Conservative voters have larger ’emotional centers’ in their brains, research finds

Neuroscientists are convinced that our political preferences are indeed hardwired into our brains.

Research in the Netherlands has shown that the brains of conservatives have a different shape than those of left-wingers.

Scans of more than 900 Generation Z adults showed that right-wing voters have a larger amygdala, the brain region linked to emotions.

Experts today called the findings “surprising” but warned that it was not precise enough to predict someone’s position based on a scan.

Scans of more than 900 Generation Z adults showed that right-wing voters have a larger amygdala, the area of ​​the brain linked to emotions

It also builds on groundbreaking research originally commissioned by actor Colin Firth in 2010 as part of his role as guest editor of the BBC 4 Today programme, which found a “strong correlation” between increased grey matter in the amygdala and political views.

Professor Diamantis Petropoulos Petalas, lead author of the study and an expert in psychology at the University of Amsterdam, said: ‘It was a real surprise that we were able to replicate the finding about the amygdala.

‘To be honest, we didn’t expect to be able to replicate these findings.

‘The amygdala regulates the perception and understanding of threats, risks and uncertainty.

“So it makes perfect sense that people who are more sensitive to these issues have a greater need for security. That’s something that tends to align with more conservative ideas in politics,”

The findings build on groundbreaking research, originally commissioned by actor Colin Firth (pictured) in 2010, which revealed a “strong correlation” between increased gray matter in the amygdala and political views.

In the study, researchers from the University of Amsterdam and The American College of Greece assessed the scans of 928 Dutch adults between the ages of 19 and 26 with various educational levels.

Everyone was asked about their positions on social and economic issues, including women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, income equality and which political party they identify with.

Their brain data was then compared to the questionnaire.

They found that people who identify as right-wing have a stronger amygdala—an almond-shaped group of neurons deep in the medial temporal lobe of the brain that processes emotions.

Writing in the diary iScienceHowever, researchers said this association was “three times smaller compared to the original study.”

In the first study, conducted in 2010, scientists from University College London assessed brain scans of 90 students.

They also found that those who stood on the left had thicker anterior cingulate cortex, an area associated with courage and decision-making.

But scientists today found no association between conservatism and smaller gray matter volume in the ACC.

Instead, they found an association between conservatives and larger gray matter in the right fusiform gyrus, an area in the temporal lobe essential for visual and cognitive functions.

Professor Petropoulos said: ‘These regions are involved in facial recognition, so it makes sense that they would be involved when you think about political issues, because political issues often make us think about the political figures who represent the ideology of those issues.

‘Just remembering a politician’s face can make the fusiform gyrus light up a little.

‘We see ideology as a complex, multidimensional product; it includes different attitudes towards social and economic issues, as well as identification with progressive or conservative ideals – it is really not just about left or right,’

• An earlier version of this article suggested that the study had concluded that conservative voters are more compassionate. The headline has been updated to clarify that while the brain region referenced in the study relates to emotions, the article did not specifically refer to “compassion.”