religion and the likes.

Now I wonder how they differentiate between the levels in each group. I mean, is a VW bus driving hippy in a commune considered liberal? Are birther's who believe everyone should carry an M16 and kill in the name of Jesus considered conservative? Maybe there is a 3rd category called "f*ck-tards" we could fit both into? Here's betting under closer MRI scrutiny all they would find is a brain that looked something like this:

[saturn_656]

andyt wrote:

saturn_656 wrote:

If right wingers are pessimists and left wingers are optimists, I put forth that those of us in the centre are realists.

Everybody thinks they're in the center.

There's quite a few admitted (and proud) right wingers out there. I'm sure the same applies to the left.

[BartSimpson]

andyt wrote:

Hey, I didn't make this study up. Just thought I'd share. Don't be so negative.

I was trying to be positive. You didn't see that?

[andyt]

BartSimpson wrote:

andyt wrote:

Hey, I didn't make this study up. Just thought I'd share. Don't be so negative.

I was trying to be positive. You didn't see that?

See there you go, you're a prisoner of your biology. The correct liberal response would have been "that's beautiful, thanks for sharing."

[PublicAnimalNo9]

saturn_656 wrote:

If right wingers are pessimists and left wingers are optimists, I put forth that those of us in the centre are realists.

Yep. Which is why some people have mistaken me for a righty in some of the AGW/anti-oil threads.
My "leftist" side says "we need to eliminate our reliance on oil". The realist side of me says, "Well that's all well and good but until it can be completely replaced, it's here to stay".
I don't like that thought, but realistically it's true. And there's nothing left or right about it.

But I digress. I don't think one's political view has much to do with being hardwired at conception, so to speak.
And these days, kids are pratically indoctrinated into liberalism. Even our elementary schools have become hotbeds of Liberalist social engineering.
"Uh oh, little Johnny is acting in school the way little boys have been acting forever, better load him up with some drugs."

"Oh no, we don't keep score. We feel that teaching kids to compete makes them evil, mindless conservatives. Everybody is a winner just by playing."

Then these same Liberals sqwuak about how little Johnny is all grown up but only making minimum wage at "McDonalds" or wherever and wants those that learned to compete to fork over some of their hard earned wealth in the name of "income redistribution".
Fuck off already!!

[andyt]

PublicAnimalNo9 wrote:

Yep. Which is why some people have mistaken me for a righty in some of the AGW/anti-oil threads.
My "leftist" side says "we need to eliminate our reliance on oil". The realist side of me says, "Well that's all well and good but until it can be completely replaced, it's here to stay".
I don't like that thought, but realistically it's true. And there's nothing left or right about it.

But I digress. I don't think one's political view has much to do with being hardwired at conception, so to speak.
And these days, kids are pratically indoctrinated into liberalism. Even our elementary schools have become hotbeds of Liberalist social engineering.
"Uh oh, little Johnny is acting in school the way little boys have been acting forever, better load him up with some drugs."

"Oh no, we don't keep score. We feel that teaching kids to compete makes them evil, mindless conservatives. Everybody is a winner just by playing."

Then these same Liberals sqwuak about how little Johnny is all grown up but only making minimum wage at "McDonalds" or wherever and wants those that learned to compete to fork over some of their hard earned wealth in the name of "income redistribution".
Fuck off already!!

Gee, I wonder why. If you don't think that rant makes you a bonafide RT, I don't know what would.