How is political extremism created in the brain
Why don’t some people accept even the most sensible arguments on the opposite side? How can political debates often degenerate in a trench war without compromise? The latest research in neuroscience sheds light on this phenomenon and reveals that the root of political extremism may be not only in ideology but also in the way our brains work.
By combining more brain scans and psychological tests for self -awareness, scientists have come up with an amazing discovery: people who are less capable of recognizing when mistaking are more likely to consider political positions morally shining and are more prone to rigidity and even extremism.
A new study published in the journal Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Neuroscience shows that moral beliefs and « metacognitive abilities » – awareness of the accuracy of one’s own decisions – play a key role in shaping political views. People with lower levels of self -awareness have stronger brain reactions to political topics they consider morally significant. In other words, when one is unable to assess whether or not it is right or not, it is more likely that political issues are perceived as black and white moral truths, rather than complex topics that could be conducted dialogue, writes « Sayentifik American ».
In a study led by Professor Gene tenths of the University of Chicago, 80 adult participants first completed questionnaires about their views on current political issues, such as climate change and arms control, and assessed the moral importance of every position. Then, their levels of metacognitive sensitivity were measured – the ability to assess how confident they are in the correctness of their decisions, that is, to what extent they think they are right. In the second phase, 49 selected participants were subjected to functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) while looking at photos of protest groups with opposing political beliefs and choosing which group supported more.
The results showed that those with lower self -awareness made faster decisions when the topics matched their moral beliefs. Their brains have shown increased activation in the regions responsible for emotional processing, monitoring conflicts and cognitive control – including anterior insular cortex, anterior zinger cortex and lateral prefrontal cortex.
One of the key discoveries was that people with low metacognitive consciousness showed stronger brain reactions when they were morally convinced of the correctness of their political views. Lateral prefrontal cortex – the part of the brain associated with setting goals and social norms – especially standing out, indicating that political views are much more than just opinions – they become moral imperatives. In addition, the same persons have shown increased activity in the parts of the brain responsible for evaluation and reward, which further confirms how personally significant these moral beliefs are.
Researchers believe that weaker self -awareness can be a direct path to dogmatism and political extremism. People who cannot clearly distinguish when they are mistaken are more likely to perceive their beliefs as absolute truths and are less open to other opinions.
This study, although limited by experimental conditions, offers valuable knowledge of the psychological and neurological basis of polarization in society. The question is also whether education and training could contribute to greater tolerance and flexibility in political dialogues.
Scientists also note that moral beliefs overlap with concepts such as the strength of attitude, the level of knowledge of the situation and emotional excitement, which makes it difficult to areolating a specific effect, the US portal concludes.
(policy.rs)
