Achi news desk-
A few years ago, the leader of Mexico’s PRI party told the New York Times that he would, “stick to reliable campaign tools, like opinion polls and political intuition”, and rely on “the old-fashioned way” to win the country’s prize. an election.
His party had been caught using neuroscience to measure the opinion of voters about their candidate for the presidency and the party felt embarrassed. As a result, we know from other sources that the party continued to use neuroscience techniques. Someone even described their approach as “the new way to win elections”.
This approach is called neuropolitics and it uses brain science to understand our politics. He applies neuroscience insights to explain why we take part in protests, vote for certain parties and even why we lie about our true feelings in opinion polls, potentially skewing the results to give a false impression to the public of who is going to win.
I studied neuroscience before I gained a doctorate in political science. At that time the study of the brain was a utopian strain of research, but things have changed. And this has political implications. The Mexican case is one example of politicians exploiting neuroscience to their electoral advantage, but there are many others, which I write about in my new book The Political Brain.
It may seem like science fiction. But it is a fact. We already know a lot about how our brain influences our political beliefs and reveals our political views. Here are just four things your brain can reveal about your politics – and believe me, there’s a lot more.
1. Which politicians do you like
Let’s start with the basics. Advances in social neuroscience mean we can identify the parts of the brain that are activated when you watch political ads – and a host of other things. We can do this because of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI scans).
When we think, the brain needs oxygen. This oxygen is carried around with blood. Because blood contains iron, which is magnetic, it shows up in a magnetic scanner. So, if I see pictures of a person in distress, more blood will flow to an area on the side of the brain called the insula.
EPA
To take an example, when we want to buy something – or when we like a certain election candidate – we activate a part of the brain called the ventral striatum. It is part of the so-called basal ganglia, a part of the brain associated with rewards.
So, if your brain is activated when you see candidate A, it is a suggestion that you will vote for him or her.
This also works at the micro level. When we like something, the area is bombarded with a neurotransmitter called dopamine. When we see pictures or films of a candidate we like, there is more dopamine in the ventral striatum.
2. If you are centre-left
We need to be careful because the brain is a complex machine, and no single area is responsible for how we think. But some areas are linked to political thinking.
A study – co-authored by actor Colin Firth – found that “more liberalism [left-wing thinking] This was associated with increased gray matter in the anterior cingulate cortex”. This part of the brain is associated with empathy. So, perhaps this research proves that those on the left are more empathetic.
Perhaps we should add that the star of The King’s Speech, Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones’s Diary was a guest editor on the BBC’s Today radio program when it commissioned researchers to carry out the study. He does not have a secret second career as a neuroscientist, even though the work he proposed is legitimate science that has been through rigorous peer review and published in a leading biology journal.
3. If you are centre-right
That was the brain of the left wing. What about conservatives or the centre-right? Well, individuals of this persuasion tend to be skeptical of change and cautious when making choices. The brain region associated with these traits is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, on the upper side of the brain.
Read more: Five signs you might be dexterous
Sure enough, researchers found that this part was activated when subjects were exposed to video clips with political messages or images of people living alternative lifestyles – something that may suggest a negative response to the ways this of living.
4. If you are ready to accept authoritarianism
So far we’ve looked at moderate leftists and moderate conservatives, but some people take more extreme positions. Some describe themselves as religious fundamentalists and are willing to use violence to prevent abortion, for example. Others self-identify with the extreme right of the political spectrum.
A small study of these people found that their brains – when under the fMRI scanner – showed signs of damage to the so-called ventromedial prefrontal cortex. This is an area related to social intelligence and tolerance.
Shutterstock/Betacam-SP
It is tempting to jump to conclusions, but it should be added that those with extreme views on the far right and far left show activation of the amygdala when shown clips of political opponents. Amygdala is the part of the brain that kicks in if we are in mortal danger, like when we see a snake.
The predictive brain
This may be scary for some. Maybe it is. Whatever your opinion, we already know that we can predict ideology with up to 85% accuracy.
Neuropolitics is certainly strange, and perhaps even worrisome, but when used in pure research, it opens up the possibility of combining the natural sciences with the moral sciences. Much like the dream of the philosopher David Hume in the 18th century, when he tried to “introduce the experimental Method of Reasoning to Moral Subjects”, we too can combine science and philosophy.
You may choose to ignore it. But, it is already being used in the real world of political advertising. It’s not fiction anymore. when abused, it can be dangerous. That’s why we need to talk about it.
