Individuals who call themselves liberal tend to have larger anterior cingulate cortexes, while those who call themselves conservative have larger amygdalas. Based on what is known about the functions of those two brain regions, the structural differences are consistent with reports showing a greater ability of liberals to cope with conflicting information and a greater ability of conservatives to recognize a threat, the researchers say.Notice how careful the wording is. I'm thinking the author wanted to avoid inviting the inference that somehow liberal people are better equipped to cope with the world; that libs are operating at a higher level of consciousness in some way.
Not only am I willing to infer exactly that, I'll take it a step or two farther (big surprise) and say that many of the so-called conservatives in politics and punditry are working on a level low enough to qualify for a subsidy from Purina.
The amygdalae are where your fear lives (emotions are mainly centered in the amygdalae). That 'emotions center' helps in threat situations (eg) by telling your renal glands to give you a quick shot of adrenalin - fight or flight reactions and all that. But that emotional response can also become a real problem if you fixate on the fear. You get anxious or neurotic or even paranoid. Starting to sound familiar? Do you think politicians don't know about these things? Do you think a politician wouldn't try to take advantage of this knowledge by deliberately spurring those fear reactions?
I've wondered about the ridiculous lengths we've been going to as we try to cope with the crazy changes we've been through - especially since 9/11. I think some of this nonsense is getting clearer now. It seems we've been in the grips of a full-blown National Anxiety Attack for almost 10 years.
All of this also fits nicely with Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine too. I've had that book for a while; maybe I should actually read it(?)
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