Across the Aisle
In the month leading up to the 2008 election, researchers led by the University of California, Los Angeles psychologist Emily Falk performed brain scans on self-identified Republicans and Democrats as they considered statements from each Presidential candidate.
As the election neared, brain areas linked to emotion and social cognition were intensely active. Areas linked to logic and rational thought, however, were relatively inactive.
The lesson: When people are certain of their rightness, it's worth taking a mental step back and considering whether our certainty is the product of many factors, of which rational deliberation is only one -- and not necessarily the strongest. "Within our brains, we may yet still have untapped potential for social connection across the aisle," wrote Falk's team.
Image: Travis Crawford/Flickr
Citation: "Race and reputation: perceived racial group trustworthiness influences the neural correlates of trust decisions." By Damian A. Stanley, Peter Sokol-Hessner, Dominic S. Fareri, Michael T. Perino, Mauricio R. Delgado, Mahzarin R. Banaji and Elizabeth A. Phelps. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, Vol. 367 No. 1589, March 5, 2012.