Brain Scans prove Dems are 'smarter' than GOPs

[opebo]

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.

[Ban my account ffs!]

lol.

So Mike Naso is the epitome of self described conservatives... lacking an understanding of complexity (why can't the world just be black and white)... with a high dose of fear and anxiety (why is the world going to hell?  Why don't women have big hair and wear baggy shirts and tight pants with leg warmers and listen to Olivia Newton John?)

Then you have someone like the Mikado... who believes the standard moral argument has a fierce rainbow of possibilities.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Actually it's about liberals and conservatives, not GOP and DEM... because you can get cross-overs. It's also not about intelligence but pure brain mechanics.

In many ways it's the best explanation as to why Bush did so well against better-qualified and thoughtful opponents in Gore and Kerry, especially Kerry.

Bush's strategy was to speak to people's fears and that he was the one to defend them against evil... full stop, black and white (basically Naso's view of the world)

Kerry was about nuance, and explaining issues and filling the world with 'grey' areas...

No wonder...

[phk]

Actually it's about liberals and conservatives, not GOP and DEM... because you can get cross-overs. It's also not about intelligence but pure brain mechanics.

In many ways it's the best explanation as to why Bush did so well against better-qualified and thoughtful opponents in Gore and Kerry, especially Kerry.

Bush's strategy was to speak to people's fears and that he was the one to defend them against evil... full stop, black and white (basically Naso's view of the world)

Kerry was about nuance, and explaining issues and filling the world with 'grey' areas...

No wonder...

Kerry actually had a slightly lower GPA than Bush did at Yale.

[tpfkaw]

Anyone who thinks that Kerry is anywhere near intelligent or "nuanced" is a hack to be the envy of all hacks.

Also, this study (commissioned by Colin Firth - LOL) was done in the UK - I'm sure those results are true for Lib Dem and Tory voters, relative to each other.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Actually it's about liberals and conservatives, not GOP and DEM... because you can get cross-overs. It's also not about intelligence but pure brain mechanics.

In many ways it's the best explanation as to why Bush did so well against better-qualified and thoughtful opponents in Gore and Kerry, especially Kerry.

better-qualified and thoughtful opponents?!  Gore is the modern day equivelent of Chicken Little (or was it Henny Penny), who literally thinks the world is coming to an end every time he hears a leaf blowing in the wind.  And who also believes, let's not forget, that he can discern the spirit of God within rocks, frogs, and slugs....And Kerry literally brought a video camera to Vietnam in order to cash in politically on his killings and chased down and killed an unarmed enemy combatant and retraced his steps on film.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Actually it's about liberals and conservatives, not GOP and DEM... because you can get cross-overs. It's also not about intelligence but pure brain mechanics.

In many ways it's the best explanation as to why Bush did so well against better-qualified and thoughtful opponents in Gore and Kerry, especially Kerry.

better-qualified and thoughtful opponents?!  Gore is the modern day equivelent of Chicken Little (or was it Henny Penny), who literally thinks the world is coming to an end every time he hears a leaf blowing in the wind.  And who also believes, let's not forget, that he can discern the spirit of God within rocks, frogs, and slugs.

And discerning it from a book of fairy tales written by a bunch of cultists thousands of years ago is better?

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

And discerning it from a book of fairy tales written by a bunch of cultists thousands of years ago is better?

the New Testament is cultist?  is loving your enemies and having the freedom to go into any situation and preach the grace and forgiveness of God that abnormal or bizarre that you consider it a cult?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Actually it's about liberals and conservatives, not GOP and DEM... because you can get cross-overs. It's also not about intelligence but pure brain mechanics.

In many ways it's the best explanation as to why Bush did so well against better-qualified and thoughtful opponents in Gore and Kerry, especially Kerry.

Bush's strategy was to speak to people's fears and that he was the one to defend them against evil... full stop, black and white (basically Naso's view of the world)

Kerry was about nuance, and explaining issues and filling the world with 'grey' areas...

No wonder...

Kerry actually had a slightly lower GPA than Bush did at Yale.

Yes, I did know that. Who said anything about test scores... let alone the intelligence inference you're making.

Anyone who thinks that Kerry is anywhere near intelligent or "nuanced" is a hack to be the envy of all hacks.

Also, this study (commissioned by Colin Firth - LOL) was done in the UK - I'm sure those results are true for Lib Dem and Tory voters, relative to each other.

I don't recall calling Kerry intelligent... it has nothing... repeat NOTHING to do with intelligence - but what drives the decisions people make...

So the swift-boat BS and the Gore bashing can stop... Conservatives to respond better to fear, Liberals like to think that they are more thoughtful...

Everyone back in your boxes, or in wormy's case, cage.

[phk]

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Well the OP made a thread about Group X being smarter than Group Y.

Grades, test scores are a measure of being smarter and unless Kerry had extreme mental anxiety about school (doubtful) he is not much smarter than Bush if at all. Especially considering he portrayed Bush as an inbred cretin.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Well the OP made a thread about Group X being smarter than Group Y.

Grades, test scores are a measure of being smarter and unless Kerry had extreme mental anxiety about school (doubtful) he is not much smarter than Bush if at all. Especially considering he portrayed Bush as an inbred cretin.

The funny thing about that is that I never thought Bush was dumb... without much intellectual curiosity... but not dumb.

And opebo mis-characterised the point of the article - it's not about intelligence but brain chemistry and function.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I hate bollocks like this. As if 'liberal' and 'conservative' are objective terms with objective - and scientifically measurable - characteristics.

Though I do find it amusing when supposedly 'enlightened' individuals place any degree of faith in this sort of blatant idiocy; frankly it reminds me of eugenics and in more ways than one. Why can't you people find something more rational to believe in? Like faeries.

[Sbane]

Not to mention brain size doesnt indicate anything, rather the number of active synapses are what is relevant.

[ilikeverin]

The ACC?  Associated with intelligence?  That's not what I'd associate it with.  The ACC is usually associated with reward and pleasure.  And emotional empathy, as I presented about in class today (activation of the ACC is observed when participants are asked to empathize with participants in an emotionally-charged situation when compared to a neutral picture).  And with depression, as I helped present about in another class today (a smaller ACC, and an ACC less connected with other parts of the brain, is associated with depression).

Anyway, the notion that you can associate intelligence with any particular brain region is just rubbish, right now.  Believe me, scientists have tried.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Anyone who thinks that Kerry is anywhere near intelligent or "nuanced" is a hack to be the envy of all hacks.

Also, this study (commissioned by Colin Firth - LOL) was done in the UK - I'm sure those results are true for Lib Dem and Tory voters, relative to each other.

     I don't think the point is so much that Kerry was more intelligent than Bush as it was that Kerry was more likely to attempt to appeal to the intelligence of voters. Bush was probably just as capable as Kerry of putting nuance in his views, but he was less likely to do so when speaking about them.

[King]

The ACC is usually associated with reward and pleasure.

Well that explains liberalism, too.

And Kerry literally brought a video camera to Vietnam in order to cash in politically on his killings and chased down and killed an unarmed enemy combatant and retraced his steps on film.

How does that display fear and anxiety?

And discerning it from a book of fairy tales written by a bunch of cultists thousands of years ago is better?

the New Testament is cultist?  is loving your enemies and having the freedom to go into any situation and preach the grace and forgiveness of God that abnormal or bizarre that you consider it a cult?

This is a better example of fear and anxiety.

[specific_name]

I don't know how anyone takes this junk science seriously. Same thing with the liberal gene nonsense. Do classical liberals have it or only new deal type left liberals? For all we know there may be a gene that causes people to reflexively back the gold standard and vote for people named McKinley or Ron Paul.

[ilikeverin]

The ACC is usually associated with reward and pleasure.

Well that explains liberalism, too.

I wouldn't be surprised if it had something to do with openness in some way; conservatives have been shown to score lower (i.e., are more cautious) and liberals higher (i.e., more freewheeling), and I wouldn't be surprised if Openness were positively correlated with levels of ACC activity (more pleasure-->more pleasure-seeking behavior) and negatively with levels of amygdala size (more fear-->more caution).  That's just pure speculation, though, not that fMRI studies are much better than that.

I don't know how anyone takes this junk science seriously. Same thing with the liberal gene nonsense. Do classical liberals have it or only new deal type left liberals?

There no single ideology gene, just like there's no single gay gene or hair color gene or eye color gene.  Undoubtedly, though, classical liberals would rank as right-leaning on the survey they gave.

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There are probably several genes that are associated with support for Ron Paul, and I have nothing favorable to say about them

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

And Kerry literally brought a video camera to Vietnam in order to cash in politically on his killings and chased down and killed an unarmed enemy combatant and retraced his steps on film.

How does that display fear and anxiety?

Never said it did, rather I used the example to show how unfit for office Kerry is since his “service to America” has always been about serving himself.

Gore was crazy and boring.  Kerry was just plain evil.  But Obama is a big improvement from Gore and Kerry.  That is why Obama is personably likeable, even though I don’t agree with his policies, because he has the best interest of the people in mind.


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And discerning it from a book of fairy tales written by a bunch of cultists thousands of years ago is better?

the New Testament is cultist?  is loving your enemies and having the freedom to go into any situation and preach the grace and forgiveness of God that abnormal or bizarre that you consider it a cult?

This is a better example of fear and anxiety.

Actually, it’s the antithesis of fear and anxiety.

[opebo]

...something more rational to believe in? Like faeries.

Al, faeries are one of the things the primitive GOP'ers do believe in and fear.  Particularly the ones in San Franscisco.

better-qualified and thoughtful opponents?!  Gore is the modern day equivelent of Chicken Little (or was it Henny Penny), who literally thinks the world is coming to an end every time he hears a leaf blowing in the wind.  And who also believes, let's not forget, that he can discern the spirit of God within rocks, frogs, and slugs....And Kerry literally brought a video camera to Vietnam in order to cash in politically on his killings and chased down and killed an unarmed enemy combatant and retraced his steps on film.

Oh my, you are deluded.  I didn't know anyone actually believed all that crazy FOX news nonsense.

[Badger]

And discerning it from a book of fairy tales written by a bunch of cultists thousands of years ago is better?

the New Testament is cultist?  is loving your enemies and having the freedom to go into any situation and preach the grace and forgiveness of God that abnormal or bizarre that you consider it a cult?

Jmfcst is actually right here.

Though otherwise the posts in this thread seem to be proving the study correct.