Do genetics determine political identity?
Political polarization in America is not a new concept. Political parties exist for a reason, because the parties have, at their core, very different moral, ideological, and economic guidelines for understanding the world. If everyone agreed on how the country should be run, the party system would not exist.
It is no secret that in recent years political division has heightened. A Pew Research Center study conducted one month before the 2020 election found that 89 percent of Republican President Donald Trump’s supporters said they would be very concerned about the country’s leadership and future if Democrat Joe Biden were elected.
Conversely, 90 percent of Biden supporters said they would be very concerned about the country’s leadership and future if Trump were elected. These numbers underscore what makes 2020 politics appear so different from political division of the past: we are eliminating space for common ground and eroding our ability to come together under a national identity outside of a two-party battleground. Why? One reason seldom talked about in mainstream political debate is the extent to which our political preferences are, in part, shaped by our neurology and genetics.
Our understanding of neuroscience has greatly expanded in recent years.
Studies indicate there are personality differences between conservatives and liberals that have significant neurological markers. Typically, conservatives have personality preferences for conscientiousness, stability, tradition, order and structure.
Highly conservative individuals tend to prefer organization and limited gray area (they are “hard categorizers”). Whereas liberals show preferences for creativity, curiosity, novelty seeking, and new experiences. Highly liberal individuals tend to tolerate more disorganization and favor flexibility. Neuroimaging backs up these findings and has shown differences in gray matter and activity in areas of the brain such as the amygdala, insula, and anterior cingulate cortex.
Additionally, researchers have found there is increased sensitivity in neural circuitry associated with threat responses in individuals who self-identified as conservatives, as compared with liberals. This means conservatives tend to give more attention to negative and threatening stimuli than liberals, relating back to that preference for order. Liberals tend to be more open to change, even at the cost of chaos. Of course, there have been no studies identifying a singular gene as being conservative or liberal, but our growing body of knowledge suggests some of the traits and responses that underlie our ideology have physiological and genetic bases. These markers and associations are not one size fits all, and it is worth noting that not everyone will fit into categories that are so easily defined or explained by neuroscience.
Regardless, it is important not to reduce ourselves solely to genetics, or into believing the views of others are entirely uncontrollable and pre-determined. The way we think and feel is also significantly influenced by our environment, which can’t be discounted. Perhaps, if we consider how these differences in personality, and ultimately neurobiology, can be useful in different contexts, it might be easier to understand the alternative perspective.
The next time you are in a political argument, and you can’t help but think the person you are debating is completely illogical, it might be helpful to consider the way their brain structure is biased for preferring certain approaches. Maybe considering predispositions to certain behaviors can help to give us the patience needed to understand someone we disagree with.
This research into political preference is only in its beginning stages as neuroscience and neurotechnology has increased remarkably even in the last 10 years. Continued research on the subject could be helpful for the future of politics and bridging the party divide. Understanding the ways in which we are different and allowing space for those differences within our own understanding of the world is an essential part of being human. Ultimately, keeping in mind how our neurology or genetics effects our leadership preferences may make it harder for us to dismiss others as entirely illegitimate.