Both liberals and conservatives continually ask themselves “what are they thinking” when listening to the other side.  Now we have proof:  The differences run deep.

Study finds left-wing brain, right-wing brain

Exploring the neurobiology of politics, scientists have found that liberals tolerate ambiguity and conflict better than conservatives because of how their brains work.

I think that right there, the study actually exposes the truth.  But Ill get back to that.

In a simple experiment reported today in the journal Nature Neuroscience, scientists at New York University and UCLA show that political orientation is related to differences in how the brain processes information.

Previous psychological studies have found that conservatives tend to be more structured and persistent in their judgments whereas liberals are more open to new experiences. The latest study found those traits are not confined to political situations but also influence everyday decisions.

The results show “there are two cognitive styles — a liberal style and a conservative style,” said UCLA neurologist Dr. Marco Iacoboni, who was not connected to the latest research.

I know the liberals are having a good laugh on this, but frankly i don’t see it as a negative.

Conservatives are able to stay focused whereas liberals tend to drift on tangents and fail to maintain their purpose…except where Bush Derangement is for some weird reason.

But seriously that is the core of the difference in many ways.

Conservatives believe in absolutes:  Good evil, Right wrong etc.  Liberals cloud their judgments with nuanced variations and degrees, and often lack the ability to accurately judge the simple and obvious.

Conservatives believe in action and consequence, whereas liberals believe in rationalization, mitigation justification and such more ambiguous concepts.

Where a simple yes or no would suffice liberals will muddy it with maybes, probably’s and shoulds.

The Seattle Times says:

Brains of liberals, conservatives may work differently, study finds

In a study likely to raise the hackles of some conservatives, scientists at New York University and the University of California, Los Angeles, found that a specific region of the brain’s cortex is more sensitive in people who consider themselves liberals than in self-declared conservatives.

The brain region in question helps people shift gears when their usual response would be inappropriate, supporting the notion that liberals are more flexible in their thinking.

What is the effective difference between waffly and flip flopping as compared to flexible.  Sometimes rigidity is necessary, and a failure to be able to be inflexible is a liability.  In reality this study paints a clear difference, but hidden at the end is the reality, that neither is inherently superior.

Amodio said it would be a mistake to conclude that one political orientation was better than another. The tendency of conservatives to block distracting information could be a good thing depending on the situation, he said. Positions on specific issues are influenced by many factors, he noted.

Hot Air Has fun with it:

Exit question one: Aren’t these results more easily explained by liberals’ unusual sensitivity to the letter “W”? (Exit answer: No. They tested them with other letters.) Exit question two: How do they manage to shoulder the load of cat-like reflexes and supreme rationality?

Heh.  Follow that last link for more interesting information.

It is fun watching them strive to prove the superiority of liberals when they have people like Cindy Sheehan, Kos, Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Ted Kennedy, Jim McDermmott, John Edwards and Al Gore as their poster children.