They're Born That Way (Updated) (Update II)

To start 2011, here's a report from a study done at University College London about conservatives and their brains:

A study to be published next year at University College London suggests that conservative brains are structured differently than the brains of other people. The investigation, led by Geraint Rees, focused on 92 individuals in the U.K. -- 90 students and two members of Parliament.

Specifically, the research shows that people with conservative tendencies have a larger amygdala and a smaller anterior cingulate than other people. The amygdala -- typically thought of as the "primitive brain" -- is responsible for reflexive impulses, like fear. The anterior cingulate is thought to be responsible for courage and optimism. This one-two punch could be responsible for many of the anecdotal claims that conservatives "think differently" from others.

So much for educating conservatives -- it starts to sound like "ex-gay" programs. Sorry -- they're born that way.

This story also showed up at Alternet, and there's quite a lively and intelligent discussion in the comments there.

One comment in particular caught my attention:

So what am I? Way to right on some issues way to the left on others,does that make for a "fair and balanced" brain? Or just observant enough to see that no side has all the answers? Could it be that both sides just cater to whomever will them in power?

In my reply to that one, I touched on the fact that I'm very curious about the world and love learning -- and also that there's not much I'm afraid of. Those two qualities seem to go hand in hand, and reflect something that I've noticed in too many people: they're not curious.

The way this relates to conservatism, at least in America, is that our conservatives seem to be content with received wisdom, as long as the wisdom comes from someone they recognize as an authority figure. (And frankly, it doesn't seem to take much to become an authority figure on the right. I mean, Rush Limbaugh? Glenn Beck? Sarah Palin?) They don't seem to question much, while liberals tend to question everything. (These are broad generalities, of course: we're talking about a congeries of individuals whose attitudes and beliefs occupy a continuum. There is, after all, the authoritarian left to consider.)

Anyway, I'm not taking that study as anything definitive -- nor is anyone else with half a brain, including the researcher. (At least, not in any other way than tongue in cheek.) But it does offer some interesting correspondences.

Update: In the area of right-wing credulity, see this story from Joan McCarter at DailyKos. Why is it always "liberals" who do the fact-checking?

Update II: Amanda Marcotte weighs in on this one, and I think misses a key issue, which I pointed out above, although she comes close:

I’m not a scientist, but I do read up on this kind of thing, and I’m inclined to think the latter---or at best, a combination of the two factors---is the more likely explanation. Because there’s no real evidence that political beliefs are genetic. Yes, they’re highly heritable, but that’s because the people who raise you instill their values in you. From what I understand, there’s a lot of evidence to show that your environment dramatically shapes what your brain looks like on those FMRI machines, so it makes sense that people who are conservative and therefore obsess constantly about who they hate and who is out to steal their privileges would have brains that reflect that obsession more than people who think in more generous, relaxed terms.

Again, I think the study is indicative of attitudes and approaches, not ideologies. Sure, there's ample room for the brain to change as it develops, but on the other side of that one, someone who is born with a tendency to "conservative" thought patterns is likely to be more accepting of experiences that reinforce those patterns while rejecting experiences that undercut them.