Plan B Forum

Political Divides Begin in the Brain.

That article is from a NewScientist published in April. There is a new article, in the November 3-9 issue, titled "Political Instincts" (available here in pdf format), which describes the research in more detail. Of course, as the article states, liberals are more likely to believe that the thesis is true--that a great deal of what we consider to be the result of reason appears to heavily influenced by genetics. As I marvel at the chasm in reactions to political events between my conservative and liberal friends and acquaintances, I can't help but give credence to what the research indicates. (For a fascinating description of some of the effects that the divide can have on relationships, listen to "This American Life's" podcast, "Red State, Blue State".)

The book "Red State Blue State" is very worth the time to read it.

They capture very well the underlying differences in how people think in "Red State" families versus "Blue State" families and explain why the latter have much lower rates of teen pregnancy, out of wedlock births, and lower rates of divorce.

I got a copy online at Powell's Books. cheap

yrs,
rubato

I don't know. Perhaps I was adopted then. I was raised by very intolerant people, intolerant of many different or virtually any ethnic group outside of tall, blue or green-eyed blondes or redheads. The politics were outlandishly far right wing conservative, (aka batshit crazy). I was raised a southern Baptist but seem to be recovering nicely.

Over time I have become a rather Libertarian leaning agnostic.

I think none of it is locked in.

I find it hard to think that it's somehow locked in as well. Indeed, I am the only left leaning person in my family (most of the rest gladly supported W, e.g.), and even among my friends who call themselves "liberal", I am more concerned with civil rights than any of them. I think we're the sum total of our experiences which influence a lot, including our political leanings.

Yeah, I have the same problem: Try as I might to instill good Socialist values in my kids, they keep identifying themselves as Democrats.

My daughter voted for Romney! So maybe at this point in her life she will have no heart, and later, like me, move on to having no head.

Have you thought of sending her a berating missive expressing your bitter disappointment in her choices?

My daughter voted for Romney!

Thanks for your share, Big RR....

I know that couldn't have been easy....

Actually, it really different bother me all that much; I'm sure my father felt worse when I supported McGovern (and McCarthy before that) in 1972. I'm just happy she can look at the issues important to her and make an informed decision, even if it's one I disagree with. We spoke about it, and I felt she had valid reasons for moving in the direction she did (more of a disappointment in Obama than a support of Romney). Of course, I don't see things as black and white as some here, thinking only idiots would support Romney and that anyone supporting Obama must be a member of MENSA (of course, I didn't vote for him either).

Of all the things that we are born with, DNA crapola and tendencies toward alcohol, fatness, sports, blah blah blah, I have a hard time believing that our political leanings are from our genes. I think life experience and/aka teaching from our parents play a much bigger role in our political and financial (and aren't they very similar) thinking.

People in the northeast tend to lean more toward liberal. Does that mean we all share a common "liberal-ish" gene? And what about the left coast which similarly leans left? do we share that gene with them?
Doubtful.


Just another way of saying, "it's not my fault I think this way (blue/red, right/left, conservative/liberal, ying/yang, bull/shit)" so we don't have to stand by our opinions. Another way of passing off responsibility.

Missed this

more of a disappointment in Obama than a support of Romney

There was a lot of that going around.

Oldr--the thing I find interesting is that some offshoot of science is going the way of a good number of religions (including some christian ones), abandoning any idea of free will in favor of (genetic) predestination. Is DNA god's way of enforcing his will?

Didn't this study -- liberals are smart and intellectually agile and conservatives are rigid and dumber -- already make the rounds, to be deep filed with the study that liberals are weak and vulnerable, and conservatives are physically strong and capable?

Big RR wrote:Oldr--the thing I find interesting is that some offshoot of science is going the way of a good number of religions (including some christian ones), abandoning any idea of free will in favor of (genetic) predestination. Is DNA god's way of enforcing his will?

Wouldn't that be the ultimate joke on us. Here we have God giving us free will, or at least telling us we have it, and then in the back door (so to speak) he is pulling our strings anyway. but if that were the case, wouldn't he not want us to discover that he is pulling our strings and be able to stop us from discovering that?

OUCH, my head hurts.

Long Run wrote:Didn't this study -- liberals are smart and intellectually agile and conservatives are rigid and dumber -- already make the rounds, to be deep filed with the study that liberals are weak and vulnerable, and conservatives are physically strong and capable?

You must be thinking of another study. These articles address this field of research generally, not the results of any single study. And neither one of them mentions "smart" or any variant of "intelligence". Among other things reported, studies of twins have shown that identical twins are far more likely to share political views than are fraternal twins. Neither article contends that genetic influences entirely dictate political views; the first article reports that the twin studies "suggest that 40 per cent or more of the variance in ideological views may ultimately be rooted in genes".

It's an interesting article, but frankly I don't give the theory much validity...

I think this:

Results like these need to be treated with caution. They involve relatively small samples and it is far from clear whether your brain causes you to have a particular political outlook or vice versa - or some combination of both.

Pretty much sums it up....

And if liberals and conservatives are some sort of genetically differentiated creatures, then how can we account for all the people (like PJ O'Rourke or Ronald Reagan, or Whitaker Chambers, for example) who start out embracing one ideological view point and then eventually end up on the other spectrum?

They certainly couldn't have changed their genetic make up or their brain structure....

If there's a genetic basis for anything it would seem to be the difference between people who think things through and try to grasp complexities, and those who behave in a rote, knee jerk way to any new information, without engaging in a thought process...

And there are plenty of people on both sides of the ideological divide who fall into both of those categories...

Eye fore won.

Lord Jim wrote:It's an interesting article, but frankly I don't give the theory much validity...

I think this:

Results like these need to be treated with caution. They involve relatively small samples and it is far from clear whether your brain causes you to have a particular political outlook or vice versa - or some combination of both.

Pretty much sums it up....

And if liberals and conservatives are some sort of genetically differentiated creatures, then how can we account for all the people (like PJ O'Rourke or Ronald Reagan, or Whitaker Chambers, for example) who start out embracing one ideological view point and then eventually end up on the other spectrum?

They certainly couldn't have changed their genetic make up or their brain structure....

If there's a genetic basis for anything it would seem to be the difference between people who think things through and try to grasp complexities, and those who behave in a rote, knee jerk way to any new information, without engaging in a thought process...

And there are plenty of people on both sides of the ideological divide who fall into both of those categories...

Epigenetics, man! Epigenetics!

I don't think this is that surprising. There is a lot of data showing that aspects of personality have a large genetic component.

Environment can radically shift outcomes in phenotype both during gestation (fetal alcohol syndrome, for one) and during life. Someone may have the genes to be 6ft tall but due to childhood malnutrition only grow to 5ft 6in. You can see this effect in reverse in the change in average height in Japan post-WWII and in China from 1980 on as the effects of improved diet played out.

Genetics establishes a physical potential or a range of the same.

yrs,
rubato

So the taller you are the more likely you are to be
1) liberal
2) conservative
3) republican
4) democrat
5) none of the above
6) all of the above

I can see where genetics play a part in physical characteristics. I have a mole in the same place as my mom. I also have/had blonde hair like my parents and have blue eyes like my parents.
But mental "sameness" seems more learned (life experiences) than genetic traits.