Democrats and Republicans both adept at ignoring facts, brain scans show

[ECH1969]

Democrats and Republicans alike are adept at making decisions without letting the facts get in the way, a new study shows. And they get quite a rush from ignoring information that's contrary to their point of view.

Researchers asked staunch party members from both sides to evaluate information that threatened their preferred candidate prior to the 2004 Presidential election. The subjects' brains were monitored while they pondered.

The test subjects on both sides of the political aisle reached totally biased conclusions by ignoring information that could not rationally be discounted, Westen and his colleagues say.

Then, with their minds made up, brain activity ceased in the areas that deal with negative emotions such as disgust. But activity spiked in the circuits involved in reward, a response similar to what addicts experience when they get a fix, Westen explained.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11009379/

[ECH1969]

1. Science proves something obvious

A brain-scan technique known as functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, revealed a consistent pattern. Both Republicans and Democrats consistently denied obvious contradictions for their own candidate but detected contradictions in the opposing candidate.

"The result is that partisan beliefs are calcified, and the person can learn very little from new data," Westen said.

[tridim]

2. I'd like to see the raw results

Until then my bias is, the article is biased.

Just from observation, Republicans are guilty of this in much higher numbers. They even have a "news" network that caters specifically to their mushy brains.

[ECH1969]

3. It is not just politics

The findings could prove useful beyond the campaign trail.

"Everyone from executives and judges to scientists and politicians may reason to emotionally biased judgments when they have a vested interest in how to interpret 'the facts,'" Westen said.
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When you like someone you are willing to ignore their flaws.

[Writer]

4. Until we can overcome this emotive reliance on always needing to be right

all is lost.