Key Results

The study found a small, positive correlation between amygdala volume and conservative beliefs, but the effect was much weaker than in previous studies. They did not find a significant relationship between ACC volume and liberal beliefs. Some correlations were found between ideology and the fusiform gyrus, but these results were not consistent across all analyses.

ATHENS, GREECE — A groundbreaking new study has reignited the debate over whether political ideology is linked to brain structure. While previous research suggested that conservatives have larger amygdalas – the brain’s fear center – and liberals have larger anterior cingulate cortices (ACC) – involved in conflict detection, this latest investigation paints a more nuanced picture.

The study, published in iScience, examined brain scans from nearly 1,000 Dutch adults, making it the largest analysis to date on the neurological underpinnings of political beliefs. Led by researchers Diamantis Petropoulos Petalas, Gijs Schumacher, and Steven Scholte, the team sought to replicate and expand upon a controversial 2011 study that first proposed structural brain differences between liberals and conservatives.

Using advanced brain imaging techniques, the researchers analyzed gray matter […]