Your Political Beliefs Could be All in Your Head

10 Sep Your Political Beliefs Could be All in Your Head

Is biology (political) destiny? A few years ago the editors of this newsletter visited the Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior at the University of Nebraska, and met with Prof. John Hibbing, author of Predisposed: Liberals, Conservatives, and the Biology of Political Differences, to discuss some of his (fascinating) discoveries and opinions with him. A new study builds on his research, finding evidence that conservatives have more “negativity bias” than liberals do.

Negativity bias isn’t a bad thing. Everyone’s got it, and it isn’t grumpy.

“If you ignore a positive stimulus in your environment, you might miss lunch,” says study co-author Kevin Smith. “If you ignore a negative stimulus in your environment, you might be lunch.”