The recent joint study by UCLA and NYU suggesting that liberals are more adaptable thinkers than conservatives only illustrates what is apparent.To explain, a test was performed on subjects who identified themselves as either liberal or conservative. They were then given a test wherein they were instructed to tap on a keyboard when an M appeared on a computer screen but to refrain from tapping when a W appeared. Test subjects were also monitored during the test by an electroencephalograph which showed liberals had higher levels of brain activity than conservatives. Not a big surprise.
Conservatives mistakenly tapped more often than liberals when the W appeared, leading researches to a conclusion that "provided an elegant demonstration that individual differences on a conservative-liberal dimension are strongly related to brain activity." It also leaves one to ponder if, in 2003, conservatives thought the president was pushing the US into going to Mars, rather than going to war.
