Scientists find brain damages linked to intensity of political behavior

• A recent study reveals that the intensity of a person’s political activity may change after specific brain injuries. Researchers say the findings could lead them to a deeper understanding of what influences a person’s political behavior.
• The study focuses on people who suffered damage to specific areas of the brain and questions over whether those damages changed their political behavior.
• Researchers hope the findings will inspire further studies on the connection between the brain’s pathways and political behavior.

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New research reveals specific brain damages may be linked to the intensity of a person’s political behavior. It’s already known among the scientific community that various mental health disorders can sometimes cause aggressive political actions, but this study discovered new links between head trauma injuries and political involvement.

Who conducted the study?

Now, researchers at Harvard, Stanford and Northwestern University are studying the neural pathways influencing political actions. The findings are published in “Brain,” and show a specific brain circuit is connected to the intensity of people’s political activism, regardless of ideology or political leanings.

What was the methodology?

As part of the study, researchers gathered behavioral and neural data from people who suffered injuries to certain areas of the brain and examined their political activity both before and after the injury. They found that political activity increased after an injury in some cases but decreased in others.

Scientists specifically examined brain lesions to see if they “hit a common brain circuit,” leading them to discover one linked to the intensity of a person’s political engagement.

Does the brain circuit influence political leanings?

Researchers observed no change in political ideology or party affiliation, only the intensity of political involvement itself, stating that “political ideology and party affiliation did not change with any identifiable pattern of brain damage.”

What other studies are being conducted?

Scientists say they are currently performing a “large-scale study” using “magnetic stimulation as a tool” to “activate and deactivate specific brain circuits.” The goal is to find out which behaviors may change as a result. The study also aims to measure which brain circuits influence values like “altruism” and “spirituality.”