Posted on 05/24/2007 1:19:18 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
Psychologist Thinks Political Preference Is Half Genetic
Thursday , May 24, 2007 By Melinda Wenner
Whether you prefer Rush Limbaugh or Keith Olbermann has to do with your genes and your psychology, according to a new study.
People who are more conscientious and prefer order, structure and closure in their lives tend to be more conservative, whereas creative people who are open to new experiences tend to be more politically liberal, says John Jost, a psychologist at New York University who conducted an overview of previous studies involving a total of more than 22,000 participants from 12 countries.
But that psychological profile only pulls half the weight when it comes to determining people's politics, his review showed.
Click here to visit FOXNews.com's Human Body Center.
The other half is genetic, as is revealed in studies of twins and their political bent, Jost says.
Politics in America
A number of sociologists have argued that political ideology died in America after World War II, because both the left and the right wings were heavily discredited at the time.
Jost says the latest research shows the opposite that politics in America today are very much alive.
His previous research has suggested, for example, that more than 90 percent of college students can identify where their political beliefs fit on a scale running from the "left" (liberal) to the "right" (conservative), and that their affiliations strongly influence how they vote in elections.
Americans also appear to enjoy being involved in politics.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
If you’re IQ is also genetic, then I agree
Ohhh, give me a break. How many times are we going to repackage this pile of crap?
“Political Preference Is Half Genetic”
People on the far left only have half of their genes.
I have to agree, they are definitely much more open to their inner Hitler/Stalin/Pol Pot.
Funny how college graduates consider themselves “savvy” political since most of them don’t even know that we are a Deomcratic Republic, cannot name leadership systems in the Senate nor Congress.
This also can be a description of those have a tendency to be more obsessive-compulsive
Why conservatives should be pro-choice.
kinda like “twins” with arnold and de vito..the reps get the good stuff, the dems get de vito..
I’d say ‘Doctor Jost’ has lost his mind if he thinks Limbaugh, with 23 million listeners, is remotely comparable to the moron on MSNBC with 600,000 tops under any scenario’s.
Guess that means that I must have been bitten by a radioactive spider or exposed to massive quantities of gamma radiation, triggering a genetic shift from liberal socialist to libertarian conservative.
Conservative = working for a living.
Liberal = sucking the public teat.
I think it is more right brain/left brain dominance...
The Right Brainers tend to think emotively rather than rationally....
More trying to pin behavior on genes. Experience is bound to have far more effect on political view than genes.
For me, it’s easy. I just follow the dollar.
Republicans have a much better chance to gain wealth. If you have wealth, you’ll keep more of it. If you’re an entrepreneur, be sure you have a Republican administration backing you up. Having Republican friends in high places can make all the difference in the world.
Like I said, it’s logical to me (and easy for me to overlook positions I don’t agree with).
I suspect it is because colleges are “reeducation camps” anymore instead of institutions of learning.
IMO, this is not a condition of genetic origin, but a decision that every person makes in their youth, around their early teens, about how they will relate to the world around them. Some call this a ‘worldview’, but that is too shallow. I think it goes to the core of the person’s identity on this issue: is a person restrained and constrained by reality, or can they live as they please in their mind, their own mental world, and have that mental world behave as they please?
Do emotions, which are expressions based on feelings prevail, no matter what the real world says or do emotions have to be informed and constrained by what the real world says. Which prevails: feelings, or facts and logic?
After observing people from the left and right, this dividing line appears to be the basis for the difference. Everything else flows from this.
Of course, Freepers who can contribute or disagree are free to post their own reactions to this.
Thank you. I couldn't have said it better myself.
He’s on to something, but he doesn’t know what “it” is.
Explorers and soldiers are open to new ideas and experiences.
They are also self-reliant, which is the source from which
conservatism springs. I don’t think he knows that. His idea
of a conservative is Archie Bunker.
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