Liberal vs. Conservative: A Neuroscientific Analysis with Gail Saltz | Big Think

Republicans have Stability and loyalty meaning they force themselves to have a wife or husband and kids bc God says any other way to live is wrong. Surprise surprise gods rules keeps family structure in a developing culture stable enough for idiots who would implode if they realized their not going to heaven

Oh look new information that Republicans literally can't accept bc their too afraid of disappointing god and going to hell for all eternity.

90% of my brain is amygdala.

Horseshit lol

Psychological differences between Conservatives and Progressives according to the AI:

The psychological divide between conservatives and progressives stems from fundamentally different ways of perceiving the world. Conservatives prioritize stability, tradition, and hierarchical order, often driven by heightened sensitivity to fear and perceived threats. This translates into rigid thinking patterns, deference to authority, and a moral framework that places ingroup loyalty and cultural preservation above individual well-being. Progressives, by contrast, exhibit greater cognitive flexibility, openness to change, and a moral focus on fairness and harm prevention. They are more comfortable with uncertainty and complexity, valuing evidence-based adaptation over blind adherence to tradition.

Neuroscientific research suggests conservatives process threats more intensely, which may explain their reactionary tendencies and susceptibility to fear-based political narratives. This often leads them to defend oppressive systems, dismiss social inequalities, and rationalize harm in the name of preserving order. Meanwhile, progressives show stronger activity in brain regions associated with empathy and complex problem-solving, making them more likely to challenge injustice and advocate for systemic change.

Emotionally, conservatives report higher life satisfaction, not because the world is fair, but because they accept its existing power structures without question. Progressives, on the other hand, experience more dissatisfaction precisely because they recognize injustice and refuse to normalize it. While conservatives claim to act as stabilizers of society, their resistance to progress often serves the interests of the ruling elite, reinforcing economic and social hierarchies. True societal advancement requires overcoming conservative resistance to change, not treating it as a necessary counterbalance to progress.

As important as this topic is, and as well as Dr. Saltz lays out the science, it’s 8 years old. Any updates? These are the same basic data as Haidt disclosed. Surely studies of neuroplasticity have revealed more by now.

Liberals are more science based when was that? They shamed anyone not agreeing with them!

The problem with liberals (in the more orthodox and non-relative consensus of progressives) is that liberals appeal not to facts and arguments, but to public authority, even when that authority has no absolute guarantee of understanding the current topic. All that liberals try to do is to make conservatives look stupid, only by substituting spiritual authority for material authority, by substituting the authority of religion for the authority of deeply politicized science. In both cases, the liberal and the conservative recognize the fact of appealing to the source of the argument, but not to its substance. It is for this reason that most liberals in their comments fail to recognize the fact that their political or social flexibility is not an element of progress, but of pure ideological conformism, which is based on deeply utilitarian, hedonistic, and sentimental ideals.

As a Conservative what concerns me the most about Liberals is their lack of understanding Second Layer consequences of their proposals for society,like when Conservatives say taxing the rich astronomically is bad,they just label us as evil or "rich bootlicker" instead of understand all of consequences of doing that,they literally just support stuff that sounds good and hate stuff that sounds bad.
Also i find left-wing takes very ambiguous,while right-wing literally says what they're going to do like "we're going to close the border" "we're going to cut taxes" "we're not going to take your guns " ,left-wing takes are like "we're gonna make world a better place" "we're going to reduce poverty" "we're going to stop racism"
Liberals often tries to pass bills that literally just increase the government spending on useless stuff,calls it "poverty reduction bill" and become mad at conservatives for voting against it.

It’s not brain structures that make you liberal or conservative. It’s the politicians who decide to appeal to humans with different brain structures or, I’d say, different variations of retardedness. One group of politicians advertise themselves to the overly emotional, the other to the excessively fearful.

If both sides be like “we’re gonna make reasonable arguments that appeal to smart, logical people” then 80% of the population would not be voting for either side.

"Biological determinism of political viewpoints" really flies in the face of political science research, which currently favors a Social Theory of politics, instead of the old essentialist view that there is some underlying mechanism within the individual that guides political choice.

I am EXTREMELY skeptical of the conclusion about amygdala size.
MRI scans are very costly, so I am guessing this is based on super small sample studies of 20-30 participants (ie: pretty useless)

Seeing how spatial electoral maps are nowadays, with extreme rural and urban skews, I really really don't see how a scan of your amygdala is going to have better predictive power than a simple postal code. Unless there's something in the water...

Despite this, there is good evidence supporting the idea that different worldviews "value systems" need to be considered when trying to convince.

Conservatives root their decisions from their fear of God. But a conservative who doesnt trust God will be fearful, hostile, unfriendly, stingy, racist, etc. God, in the Bible, gave examples of people who acted sinfully and what the results were (bad). A Christian who trusts in God will be both loyal (conservative) and loving of others (liberal) while never condoning sin. Christians are in a different category not on the spectrum of conservative and liberal. They are few.
Untrusting conservatives take God’s name in vain. Liberals dont believe in God but in the tree of knowledge.

Liberals tend to be incapable of understanding results and failure and tend to double down on failed ideologies.

Then explain to me why American liberals are closed off to information about the g-sides the US government is doing around the world? 🤕🫤🇵🇸🇨🇩

Wouldnt 69% be a failing grade in school? How is that high predictability?

There is a movie that explains this with alien ants eating half of the brain.

Since academics tend to be liberals, I question whether this video may be biased. Crime rates going through the roof was predictable in 2020. The liberal brain doesn’t seem to be able to process this information

You're counting angels on the head of a pin here. I strongly suspect this research has been found non replicable and probably is a candidate for retraction. It's extremely obvious that you see yourself as a liberal and your bias is just as obvious.

I like your apologies, I suppose the main issue is thr stark difference in enviroment for both, also to be fair cities are breeding grounds of bad mental health.

Screaming liberals in conversations suggest otherwise on the topic of fear. I’m beginning to think that conservatives’ larger fear-processing centers may allow them to accurately assess fear stimuli, while liberals’ atrophied fear centers may lead to overreactions. This pattern has appeared many times: their reactions to both Trump wins, responses when challenged on beliefs, and reactions to political or judicial losses that prompt talk of moving. (If they truly embraced change, wouldn’t they respond with, “Cool, I’ll just move”?)

Consider, for example, their intense reaction to those who didn’t wear masks during COVID, despite being vaccinated and reassured by Dr. Fauci that one dose would keep them safe. There’s also a widespread reluctance to acknowledge that Dr. Fauci may have misled the public and that the virus’s source could indeed have been a viral research lab in Wuhan. Further, many seem unable to grasp that electric cars still contribute to a carbon footprint; instead, emissions are shifted to electricity producers. These cars harm the environment more than conventional vehicles, given that materials often come from strip mines in China using child and slave labor, which poisons the earth.

I suspect that liberals may have atrophied frontal lobes, temporal lobes, prefrontal cortex, and an almost non-existent anterior cingulate cortex. I don’t believe the study claiming otherwise, as liberals appear to suffer more from anxiety and fear than conservatives. Consider the aftermath of Trump’s election victories: liberals divorcing spouses who supported Trump, unfriending anyone who criticized their candidate, and expressing unwarranted fears publicly. Their extreme reactions suggest that they don’t process fear stimuli effectively.

If an enlarged amygdala drives responses, conservatives should be the ones seeking safe spaces, feeling offended, or lashing out when contradicted. If liberals genuinely accept “new” things, shouldn’t they welcome challenges to their views? Here’s where I think I went wrong: LIBERAL. Yes, if true liberals were the ones studied, then I’d believe the results. But the individuals often labeled “liberals” today are more accurately described as “leftists.” Unlike true liberals, who encourage open discussion and change, leftists tend to shut down dialogue with accusations of racism or misogyny. By this definition, conservatives might have a larger fear center relative to liberals, yet it would be considered underdeveloped compared to leftists.

The Democratic Party, too, seems to be polarizing toward leftism, leaving true liberals behind or even turning against them for not being “left enough.” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for instance, seems to embody leftism rather than liberalism, as she often promotes fear, offense, and overreaction, seeing her opponents not as individuals but as targets. Her approach tends to be rude and dismissive, embracing only the science that aligns with her views and dismissing opposing findings as racist, misogynistic, or patriarchal propaganda. This approach is deeply rooted in identity politics, where actions matter less than who performs them.

I even pity the TRUE LIBERAL. As I enjoy debate and challenging my beliefs, I would enjoy conversations with them. I even view JFK and his ideals as moderate now, and if his ideals still match the ideals of TRUE LIBERALS—where you still ponder "ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country" because you are still an American patriot—I want to meet you people. I'd LOVE to meet you people. But the people in this day and age who have acquired your "title" think, "Ask not what I have done for my country—ask what has it done for me," and they're more interested in provoking rather than compromising. So I pity you because your party has been hijacked by what should be the National Socialist Party... which went by another name in Germany... in the 1940s.

You say what liberals want to hear in the beginning but then drop the disappointing reality as you go on....

How do you explain people going from liberal to conservative as they age?

Are we still pretending like people are either conservative or liberal?

The thing is most people who do at least a little thinking for themselves are going to have political beliefs that fall within different buckets of the liberal to conservative spectrum.

Also, just to note despite how anyone's brain works, good policy and bad policy is just that.

Americans especially (which I am) are way too polarized and the media plays on that. We have a country full of "independent thinking" sheep.

This was Dumb 😂

The brain is plastic? Or elastic?

Demagogues irresponsibly play to the "fear of the other" which is always there, just below the surface, creating dangerous division within the populace. See through their BS and give them the boot.

I’ve found that most conservatives are very obstinate in their minds and opinions! And will always get louder vocally, as if being loud makes them correct!

I find that republicans are emotional based thinking, such as I feel based opinions. Where speaking only for myself, emotion’s do affect my opinions, I research and trie to find scientific evidence to back up my opinions!

And then there is MAGA conservatives who have traumatic brain injuries.

I’m extremely conservative and in high school I was told I was very artistic because of my left brain so make that make sense😂

Liberals are driven by fear.. Not conservatives.

Conservative put their faith in God which leaves nothing to fear.. Liberals put their faith in Man, machine and government where there is no certainty and Theye are easily manipulated by fear.

Example:
- Conservatives refused the jab. No fear.
- Liberals got multiple shots out of fear.
- Conservatives refused the masks
- Liberals are still wearing masks 3 years after covid ended.. Even while driving alone. (Extreme fear)
- Conservative no fear of bad weather.
- Liberals fear climate change.
- Conservatives love their guns.
- Liberals fear guns.

Left wing politicians & media knows this therefore they use fear to manipulate liberals.. They know it doesn't work on conservatives.

The biggest fear of liberals today is project 2025 dispite the fact that's its been debunked countless times. Liberals still fear it more than death itself.

Conservatives: No fear. Faith in God.
Liberals: All fear. No faith.. Trust machine, man and government.

New information would become old quickly after repetition, which is called brain washing. Will conservatives be converted anyway? plastic brain ultimately

So careful caution and organisation against full-hardy naïveté, and disorganisation

She must be big brained

Hahaha.... excuse me.... who were the majority of faucci outchies ??? Fear iduced thinking??? Hahaha

this is such a fascinating video

I thought it was brilliant satirical parody. Then, sadly, I realized it was just the Dunning Kruger effect of steroids. Some rather low resolution thinking and absurd deductions happening here.
Liberals weren’t completely “men can get pregnant” insane when she made this. A fresh analysis with a deeper perspective and especially with far fewer biased assumption and a more cognitively capable person doing the analysis.
What part of the brain makes modern liberals so unable to grasp reality and so willing to follow absurd narratives and believe anything just to fit in with their political orthodoxy and fellow NPCs.
The hot take on guns. 😂 🤪
That Dunning Kruger is really ratcheting up by the time the incredibly unconscious individual starts talking in the most shallow of ways about guns. I guarantee she thinks she’s spot on, yet doesn’t have the IQ to support such confidence.
🤡
🏆
Could’ve been an interesting topic but not with a biased not so bright lady. Sorry not sorry

Both sides are nuts. They could hardly be more pathetic.

Same shit different political parties

What is wrong with having a smaller Amygdala region? There are benefits. You are faster to see-be aware of possible dangers and protect yourself (and your family).

Yet liberals can’t read crime stats from mass migration lol

She pretty much got it spot on about liberals and conservatives.

Nah you put it wrong Gail. The truth is Liberals are more susceptible to government agendas and easily controlled while Conservatives stand their ground on what they believe, not out of fear of the new but by resisting control of popularised agendas to created to control human behavior

I'm guessing this is why conservatives will create baseless conspiracy theories. It's a coping mechanism to handle information they can't handle or fearful of.

I will say in my personal life I’ve kinda experienced the opposite. Liberals are WAY more about correctness and caring about feelings (and the huge fear of any disagreement)

Conservatives I’ve met reference data more often. So I wonder if this has shifted a little since these studies were done

Conservatives: this female is a a wîtch woke.

I'm gay liberal. Upon studying ex-Justice William O. Douglas, we're very similar in ideology so I would call myself ultraliberal/progressive.

Im 5 seconds in and lost. Liberals are good at taking in new information? Ive never seen that happen.