Brain differences in authoritarian individuals with left and right wing beliefs
A study of 100 young adults found that those with authoritarian beliefs, both right-wing and left-wing, exhibit differences in brain areas associated with social reasoning and emotional regulation compared to those with more centrist views.
Right-wing authoritarians showed lower grey matter volume in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, while left-wing authoritarians had less cortical thickness in the right anterior insula.
The study suggests that both groups act impulsively in emotionally negative situations, with left-wing authoritarians tending to be more anxious.
Conservatives tend to score lower in Openness to Experience and higher in Conscientiousness, favoring order, tradition, and clear rules, while liberals tend to score higher in Openness and sometimes Agreeableness, favoring novelty, diversity, and empathy.
These personality patterns, deeply rooted and measurable across populations, further undermine the claim that left and right are simply the same people under different banners.
Right-wing authoritarians showed lower grey matter volume in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, while left-wing authoritarians had less cortical thickness in the right anterior insula.
The study suggests that both groups act impulsively in emotionally negative situations, with left-wing authoritarians tending to be more anxious.
Conservatives tend to score lower in Openness to Experience and higher in Conscientiousness, favoring order, tradition, and clear rules, while liberals tend to score higher in Openness and sometimes Agreeableness, favoring novelty, diversity, and empathy.
These personality patterns, deeply rooted and measurable across populations, further undermine the claim that left and right are simply the same people under different banners.
