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 Kore7 says: In The Political Brain, psychologist Drew Western summarizes fMRI experiments exploring the neuro-psychology of systematic bias and rationalization in the brains of political extremists. Finding ways to dismiss contradictory evidence triggers pleasant emotional releases in partisans' brains, eventually becoming a pleasurable, learned behavior. Once partisans had found a way to reason to false conclusions, not only did neural circuits involved in negative emotions turn off, but circuits involved in positive emotions turned on. This explains much. Interesting! Man your clip has really got me turned on! I'm busy denying the hell out of it!  OK Got it. I'm on cloud nine! Once partisans had found a way to reason to false conclusions,See, that is the weak link. How could they know that the conclusions were false? In truth it is impossible to know that the conclusions were actually false unless one can follow precisely every piece of data used by the brain to reach the conclusion. That is nearly impossible for the one doing the computing let alone the supposedly objective observer. So all they are actually doing is finding out that once a piece of apparently contradictory data is analyzed and included into the total data bank, the person is freed from the natural discomfort of having a little crisis and feels great about regaining normal status. If the scientific observer really knew what all the correct conclusions were, they of course should take over running the world. This explains much.kenstipe, I concur, and speculate that it bears relevance beyond the boundaries of politics. great clip. Indeed, indeed, indeed. POP POP POP. Thank you ten million. What a brilliant clip. How sweetly it fits into interpretations of psychopathological projections, self-loathing, world-hating defences against anxious terror. One relevance beyond the boundaries of politics is the way that such misery is contained within ideology so that the despair of being oneself fits in so well with 'normality'. Phew! Nicely wound me up to go to the Liverpool-Everton game later. <<<In politics, when reason and emotion collide, emotion invariably wins. Elections are decided in the marketplace of emotions, a marketplace filled with values, images, analogies, moral sentiments, and moving oratory, in which logic plays only a supporting role. Westen shows, through a whistle-stop journey through the evolution of the passionate brain and a bravura tour through fifty years of American presidential and national elections, why campaigns succeed and fail. The evidence is overwhelming that three things determine how people vote, in this order: their feelings toward the parties and their principles, their feelings toward the candidates, and, if they haven't decided by then, thei... @ abailart So you are going with the memes all the way? I really don't think such an elitist attitude toward human beings is really healthy! Thats why bigotry is so popular "this explains much" What I meant is that it explains why on issues where opinions should take a back seat to the facts we are prone to be divided by political agendas. On the issue of Climate Change you have partisans line up behind Rush Limbaugh because he is on the Right and people line up behind Al Gore because he is on the Left. Very few of these people are knowledgeable of the facts. These oppositions are furthered a Media that also does not know the facts and are also partisan -take your pick Foxsnooze or MS-in-me-see. Partisans always have a place to get the facts they need. They all sound reasonable for the most part and we all tend to avoid the opinion we do not *choose* to believe. Yes, bigotry. We are all bigots. What I meant is that it explains why on issues where opinions should take a back seat to the facts we are prone to be divided by political agendas. How many times do I have to tell you idiots? All my opinions are the product of unasailable evidence and tautological reasoning! Confirmed by direct communication with God! I don't spew radical nonsense just to get a rush! I don't! I DON'T! I DON'T!!! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh baby, that was good...  Thank you yanceducat. The sad part of this research is it's suggestion that centrists like myself are the less intelligent people. I see extremism in the comments making fun of extremism but I guess I am overly sensitive. You're welcome. I thought you made a very good point which is why I said that. Your statement that 'very few of these people people know the facts (and it might be added very feel even really want the facts IMO)' indicates very clearly why I don't think the study proves what it claims to prove. They all sound reasonable for the most part and we all tend to avoid the opinion we do not *choose* to believe. Yes, bigotry. We are all bigots.This part is also very true and rare for anyone to say. I might say that it's less a question of whether we all have 'flaws' but to what extent we try to ascertain truth despite those flaws. Instead it seems people prefer to pin the flaw on... How sweetly it fits into interpretations of psychopathological projections, self-loathing, world-hating defences against anxious terror.  That's a nice smile, haraya, but what does it mean? Arthur Brooks, an economist at Syracuse University, examined the question of happiness from a politico-economic perspective and came to some similar conclusions in his new book, Gross National Happiness. This quote on extremism (from The Economist 's review) seemed interesting and relevant: Mr Brooks also finds that extremists of both sides are happier than moderates. |
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