This Is Your Brain on The New York Times

Yesterday, the Gray Lady published an op-ed online, This Is Your Brain on Politics, written by seven researchers for the results of a study based on MRIs of swing voters. The researchers conclusions are based upon the results of 20 test subjects evenly divided between men and women. The article presents their conclusions in this extensive study "to reveal some voter impressions on which this election may well turn." Accompanying the article, there is a multimedia slide show with the same title, This Is Your Brain on Politics, which contains 8 slides (although the slideshow claims to have 9 images, selecting next from the 8th presents the same image with a popup for returning to the 1st slide).

The following procedure was followed in the testing:

Our 20 subjects — registered voters who stated that they were open to choosing a candidate from either party next November — included 10 men and 10 women. In late summer, we asked them to answer a list of questions about their political preferences, then observed their brain activity for nearly an hour in the scanner at the Ahmanson Lovelace Brain Mapping Center at the University of California, Los Angeles. Afterward, each subject filled out a second questionnaire.

While in the scanner, the subjects viewed political pictures through a pair of special goggles; first a series of still photos of each candidate was presented in random order, then video excerpts from speeches. Then we showed them the set of still photos again. On the before and after questionnaires, subjects were asked to rate the candidates on the kind of 0-10 thermometer scale frequently used in polling, ranging from “very unfavorable” to “very favorable.”

I had serious doubts about the accuracy of the presented results and accompanying slide show. So, I conducted my own extensive study based on MRIs of swing voters. I used significantly more test subjects, evenly divided between men and women. In addition, I included their children, pets, and least favorite in-law from their spouses family. The following contains my peer reviewed results and own multi-media slide show series (containing 8 of 9 images just like the NYTs).


The identical procedure as in the NYT's study was followed for collecting data from the test subjects. I then compared the questionnaire responses with the brain data, and here’s what I found:

1. Voters sense party brands. When I showed subjects the words “Democrat,” “Republican” and “independent,” they exhibited brain activity.


2. Emotions about Rudy Giuliani are mixed. Voters who rated Mr. Giuliani unfavorably on their questionnaire appeared entirely comfortable with their assessment. When viewing images of him, these voters exhibited significant activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, a cognitive center of the brain containing von Economo neurons that respond to humor. It looked as if they were experiencing impulses to laugh at Mr. Giuliani.

This phenomenon, found to a lesser degree in other candidates, suggests that Mr. Giuliani may be able to support himself on the comedy club circuit.

3. Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani are on opposite sides of the gender divide. I found indications that Mrs. Clinton was female and Mr. Giuliani was male.

For men, Mrs. Clinton is a woman. For women, Mr. Giuliani is a man. This is evidence that swing voters’ responses change when they see a woman or a man.

4. The gender gap may be growing. Shown the latest U.S. Census Bureau data that a woman earns only 75.5 cents for every dollar a man earns and that women's wages shrank 0.6% between 2000-2003 while men's remained the same, most subjects agreed there was a growing gap.

5. Mitt Romney, "Show me the money!" Of all the candidates’ speech excerpts, Mr. Romney’s sparked the greatest amount of brain activity, especially among those who didn't stop listening. His still photos prompted a significant amount of activity in the nucleus accumbens septi, indicating voter apathy, but when subjects watched his video, their apathy changed to confusion. Perhaps voters will become more comfortable with Mr. Romney when he stops changing his position on issues.

6. In Rudy Giuliani versus Fred Thompson, the latter evokes more sympathy. There is much discussion this year as Republican candidates strive to be worse than Bush. On this front, Mr. Thompson may have a disadvantage over Mr. Giuliani. When my subjects viewed photos of Mr. Thompson, I saw activity in the superior temporal sulcus and the inferior frontal cortex, both areas involved in sympathy. When subjects viewed photos of Mr. Giuliani, they laughed.

My subjects also exhibited a much stronger sympathetic response to a minute-long excerpt from a stump speech by Mr. Thompson than they did to an excerpt of a Giuliani speech. This feeling toward Mr. Thompson showed up in the swing voters’ answers on the questionnaires where they compared him to Grandpa Simpson and Giuliani to Mr. Burns. This suggests that if swing voters see more of both candidates, Mr. Thompson may gain an advantage over Mr. Giuliani.

7. Mike Huckabee has a problem. When looking at pictures of Mr. Huckabee, subjects who rated him high on the theocratic scale showed activity in the insula, an area associated with disgust and other negative feelings. This suggests that swing voters’ negative emotions toward Mr. Huckabee can be quite powerful. So Mr. Huckabee has a strong effect on swing voters — they consider him the new Elmer Gantry.

8. Tom Tancredo and John McCain have work to do. The scans taken while subjects viewed the first set of photos and the videos of Mr. McCain and Mr. Tancredo indicated a notable lack of positive reactions. The male subjects showed some interest in Mr. McCain while looking at still photos, but their engagement fell off after the third or fourth time he said "my friends" on videotape. Women remained outraged throughout the session. My findings suggest that Mr. Tancredo has created a racist impression on some swing voters.



Slide Show: This Is Your Brain on The New York Times
(click any slide to enlarge)

Men’s brains* were activated when they looked at the words “Democrat” and “Republican” and were shot by a taser.

* The images do not represent individual brains, but rather reflect the combined hive consciousness of the Borg mind collective.

Icons by Matt Groening

RELATED

* Op-Ed: This Is Your Brain on The New York Times

Photos of Rudy Giuliani elicited increased activity in von Economo neurons, a part of the brain that responds to sight gags and language-dependent humor, in swing voters who reported having an opinion of him.

Icons by Matt Groening

RELATED

* Op-Ed: This Is Your Brain on The New York Times

Men and women reacted differently to still pictures of Rudy Giuliani. Men (left) showed little engagement, while women responded strongly.

Icons by Matt Groening

RELATED

* Op-Ed: This Is Your Brain on The New York Times

In response to images of Republican candidates, men exhibited activity in the amygdala neurons, indicating erectile dysfunction.

Icons: The Three Stooges as "Drunk Stooges"

RELATED

* Op-Ed: This Is Your Brain on The New York Times

Looking at photos of Mitt Romney led to activity in the in the nucleus accumbens septi, a brain area linked to apathy, but viewing his videos resulted in confusion over his changing positions on issues.

Icons by Matt Groening

RELATED

* Op-Ed: This Is Your Brain on The New York Times

Images of Fred Thompson led to increased activity in the inferior frontal cortex, a brain structure associated with sympathy.

Icons by Matt Groening

RELATED

* Op-Ed: This Is Your Brain on The New York Times

Subjects who had an unfavorable view of Mike Huckabee responded to pictures of him by reading Elmer Gantry.

Icon: Burt Lancaster as Elmer Gantry

RELATED

* Op-Ed: This Is Your Brain on The New York Times

When first shown photos of Tom Tancredo and John McCain, swing voters’ brains had little activity in areas of the brain associated with thought or feeling.

Icon by George Baker; photo of David Duke

RELATED

* Op-Ed: This Is Your Brain on The New York Times