So, years ago Drs. Settle, Dawes, Christakis, and Fowler reported (The Journal of Politics) that there is a gene associated with liberal thought. It seems that folks with liberal dispositions also seek out new and novel experiences. Those same folks have the 7R variant of the dopamine receptor (G4). This research came after Bouchard & McGue, Cloninger, Svrakic, & Przybeck, among others determined that social conservatism is also inherited.
New research has built upon our knowledge that conservatives are more prone to feel disgust in many situations. This purportedly explains their disdain for gay marriage and illegal immigration (as in fear of contamination). This new research was reported by Dr. Read Montague et.al. (Current Biology); their findings were not as a result of written or verbal responses to queries, but by an fMRI analysis of their brain’s reactions.
In this study, subjects were shown images, while being connected to a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) device. Each subject examined 80 pictures- 20 disgusting, 20 pleasant, 20 threatening, and 20 neutral pictures. (Additional tests were added to make sure the subjects were not zoning out while studying the pictures.) And, as stated above, questionnaires and discussions has not really worked to readily discern different reactions between conservatives and liberals. But, the brain imaging responses were markedly different.
The researchers proffered that conservatives had greater negativity bias. They used pictures that evoked disgust, since it is easier to evoke disgust with visual images via computer screens.
So, it seems that our brains cause us to react to similar events in different ways. Maybe we can train those organs to create more positive results, too!
