April 12, 2011 10:53 PM UTC

"Born this Way?"

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• by: JeffcoBlue

(We’re not saying – promoted by Colorado Pols)

Yahoo! News:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_…

Using data from MRI scans, researchers at the University College London found that self-described liberals have a larger anterior cingulate cortex–a gray matter of the brain associated with understanding complexity. Meanwhile, self-described conservatives are more likely to have a larger amygdala, an almond-shaped area that is associated with fear and anxiety. [emphasis mine]

“Previously, some psychological traits were known to be predictive of an individual’s political orientation,” lead researcher Ryota Kanai writes of the study in the latest issue of Current Biology. “Our study now links personality traits with specific brain structure.”

[…]

The study, which was conducted with the help of 90 young adult volunteers, comes on the heels of other research that linked political beliefs to genetic differences between liberals and conservatives. Last year, a joint study by the Harvard and the University of California, San Diego, found there might actually be a so-called “liberal gene” that influences political leanings.

Take the poll! Were you always such a bleeding heart liberal? Did you come out of a Young Republican closet? Did you grow up in a liberal household, but Reagan “Won Out?” Were you, like Lady Gaga (and Ayn Rand), “Born this Way?” Now’s your chance to fess up!

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