Posted on 09/20/2008 5:07:53 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Startle Response Linked to Politics
More Sensitive May Mean More Conservative, Study Finds
By Shankar Vedantam
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 19, 2008; A09
People who startle easily in response to threatening images or loud sounds seem to have a biological predisposition to adopt conservative political positions on many hot-button issues, according to unusual new research published yesterday.
The finding suggests that people who are particularly sensitive to signals of visual or auditory threats also tend to adopt a more defensive stance on political issues, such as immigration, gun control, defense spending and patriotism. People who are less sensitive to potential threats, by contrast, seem predisposed to hold more liberal positions on those issues.
The study takes the research a step beyond psychology by suggesting that innate physiological differences among people may help shape their startle responses and their political inclinations.
The study is part of a growing research effort to uncover the often hidden factors in people's political makeup. In recent years, a variety of studies have shown, for example, that voters are subtly biased in favor of attractive political candidates. Other research has probed how subconscious attitudes among undecided voters can predict whom they will eventually support, and how the speed with which voters answer poll questions can predict the depth of their commitment to one candidate or another.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Total and complete Obamacrap!
but are as sensitive as cat whiskers to fascism
So liberals are more likely to be slow to respond, clueless, and insensitive?
“People who startle easily in response to threatening images”
I definitely startle when I see images of Obama. Frightens the hell out of me.
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