The differences between liberals and conservatives run wide and deep, and a new study suggests they may even be reflected in the very structure of their brains.
In the study, led by Ryota Kanai of the University College London, people who identified themselves as liberals generally had a larger anterior cingulate cortex — a comma-shaped region near the front of the brain that is involved in decision-making. By contrast, those who identified as conservatives had larger amygdalas — almond-shaped structures that are linked with emotional learning and the processing of fear. (More on TIME.com: In Politics, It's Survival of the Fittest, Literally)
These structural differences, the authors suggest, support previous reports of differences in personality: liberals tend to be better at managing conflicting information, while conservatives are though to be better at recognizing threats, researchers said. "Previously, some psychological traits were known to be predictive of an individual's political orientation," said Kanai in a press release. "Our study now links such personality traits with specific brain structure."
For the study, Kanai and his colleagues asked 90 young adults to rank their political views on a five-point scale from very liberal to very conservative. Then, the volunteers underwent structural MRI scans, which revealed "substantial differences" in brain structure.
Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/04/08/liberal-vs-conservative-does-the-difference-lie-in-the-brain/#ixzz1Jf2aIw61
Shinder Purewal is running as a Liberal candidate
Shinder is an active community member and has worked with new immigrants on settlement issues.
He served as the director of Progressive Inter-Cultural Service Society in Surrey and International Peace Project in Ontario. He also worked as an advisor to the Employment Equity Directorate in British Columbia, specifically on the issue of foreign credentials for new immigrants. Currently, he works as a Volunteer Advisor with the community youth, and is also a motivational speaker.
Canada’s 41st federal general election will be held on Monday, May 2, 2011. The Elections Canada website (www.electionscanada.ca) outlines how and when Canadians can cast a ballot. All Canadian citizens who are at least 18 years old on election day are eligible to vote. People can vote on election day or on an advance voting day, on Friday, April 22, Saturday, April 23 or Monday, April 25. People can also vote by mail or in person at their local Elections Canada office by special ballot.