Posted on 01/17/2005 9:27:05 PM PST by neverdem
GUEST OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
Los Angeles — PRESIDENT BUSH begins his second term this week as the leader of a nation that appears to be sharply divided. Since the election, there's been endless discussion about the growing gap between "red" and "blue" America. When former President Bill Clinton said a few months ago that he was probably the only person in America who liked both Mr. Bush and Senator John Kerry, it seemed it might be true.
Yet, surprisingly, recent neuroscience research suggests that Democrats and Republicans are not nearly as far apart as they seem. In fact, there is empirical evidence that even the fiercest partisans may instinctively like both Mr. Bush and Mr. Kerry, although they struggle against this collaborative impulse.
During the eight months before the election, I was part of a group of political professionals and scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles, who used functional magnetic resonance imaging, or f.M.R.I., to scan the brains of 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats, producing images like those seen above. We measured brain activity while subjects looked at political advertisements and at images of the presidential candidates.
The news media have focused on our finding that the amygdala, a part of the brain that responds to danger, was more heightened in Democrats when viewing scenes of 9/11 than in Republicans. This might seem to indicate fundamental differences, but other aspects of our results suggest striking commonalities.
While viewing their own candidate, both Democrats and Republicans showed activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, an area associated with strong instinctive feelings of emotional connection. Viewing the opposing candidate, however, activated the anterior cingulate cortex, which indicates cognitive and emotional conflict. It also lighted up the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, an area that acts to suppress or shape emotional reactions.
These patterns of brain activity, made visible on the f.M.R.I.'s, suggest that both Bush and Kerry voters were mentally battling their attraction to the other side. Bush voters wanted to follow Mr. Kerry; Kerry voters found appeal in Mr. Bush. Both groups fought this instinct by arguing to themselves that their impulses were wrong. By recalling flaws associated with the opposition, the voters displaced attraction with dislike. Because the process happened nearly instantaneously, only the final sense of dismay reached full awareness.
Simplifying the neurophysiology somewhat, one can regard the process of reaching an opinion or making a choice as a collaboration between two regions of the brain - the limbic area, which feels emotions, and the prefrontal cortex, which controls the processing of ideas and information. The two areas work in tandem: thoughts provoke feelings, and in turn, the intensity of these feelings determines how the thoughts are valued. In reacting to pictures of the opposing candidate, the voters we tested countered the feelings of connection with even stronger hostile emotions, which they induced by calling up negative images and ideas.
This dance between strong emotions and interconnected ideas is well known in psychiatry, and it forms the foundation of cognitive behavioral therapy, an effective form of talk therapy. When there is a divorce, for example, adolescents may induce in themselves feelings of rage toward one parent out of loyalty to the other. A cognitive behavioral therapist could help quench this rage by challenging the child's beliefs about the estranged parent. Without the beliefs to sustain it, the rage disappears.
In the case of this past election, while we witnessed an electorate that seemed irreconcilably divided, using f.M.R.I., we could see that the Republicans and Democrats we tested liked both candidates. The initial reflex toward allegiance is easy to explain: people rise through the ranks to run for higher office because they are able to evoke in others a powerful impulse to join their cause. Voters sense this attraction, and to keep from succumbing, they dredge up emotion-laden negative images as a counterweight.
This suggests that the passions swirling through elections are not driven by a deep commitment to issues. We are not fighting over the future of the country; we are fighting for our team, like Red Sox and Yankee fans arguing over which club has the better catcher. Both in an election and in baseball, all that really matters is who wears the team uniform.
Will an awareness that we are conning ourselves to feel alienated from each other help to close the political gap? It is unknown, because neuroscience has advanced only recently to the point where humans can begin to watch themselves think and feel. If we are going to solve the nation's complicated problems, it is important to close this gap because in a setting where emotions run high, careful thoughts have no chance against intoxicating ones. In divisive politics, as in highly spiced dishes, all subtlety is lost.
So, Democrats, admit that you admire the confidence and decisiveness of President Bush. And Republicans, concede that you would like a president to have the depth of knowledge and broad intelligence of Mr. Kerry. Now that f.M.R.I. is revealing our antagonisms as a defensive ploy, it is time to erase the red and blue divide.
Joshua Freedman, a psychiatrist, is on the faculty of the Neuropsychiatric Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles.
I stopped before I got there. As soon as I saw the article was from the Ny Slimes, I stopped.
Horrible science! Why would the conclusion be that there is an attraction that must be "argued against" rather than the simple explanation that the patterns show an awareness of dislike or disagreement? Why such a sweeping conclusion from a small sample, with no evidence that the results are repeatable and verifiable with other people and/or other issues or conflicts.
(In the case of demonstrating the maturation of adolescent brains, the fMRI images are compared to other objective testing techniques, such as response and perception of emotions of the subjects of photos. The MRI changes over time correlate with the ability to correctly perceive that an adult in a photo is afraid or angry. It seems that the younger subjects, with less mature brains, look at photos and see anger when the older subjects see fear and the subject had intended to demonstrate fear.)
The "arguments" or conflicts are there. There are strong emotions. The emotions are not necessarily "attraction."
In addition to poor science and logic, the author perpetuates the myth that Kerry is more intelligent and more knowledgeable. Despite the fact that the President's scores on standardized tests prior to officer training and SAT scores were higher than Kerry's.
Decisions, decisions. Ja, ut iz harrd vork, I can tell yoo dat much.
(Absentmindedly scratches top of head. Checks inside of underwear to see what his name is.)
LOL
>>even the fiercest partisans may instinctively like both Mr. Bush and Mr. Kerry
Hoo hoa har!!! This is crap! I'd love to spend the day fishing with W, but I'd rather spend the day plucking my anus hairs than hanging out with Kerry. He'd have to pay me big money to put up with his cheese grater of a personality!
bttt
Olaf:
"My Name is JC Penney??"
Well, he does know enough to spot a mega-rich broad a mile away.
Well, who wouldn't love to go so far with so little talent, intelligence, or accomplishment. Personally, I'm jealous that I didn't marry a rich, ugly woman....
Don't invite us over to dinner anytime soon....
(And Republicans, concede that you would like a president to have the depth of knowledge and broad intelligence of Mr. Kerry.)
After W beat the Dems to a pulp twice in a row now (and was the major factor for taking and broadening the Republican lead in Congress), the NY Times still thinks he's an idiot. Kind of makes one question the intelligence of the NY Times writers...
Good one!
-good Thames, G.J.P.(Jr.)
'If you make it to dinner here, and you sit next to Kerry, make sure you don't accidentally get his plate or glass!'
Jesse Jackson admitted that as a young man working as a waiter, he used to spit in the plates of whiteys he would serve...
don't let Jesse near the kitchen. please.
>>Jesse Jackson admitted that as a young man working as a waiter, he used to spit in the plates of whiteys he would serve...
>>don't let Jesse near the kitchen. please.
Did he really? Yuck! What a pathetic hateful jerk!
If FReepers ever have a barby-q at my place it'll be nothing but the best! Hot Dogs made from the finest unidentifiable meat products available! Burgers made from cows that you may have seen driving in! (We're in the country) And veggies grown next door! I'm partial to grilled asparagus!
I wouldn't even let Je$$e park cars! He could stand by the pool with a stack of towels! (On the side away from the food)
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