How Are the Brains of Liberals and Conservatives Different? [update]

The brain is a complex organ, controlling everything from thought and reasoning to movement, temperature regulation and the senses.

In the last 15 years or so, there has been an increase in the number of researchers investigating how the responses of liberals and conservatives differ, both physiologically and psychologically, when exposed to different political and non-political stimuli. This report looks at 37 studies in this field of research.

A number of studies have used neuroimaging technology or biosignal detection equipment, such as MRI scanners and electroencephalograms (EEGs), to determine physiological differences between liberals and conservatives. Such studies expose participants to various different stimuli, such as videos of political debates or images of people taking part in different activities, and record any changes in brain activity.

Other studies have used a variety of methodological approaches including problem solving, memory and updating tasks, questionnaires and other surveys to assess psychological differences between liberals and conservatives.

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