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LINK Liberals Are from Mars, Conservatives Are from Venus - Scientific American

"Some researchers think culture actually shapes thought: cultures that emphasize individuality foster analytical thinking, whereas those that emphasize connectedness promote holistic thinking."
(...)
"Liberals acted more like Westerners, pairing items that belonged to the same abstract category (for instance, two animals), whereas conservatives tended to pair items that were functionally related (monkey and banana), as non-Westerners do. One other classic test of holistic thinking also suggested that liberals tended to use a more typically WEIRD cognitive style."

Matias 8 Nov 6
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19 comments

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3

So conservatives are like aliens.... ?

Since the liberals favor more imigration they are more like aliens.

@Trajan61 I'm responding to the op... Not offering an opinion...

@Trajan61 I can't help pointing out, that's "aliens from space", not the "illegal aliens" that you're usually talking about.

Also, 2 Ms in "immigration".

2

Interesting.
For those not following the link, with 'WEIRD' the article means "Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic".

Dietl Level 7 Nov 6, 2018
0

Interesting study. I think it makes sense....as a Liberal, I can see me in it’s WEIRD analysis.

1

Of course, culture shapes thought. Anthropologist Paul Bohannan wrote a brilliant small tract in 1972 entitled "The Curse of Culture". In that piece, Bohannan pointed out that culture can be a curse, in that it prescribes accepted ways of seeing and doing things, channels thought and action, and limits that which can follow.

I reject the premise that liberals do not see the interconnectedness of things. I believe the reserve to be true.

3

It is a thought-provoking article, but sort of counter-intuitive. Do rural people think more collectively than those in cities? To understand that requires analysis, which is hard for us conservatives, but yes, I get it.

Where the population is sparse it is important not to make enemies. People tend to be polite and deferring, and are quick to help their neighbors. They greet each other when they meet. In cities people often don’t even know their neighbors, and on the street they don’t even look at each other.

It makes sense that an intuitive person would look at DT and see a leader, while a hard-boiled analyzer might concentrate on policy. Religion is an intuitive endeavor, so it is reasonable that conservatives would tend to be more religious.

IMO a person from mars is not the opposite of a person from Venus, and a conservative is not the opposite of a liberal—each complements the other. And a person can have liberal and conservative traits at the same time.

Depends on the city...we have lots of events in our neighborhoods that bring people together...there are pros and cons for both, and as you stated, we are not compromised of ALL of anything...a nice blend of a lot is better...hence, diversity...

1

Interesting read. I can see how the interconnectedness can lead to tribalism and an us versus them mind set when a community is stressed. I can also see the appeal of a skilled demagogue and how he could exploit that tribalism.

0

Never labeled myself as a liberal. Still, I'm firmly in the camp promoting individuality and analytical thinking. Group-think and group-feel isn't for me.

2

It’s a good thing that they are doing this kind of analysis, it should hopefully lead to an understanding of the American conservative as a species... why do they do what they do? Here in the Netherlands practically the whole country is a flavour of socialist democrat, so the entire US landscape feels rather foreign and also distorted by two-party politics.

I saw the other day an article which said that politics was getting so deeply embedded in the American culture that you were starting to get Democrat cities and Republican cities, and that people of these different types were no longer willing to live alongside eachother. It seems crazy to me, and the whole system is ripe for reform.

It is primarily urban vs rural. Eventually, urban will win. It is where the jobs and the money are. What this will leave in its wake, who knows?

I know for me, living in a Conservative area of Pennsylvania and me being a Liberal, the dating pool is rough. It's almost impossible for me to stomach the consideration of dating a Conservative. If they are a fan of Tdump and like his ideas and mannerisms and policies, then that is a super turn-off. And by the way, many of my friends who used to be union democrats turned republican when Pres Obama was voted into office....I have no doubt it was due to him being African american....and their racism took over their brains. The perfect opportunity for Tdump to slither into office.

1

Weird is good and I am glad there are more of us than non-westerners.

0

Hmmm, so I tend to think things through analytically and I currently vote for liberal policies (since they're better than the conservative alternatives), yet I grew up in a rural/suburban culture and have lived in more conservative parts of the country for most of my life (although arguably where I'm from has become more centrist/liberal since I left). I see some of the points of the article, but think there's a lot of nuance. That and I'm only really qualified to speak from an American perspective, I don't want to extrapolate this onto other countries.

0

The only good thing about that book was the title. I read it out loud to a van full of teenagers and my husband at the time and interrupted my reading to comment. Try it on your next road trip. It is a trip.

6

All conservatives really want is to not pay taxes.

0

Couldn't be more opposite. Cons. are war like, and Libs just wanna play with Gaia.

2

I really like being weird.

1

I have always felt a lot of kinship with Pluto far out and alone in the cold but happy for the solitude.

Quarm Level 6 Jan 20, 2019

Weirdo--lol--and I say being weird as a compliment.

1

We are all made of stardust..Carl Sagan said it..I believe it...and both sides are nuts

2

I've been a liberal wierdo all my adult life !

1

Yep, a true wierdo, all my life.

0

Liberals are weird, for sure!

zesty Level 7 June 29, 2019

@Matias Interesting definition !

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