Brain study finds political divide

[MarkInLA]

Source: Los Angeles Times

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

Scientists at New York University and UCLA showed through a simple experiment to be reported Monday in the journal Nature Neuroscience that political orientation is related to differences in how the brain processes information.

Previous psychological studies have found that conservatives tend to be more structured and persistent in their judgments whereas liberals are more open to new experiences. The latest study found those traits are not confined to political situations but also influence everyday decisions.

The results showed "there are two cognitive styles -- a liberal style and a conservative style," said UCLA neurologist Dr. Marco Iacoboni, who was not connected to the latest research.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-politics10sep10,0,5982337.story?coll=la-home-center

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My favorite line from the article:

"Liberals had more brain activity and made fewer mistakes than conservatives..."

LOL!