Liberal or Conservative? Your Brain Gives it Away

[@sarahmeg4811]

This was the best 13 minutes of election content I’ve seen! Thank you for your well informed, well presented video!

[@TraceDominguez]

Thank you!! 🎈🤩

[@danielwilson9526]

Are you a liberal.

[@Max4Z]

I would be interested in seeing where moderates/centrists fall under this study 😮

[@Thomas-pq4ys]

I'm libertal, live in a very conservative area. I learned early on the not argue, just ask questions. My first, "Where did you get that information?"

[@KingRastaj]

The liberals burned down Portland for half a year straight and you’re sayin that conservatives think with their emotions? To each their own but I think you got that backwards haha.

[@redfox6369]

Mob mentality is an entirely different subject. mobs are naturally reactionary, and reactionary movements seldom have any semblance of logic in both sides of the spectrum.

[@JohnAnderson-ev3lp]

Which one is called bleeding hearts 😂

[@Rotting12]

Bro it’s literally scientifically proven. Goes to show which side you’re on

[@KingRastaj]

@@Rotting12 I believe in unionization and free healthcare but keep thinking with your emotions.

[@MizzouRah78]

The first thing you did was point a blatant finger at liberals and question the accuracy of this video. Not only is that emotionally reactionary, but it's dismissive of what other parties have done. Cough...storming the capital...cough. It's not exactly a stretch to assume which party you favor. Then, your next response was equivalent to the "why you mad" or "someone's triggered" type of comments. You're the one who seems to be exuding emotions. Insecure? Between your pointing fingers and deflecting, you certainly act like a conservative, regardless of how you label yourself.

[@robertcathles497]

I would say that not everyone is 100% conservative or liberal, reality is far greyer than that, and it can come down to individual topics a lot. You raise some interesting points about fear as a method of control, and appealing to emotion which is a common logical fallacy, plus that a lot of arguments are often just people not understanding each other, so asking questions to find root causes is helpful, if invasive. Sometimes people are just having a bad day.

[@ernestopreciado4895]

This was a terrific video! One important variable in interpreting ambiguous expressions as aggressive is anxiety levels. I'm an example of this. I'm very liberal, yet I found those neutral faces as aggressive, but that's because of my anxiety disorder.

[@TraceDominguez]

That’s great information, thank you for sharing 😊

[@AnkitKumar-xp5wt]

Maybe we cannot distinguish people in 2 strict categories . Every one is different .maybe someone might think with anterior cingulate cortex in only some situations and not soo much in other . We cannot turn off our emotions part of our brain completely.for example its like how much a person is right politically or how much left politically not strictly right or left

[@munkeefinkelbeen5395]

You know, I've noticed that, in some people, a neutral expression can look somewhat aggressive due to general bone structure and physiology... and sadly I fit that category. People see me and think I'm aggressive, thanks to my build, height and naturally furrowed brow, but I'm normally willing to help or crack a joke whenever I can (sometimes inappropriately) 😂 anyway, that's my take that NOBODY asked for. Have an awesome day/night

[@jochum334]

yes indeed, Socrates was a clever dude and his method is effective. If you challenge someone they will get defensive. their walls will go up, aggressively even. It's really hard to convince a person in that frame of mind of anything. a calm conversation is much more effective in actually making any changes

[@TraceDominguez]

Yes indeed!

[@Mallory-Malkovich]

As a kid, those _Star Trek_ episodes like _Let This Be Your Last Battlefield_ or the _Voyager_ episode _Nemesis_ seemed far-fetched to me. I mean, imagine a world where people could become so polarized over tiny differences that they viewed members of their own species as inhuman monsters. Preposterous, right? Yet here we are. This was a well-timed video. Thank you for trying to find some solutions to these seemingly intractable problems.

[@TraceDominguez]

Voyager 🤩

[@SamuraiPipotchi]

I wonder what the studies suggest when it comes to more centrally aligned political perspectives.

[@TraceDominguez]

I would imagine it’s just tougher to draw conclusions bc the differences are less extreme

[@archerelms]

I wonder how many people are gonna assume the Kwisatz Haderach is a real life religious text or religious figure lol For those unaware, it's from Dune

[@wwthing]

Mental health issues and trauma made me conservative for a year of my life. It was weird.

[@frocco7125]

Best of luck, friend.

[@furonwarrior]

I don’t think it made you more conservative as it probably lead you into absorbing more fear based rhetoric that grew attached to you.

[@wilow20]

I'm not a political nerd I just love your videos

[@TraceDominguez]

Thanks Wilow 🤩

[@crazy4meganfox]

It's interesting how culture works in different countries. Here in Brazil a liberal is considered part from the Right.

[@TraceDominguez]

Neo-liberalism is considered a 'right side' political idea -- I think of it as more libertarian in nature; classical-liberalism too

[@goosewithagibus]

That's because liberal has come to mean "anyone left of me" in the US. Like most political categories, its lost its meaning in the US over the years. Most people couldn't tell you what communism, socialism, liberalism, neoliberalism, fascism, or even feudalism is tbh. It's a real shame because when people lose the words they need to communicate, there's a breakdown in societal cohesion.

[@svenm7264]

"Liberal" meant "small government individual rights free markets etc" until FDR stole the word after Wilson disgraced the word "progressive " with his authoritarian shenanigans. Many places outside the USA "liberal" still retains it's original (aka not-big-government) meaning.

[@GamesFromSpace]

All I need is a pair of calipers.

[@TraceDominguez]

I don't get this reference.

[@ericchin739]

​@TraceDominguez Calipers are a measurement device used to measure to the nearest thousandth of an inch.... Hopefully that clears it up lol

[@lyledal]

"...and raising a one year old..." I totally forgot! Hope the little one and the entire fam is doing well!

[@TraceDominguez]

Thank you!!

[@Toastmaster_5000]

So much about this is stuff I've been thinking about for years and came to the same conclusions. I've noticed through my own observation that conservative media has a tendency to push fearmongering, while progressive media tends to just throw a bunch of totally different tactics and see which one sticks. I wasn't expecting to hear that there was a physiological reason for that. Conservative media also pushes fearmongering, while progressive media pushes humor - they're both pretty stupid as far as I'm concerned, but they're both using emotions to get us to lean one way over the other. I've noticed it's easier to break someone's loyalty or behavior when you get them to question why they do things the way they do them, rather than tell them what to do. I've also said for years how it makes sense to use fear as a motivator, since it's such a powerful emotion. It's pretty easy to manipulate someone when you're afraid, so, that's why I always challenge people on their fears and to really think rationally about them. Nobody likes being called a coward and nobody wants to be controlled, but life isn't worth living if you obey your fears. Lastly, I also noticed how, regardless of where people are on the political spectrum, they act like their preferences are the obviously righteous ones, as if the other side is intentionally malicious/evil. Practically nobody thinks they're the antagonist. My way of figuring out who is truly righteous is the one who isn't so blatantly trying to manipulate people emotionally. The right choice will straight-up tell us what needs improving and how to go about it, rather than demonizing their opponent and acting holier-than-thou. I want to know why you are better, not why your opponent is worse.

[@TraceDominguez]

“I want to know why you are better, not why your opponent is worse,” Hear hear!

[@truecrimelover2022]

just started watching wonder about moderates I'm moderate

[@TraceDominguez]

I wonder if there’s a mix, or if there’s a different section. With stuff like this the correlations may be easier to see with extremes?

[@truecrimelover2022]

@@TraceDominguez all good points it would be interesting it was a great video i do see how my more liberal friends think differently than my more conservative friends and family

[@smashedapples]

My therapist has been trying to get me to understand this stuff for over a year, and you did it with a 13 minute video.

[@soundlyawake]

**goes back in time so I can share this video before the election**

[@Joso997]

Does this research only work in America? In Europe, we have more options outside of conservatives and liberals

[@Raygun9000]

I've checked the sources up to the pay barriers, it was a mixed bag. But the big problem with the meta study is classifying what is a conservative from one country to another, but also what period of time as well. Also the classification of conservative was whether they tolerated the current inequalities... some countries are more equal than others. Some have just and natural inequalities, some are engineered and or unjust.

[@likebot.]

He's not speaking of Republican and Democrat, he's speaking of conservative and liberal. There are two political angles and any number of parties will still be one or the other. The reason they're so different is because most of the platform talking-points are not political unless they're made to be political, things like science, abortion, environment, religion, law, foreign policy and immigration.

[@Joso997]

@@likebot. you are going to have to convince me that there are no conservative liberals

[@likebot.]

@@Joso997 why? I am one.

[@Joso997]

@@likebot. so what you have two brains 😅

[@mango2005]

I'm sortof an individualist but I do support a safety net for those who are severely disabled and unemployed but who want to work. The problem with getting rid of a safety net is that it can harm social stability and led to political instability. Westerners arent having enough children, but I do see a role for government in bringing down the cost of childcare so they will have more children.

[@NigelDraycott]

I don't feel we Australians are as politically aligned, here it's liberal or labour (or independents) and the difference between the two majors aren't too different anymore.

[@rikachiu]

I am a senior sys admin (on track to become IT director and then CISO) of one of the largest human rights non profits in the US that has far outreach across the world. My job demands thinking on my feet and logically to not only protect my users, but those who desperately need our help. That thought process is applied to all aspects of my life and I firmly believe is what makes me a progressive liberal period because reality has a liberal bias. If you are an empathetic person and care about the progress and sancity of society, If you are data driven and follow the actual evidence holistically instead of surface level thinking, you can't possibly be anything, but a liberal.

[@GrumpyGrebo]

Ironically you have proven precisely what makes a (modern definition) liberal: the reduction of a complex spectrum into two colors, empowered by the Dunning-Kruger effect, while maintaining a self-belief of selflessness. When you develop past tribality you realize that the best way to progress society is to conserve the bits that work and liberate the bits that don't. This realization develops with age which is why people tend to become more conservative as they grow older. "Reality has a liberal bias" what exactly do you mean by that? If you are an empathetic person and care about the progress and sanctity of society, If you are data driven and follow the actual evidence holistically instead of surface level thinking, you can still be anything.

[@rikachiu]

​@@GrumpyGrebo What I mean by reality having a liberl bias is that when it comes to all aspects of reality from how humanity went from nomadic tribal groups to the digital age is that society HAD to become more liberal for that reality to come into fruition. Why is it that the vast majority of people in tech lean liberal? Why are people who work in human rights orgs liberal? Why are those fighting for equality, equal pay, etc. liberal? Why are the vast majority of people with higher education liberal or become more liberal the more we learn about reality as a whole? Why are atheists more liberal? I don't mean to offend, but since you asked the question what I mean by reality has a liberal bias, but those who tend to lean towards belief in the make belief, (q-anon, conspiracies, Christian nationalists, etc.) are more conservative. The last part I highly disagree. Because what liberals want is a more equal and prosperous world for all, while most conservatives do not and can't think past their own individual needs or their family which is fine, but liberals expand that to all humans. Even on foreign policy, liberal governments want to help our neighbors while Republicans right now want to stop funding and helping Ukraine. They want to stop funding to fight climate change or out right call it a hoax. KZbin comment section is not remotely large enough to say what I need to say regarding the differences between Liberals and Conservatives. But I will say this, it was the conservative religious people that burned the more liberal free thinkers on the stake and slowed the progress of scientific thought significantly.

[@pietschpietsch4453]

Totally agree

[@DisOcean8]

You speak the truth king !! 👑🙌🗣🗣🗣

[@joegibbskins]

Right but the sanctity of society, empathy, etc are all the products of human brains. Conservatives just don’t care about other people or the common good. They believe only in getting what they can for themselves and the small number of people they care about and there really isn’t an objective way to dispute any of that as an error in recognizing reality. They either lack beliefs and morals that liberals hold dear (which is why even religious conservatives often look like complete nihilists from the other side of the aisle) or their brains simply filter the world differently.

[@keithdf2001]

I hate applying human nature to politics. How does this apply to a one party system or a multi party system?

[@TraceDominguez]

Firstly: Why wouldn't we apply human nature to human activities? Secondly: I'm not sure, I'd imagine the conclusions would be more difficult to draw -- but there are some studies! They typically group parties to make conclusions more clear.

[@keithdf2001]

@@TraceDominguez Most of the world population do not pay attention to politics or are living in a country with a one party system. I kind of put this (human nature) on par with critical thinking and how many people claim that college is supposed to teach that ability. It does not. Proof: religion. There is some sort of human nature about critical thinking and I would not put much stock into any study which claims that it does. Also, It is hard to create a study which would not have bias. Either way, I always look forward to your videos.

[@Adrian_Reza1971]

The human condition will always be and we haven’t changed significantly in thousands of years as humans. If more people acquired the anthropological perspective we have a better world, because we’d learn from the past and avoid the repeating the same mistakes. All forms of government rely heavily on creating division.

[@rathan3288]

3:07 I thought the people in those stock footages looked really sad like they're almost about to start crying. Idk what that says about me 🤣

[@olivyae3057]

You have more empathy than the average person.

[@rathan3288]

@@olivyae3057 Idk about that lol. I'd be very happy if I did tho.

[@Epistimi]

Great editing and pacing Trace. Thumbnail sticked out like a sore thumb out of every thumbnail I saw in my home page, it looked brighter. Watched the whole thing from start to finish!

[@TraceDominguez]

THANK YOU! Amazing feedback

[@AnkitKumar-xp5wt]

Given the answer to how these people think .i also come to(my own understanding) conclusions that they are acting on thier animal instincts embedded in them . Which is very close to your explanation

[@TraceDominguez]

You should do some research on that

[@AnkitKumar-xp5wt]

@@TraceDominguez i am just a student who just watch sciences videos from astronomy to phychology and what not .cause i like to learn how different things works. Maybe I will drive a bit deeper in science once i am financially stable. Anyway thanks the comment

[@fefifofob]

I wish I would have learned that what I'm told is the absolute, verifiable truth.

[@TraceDominguez]

Ha! Many people wish that.

[@benjif2424]

It's so weird the US still has such dualistic politics. Each party is like a religion (and the top candidates like saviors / antichrists). This video was really well done with an amazing red line. However, the science behind it shows clear *mean* differences which could and should have been added at some point. (as it does not say much about individuals, rather more about systematic differences between groups)

[@TraceDominguez]

good point Benji :) I did mention these are correlations but that's a good point to emphasize it's not PERSON it's PEOPLE

[@GabrielsLogic]

Fascinating video! Thanks so much for sharing! :)

[@TraceDominguez]

Thank YOU so much for watching it

[@rasmis]

0:50 says an extended version is on Nebula, and that there is a link in the description. I can't find the video on Nebula, and the link is just a sign-up-link.

[@TraceDominguez]

Oh no!! It must not be live. I’m so sorry!

[@SPOCK22]

As a teen early/20s I used to be far left. Now I'm a moderate who doesn't really fall into liberal or conservative category. Is my brain shrinking? (may be #TMI but my social anxiety has also grown as I've gotten older also/more center of left)

[@TraceDominguez]

I’m sure it’s not shrinking :)))

[@SPOCK22]

@@TraceDominguez but I thought that our brains do actually shrink as we get older/elderly

[@RobertGoddard86]

@@SPOCK22 False, Everyone's Brain size is different, but works the same, for the most part.

[@octopus4925]

Pretty much everyone I know used to be far left and are now considered moderate. It's because the left shifted to be way more extreme with the gender and race stances they're taking now, so any of us who don't think that stuff is rational end up being considered moderate. Your brain isn't shrinking :p

[@aminerkin9844]

if u did this in 2023 instead of 2011, u will get different results.

[@MorbiusBlueBalls]

no?

[@realfishscience7842]

I see you were trying hard not to call em fascists at the end there…. Oops….

[@alvaromoe]

Love you Trace!!

[@TraceDominguez]

Thank you! 🤩

[@johannaverplank4858]

That was very enlightening. Thank you!

[@TraceDominguez]

Glad you thought so

[@MacVerick]

Bro this is some bullshit. Lol

[@TraceDominguez]

the fMRI correlation? the researcher's statistical significance? Or do you mean the self-reported survey they use? Surveys are never super solid data, you really have to read the survey to understand its quality

[@MorbiusBlueBalls]

​@@TraceDominguez don't worry it was an emotional response

[@MetaverseMike]

Yeah right. Go fly a kite buddy

[@Rotting12]

Kunt go learn biology

[@MetaverseMike]

👍

[@HexagonSun990]

Cognitive functions once again are the best way to frame it.

[@Ozzymandius1]

Am I the tripping, or was this video previously uploaded?

[@TraceDominguez]

It wasn’t!

[@adrianfeeger]

Do not read above or below this comment if you do not want to feel like drowning yourself

[@TraceDominguez]

are you saying this comment is the surface tension?

[@MMiel-mv2pt]

Curious to know what he has against evolutionary biology 😅

[@mandy2tomtube]

You possess an amazing comprehensive understanding of the situation we find ourselves in politically and psychologically biologically neurologically. Thank you. I think you might find the recent teachings of Robert Sapolsky intriguing and controversial he is a neurological biologist primatologist Forewarning his speaking rate is about one quarter of yours I would guess his book determined might be better for someone who needs to take an information at a faster pace although he has plenty of KZbin videos you’re going to need days if not weeks

[@rednarok]

maybe i'm a logical thinker but, if you think the scientific thought process, there is very little thought mistakes you can make because you never hold on to anything, whatever is logically factual based on enough evidence to be true, even if it ever evolving, you always believe the most recent evident facts. i have no clue if this make sense to you. but i really don't think i have any difficulty on changing my mind, on the opposite, i become very curious as to see if what contradicts me is true or not. so what does this make me? so to think like those who are based on emotion and hierarchy, then that means that i'm wrong to think the reality of things isn't the reality? that the hormones and moral inventions of society is more real then the facts of the universe? only possible if i didn't know reality no? halp i'm not normal.

[@DRKSTRN]

Also as a reminder that liberals and conservatives are becoming an increasing minority and much of the action we see today is because of a fear of losing power and the consequences of imposed struggle for the sake of profit. But we also don't want an animal farm situation where we just keep repeating the same norm which falls into a default mode of totalitarianism or how it should be expanded: imposed normality. What we do have today are the necessary requirements to begin complete automation of our systems and create a world which has yet to be seen. Automatism: A system principled on the pursuit of complete automation Where by we rely on a test driven reality with the goal of finding equilibrium with our environment while maximizing human potential. Just food for thought, respect your content and drive. As on the other hand the same system also described a cementing of values and norms through automation and creates a never ending treadmill to what I believe would be a slow decent to oblivion with the climate creeping up behind us as there is no means of directing humanity through profit driven systems as those same systems also use disaster and artificial scarcity to maintain the status quo. Etc...

[@TraceDominguez]

Interesting!

[@beansnrice321]

As a person who identifies as liberal, I find quite a lot of what conservatives do truly disgusting.

[@Raygun9000]

Interesting, what behaviours?

[@hugeturd42]

They feel the same about you

[@georgplaz]

the informational content of your post is not incredibly high 😅

[@valerietaylor9615]

Conservatives seem to have little sympathy for the poor and oppressed. It’s all a question of „individual responsibility.“

[@The1Overmind]

So for humans, neurological diversity is just as important as physiological diversity? Makes sense to me. 😊

[@TraceDominguez]

Yessss! NAILED. IT.

[@lestereliza9445]

I was I could be apolitical. Politics is ruining my life.

[@TraceDominguez]

I’m sorry to hear that :(

[@n6rt9s]

It won't stop ruining your life if you stop caring about it. The more people care, the greater the chance we can actually do something about it.

[@Olympiaz0]

Downloaded so alg comment

[@runningdrisk7]

Loved this, was very accurate in my mind

[@rehbeinator]

Excellent video! These differences between left and right are exactly why both are necessary to a functioning society. We need the political right in order to maintain our social and economic hierarchies that have allowed us to so efficiently extract resources from our environment. We need the political left in order to make sure that those hierarchies don't become so rigid that they collapse in on themselves. If you're interested in this sort of thing, Jordan Peterson has some great videos on the intersection of evolutionary biology, psychology, sociology, and politics.

[@Boundless-Boredom]

oh god no

[@eaterdrinker000]

@@Boundless-Boredom : Peterson is kind of a horse's ass, but the original poster generally has the correct idea as to the function of personality in politics.

[@tapbanister]

So conservativsm on scales larger than your personal life is an evolutionary holdover, like bad knees and backs?

[@TraceDominguez]

ha! As guy who is getting older I have no idea what you mean 🤣

[@joebrannon]

Hey you're just copying the video you're former colleague Lacey Green did years ago

[@TraceDominguez]

Everything old is new again! But seriously, this was all original writing with no reference to that video

[@unclem7816]

R

[@TraceDominguez]

O

[@goosewithagibus]

I really hate arguing with Liberals more than neoliberals/conservatives. No really relevant, just a comment to boost engagement. Edit: None of this really surprises me though. It seems pretty obvious after spending an unholy amount of time on political youtube for about a decade (I was first sucked into the Anti-SJW bullshit, ew), I've noticed that conservatives really thrive and revel in anger and fear. The two main streaks I see in people who are right-leaning is fear and a lack of empathy. I mean fascism is an ideology entirely founded on fearing others. It's no coincidence that with more minority groups gaining long overdue rights that the Rep party is leaning hard into fascism recently. When the 'outsider' is viewed as gaining any sort of traction, people who are afraid turn that into hate. It's disgusting.

[@TraceDominguez]

thanks for sharing

[@furonwarrior]

No, they’re both based on emotions and assume they are both the most logical and profound. It’s all tribalism.

[@caynebyron]

Boy do I have a video to share with you.

[@TraceDominguez]

I mean… they can assume they’re logical, but the part of their brain that is the most active is their emotional centers… so I dunno?

[@furonwarrior]

@@TraceDominguez I’ve listen to a lot of people from both political sides and they’re always driven based on emotions primarily from ideas that they have collected from people who they favor most. It’s the same principle as religion, nationalism, racism, sexism, etc. We are all apes who try to find like-minded people to follow as a group and anyone else who is different than us are bad, aka Tribalism. We are one species, living on different parts of the same planet… still fighting over more resources… with a sharper stick than before still trying to drive ourselves into extinction with our own ego and pride. Even if we survive Climate Change, in 100 years, it will still be the same rhetoric.

[@benjamindover4337]

This is such an obvious false dichotomy. 🙄 Liberal and Conservative are socio-cultural constructs, not a biological variation among the species.

[@99thTuesday]

It’s probably a correlation between the data set of ‘those who vote democrat’ and ‘part of brain that lights up’ and ‘those who vote republican’ and ‘part of brain that lights up’. I.e. it’s built on the quantifiable parts of the social constructs. But also, Trace immediately said that ‘people contain multitudes’, so of course the dichotomy is not perfect. But population subsets can exhibit recurrent and somewhat predictable patterns.

[@TraceDominguez]

As we live our brains respond to the environment in which we use them. The brain itself changes and grows or atrophies in certain areas depending on which of those are used. Take a socio-cultural construct like language. If I learn English (only) my language processing centers are sized similarly to other English speakers. If I add a second language, the brain literally adds connections and matter to those language processing regions. In these studies they run people through a variety of tests. They watch things, listen to things, look at faces or colors or whatever. And they look at how their brains process that input. Then they give them a survey. In the survey they ask: what are your politics? Then they use data software to find correlations.

[@LightPink]

If this is clickbait I'm unsubscribing 🔫

[@TraceDominguez]

and how did it go?