The National Science Foundation has done some nifty research showing a relationship between political leanings and biological tendencies.
The head line is this
People who react more strongly to bumps in the night, spiders on a human body or the sight of a shell-shocked victim are more likely to support public policies that emphasize protecting society over preserving individual privacy. That's the conclusion of a recent study by researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). Their research results appear in the Sept. 19 issue of Science magazine.
more on the other side
While it is easy to say "train all kids to not be such scaredy-cats by giving them education x" it isnt so simple...of course.
genetic predisposition to disturbing sounds and images is only one factor in determining an individual's political beliefs. Other factors such as environment and life experiences obviously play a part. "We're just talking about tendencies, it's far from determinative, but the fact that we can measure a difference at all is surprising and intriguing enough to warrant more study."
but the other details of the study are fascinating and offer some insights into the conservative mindset...
The study, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), tested 46 people who identified themselves as having strong political opinions. Researchers showed subjects threatening visual images--pictures of a spider on a person's eyeball, a dazed person with a bloody face and an open wound with maggots in it--and monitored their skin for electrical conductivity, which indicates emotion, arousal and attention. In another physiological measure, the scientists surprised subjects with a sudden, jarring noise and measured how hard they blinked in response to being startled.
"Those with the strongest eye or skin reactions to unexpected noises or threatening pictures such as a spider on a person's eyeball tended to endorse political positions that were interpreted as protective of social groups," said John Hibbing, professor of political science at UNL.
Hibbing defined those "protective policies" as more defense spending, more government resources directed at fighting terrorism and tighter controls on immigration. "People in this group are more willing to sacrifice a little of their privacy to protect the social unit," Hibbing said. "On the other hand, the subjects who reacted less strongly to the stimuli were more likely to favor policies that protect privacy and encourage gun control."
The first group believes the greatest threat to them and their communities comes from other people; they want to arm themselves and their government to defend against those threats. The latter group sees less threat from people and more threat from technology and inanimate objects such as guns that can kill or harm innocent people. They want policies in place to protect their individual privacy and safety: They oppose the death penalty and favor strong gun control. The study controlled for subjects' gender, age and income.
Perhaps this is why liberals and conservatives have a hard time finding common ground - because they perceive threats differently. That doesnt explain why liberals roll over to conservatives in Congress - NSF Solve that one!