The Political Brain - Chapter 5: "Special Interests in Mind"

When Republicans and Democrats listen to a speech, they usually hold diametrically opposing perspectives that depends on the political party of the speaker him/herself. Each party favors their own. Essentially, it boils down to what people want to hear. Drew Westen argues that “the tendency to see what we want to see reflects an accidental byproduct of the evolution of our brains.” Why? Well because what people hear elicits an emotional response and they can base their judgments on these emotional associations. This is why, Westen says, there has been the “[prevention] of rational discourse…for about 80% of populations, including the most politically informed voters” (Westen 90).

Westen also talks about how many people view ideas and titles with “association” and “alternative possibilities.”  For instance, to a typical person, the word party usually either conjures up fond memories of a social gathering, or the political statements s/he has heard from other people regarding the Democrats and Republicans. Therefore, when hearing this word, it brings up some form of emotional memory in the form of multiple networks in the brain all working together to try to make sense of the context of the word (its definition). This is important because candidates can take advantage of this phenomena and implement it in their campaigns. Is this necessarily a bad thing and how can we avoid being taken advantage of in this sense?

Two sets or constraints “shape our judgments,” according to Westen (Westen 99). These are cognitive constraints (which are imposed by the information that we have available) and emotional constraints (which are imposed by the feelings associated with one conclusion or another). However, these constraints are usually competing with each other; it’s the classical war between logic and emotion. Westen makes a few examples (such as the Clinton vs. Dole debate) to illustrate how emotion takes place in decision-making.

I believe, in the end, what matters is likely those last 20% of voters. It is probably very difficult to change the minds of 80% of voters, but emotional association will almost always be stronger than cognitive association. However, I believe, like Westen, that these 20% of voters “have changeable minds” and can be influenced by logic. Usually, presidential candidates win by only “2 to 3 percentage points.” So we know that we can change their minds or allow them to gravitate towards one viewpoint or another. But how is this possible?

Read More

The Political Brain - Chapter 4: "The Emotions Behind the Curtain"

This chapter opens with one of the most memorable moments during the presidential debate of 1988. Bernard Shaw (moderator) asks Governor Dukakis a simple question: “If Kitty [his wife’ were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?”

Dukakis: “No, I don’t Bernard…I don’t see any evidence that it’s a deterrent, and I think there are better and more effective ways to deal with violent crime.”

Thus far, we have been talking about the evolution of the dispassionate mind. On the surface, this answer seems very logical and rational. However, if we look at what it really meant, we would see the flaw in his answer. His opposition to the death penalty reflects a moral stance, but there’s no sign of that in his answer. Most voters would be inclined to say things like, “He doesn’t have a heart.”

Westen proceeds to write about the various emotions that motivate us and make us feel. Wishes, desires, fears, and moralistic, and aesthetically thinking about how things should be or should not be. Additionally, he goes on to cite the works of known psychologists, notably Skinner and Freud. The latter developed an infamously paradoxical theory: emotional processes can be activated and shaped outside of awareness. In the same way, according to recent research, people are more likely to find unlikable a person they have never seen if his image is preceded by an angry face.

This chapter is essentially a continuation of sorts with the previous one in that they both discuss the role of emotion and passion in politics. Unsurprisingly, politics in the Western world today, according to Westen, is in stark contrast to what has been talked about in this chapter and the last. Judgement and decision making have consistently won the battle over emotion even though the latter has helped organisms survive for millions of years. Thus, either you can use facts and figures like we talked about in Chapter 2. Or you can formulate your message to have “maximum appeal…and target the broader neural electorate” (Westen 88).

Read More

The Political Brain - Chapter 3: "The Evolution of the Passionate Brain"

In this chapter, Author Drew Westen takes us on a journey through time to illustrate notable examples where the passionate brain has had some stronghold. Most notably, he talks about the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and President Johnson’s address before Congress in 1965, “demanding the passage of legislation that would put an end to the disenfranchisement of African Americans.” Notably, Johnson’s address would signify a major turning point in American history, and in his congressional address, he compared it to significant events in the past. However, the most important thing to understand is that Johnson’s address was, in many respects, not rational. Rather it was “beyond reason” and more passionate. He truly believed that everyone, regardless of their skin color, should be given the right to vote.

Westen brings us back into the realm of neuroscience, talking about development of the central nervous system over millions of years of evolution.

As mentioned and described in detail in my previous blog posts, we have “newer” and “primitive” brain structures. Westen describes the Nobel laureate Eric Kandel, whose work in neuroscience has led to some very interesting results. If a snail (Aplysia) is shocked after touching a live wire (but thinks it is harmless), soon the snail’s neurons will be able to predict and recoil based on the touch stimulus. In the same way, voters looking at presidential candidates will act the same way.

Although there are many more interesting examples in this chapter, these examples illustrate the fact that the mind is and can be passionate. Possibly even more passionate than logical.

Read More

The Political Brain - Chapter 2: "Rational Minds, Irrational Campaigns"

The second chapter about this book talks about an idea that is at first very counter-intuitive but seems to make more sense as the chapter progresses: the notion of logic and a dispassionate state of mind. Or in this case, the lack thereof. Try thinking about the chapter title, “Rational Minds, Irrational Campaigns.”

Public opinion is very important to consider. Walter Lippmann first used the term in 1922 to describe conflicting beliefs- “About what is happening in the economy, the world, and laws/policy-making- held by a population that generally lacks the firsthand experience and expertise to know what is truly happening.” Because of public opinion, voters are more subjective to issues towards which they may feel impartial. They may feel like they have a moral obligation to vote for a particular candidate instead of making their own personal choice themselves. Therefore, as explained in my first post on this book, it is more advantageous to run with passion and empathy along with logic.

Author Drew Westen describes the case of a voting coal miner. He logically compares Bush’s stance on certain issues compared to John Kerry’s stance. He ranks their stance on issues like terrorism, social security, jobs, the economy, etc. on a scale from 1 to 5 (if +3 for one candidate, -3 for the other candidate). After doing some multiplication and simple addition, he arrives at a score of 41 for Kerry and -39 for Bush. With the 80 point difference, the choice should be clear. However, Westen states that only those with a serious brain damage vote like this. And he’s right. For the neuroscientists, damage to your frontal lobes affects your emotional decision-making.

In a debate with Gore and Bush, Gore makes a logical argument involving Medicare and facts and figures. Logically and technically, Bush would have been defeated. However, with some hand-waving and criticizing Gore for using numbers like a “human calculator,” Bush won that point of the debate emotionally.

This is why emotion wins over logic with respect to public opinion. It’s about how people make their voters feel rather than imparting pure logic with a lack of emotion. Leaders who act confidently and have excellent public speaking skills are probably more ideal for holding office. Hopefully this book will go into more detail on what other factors make a person more likable and favorable with respect to public opinion.

Read More

"The Political Brain" - Chapter 1: Winning States of Mind

I have decided to tackle a new book that delves into the world of politics- specifically US Politics - and the role of emotion. Why is it that statistically most Americans agree with Democrats and vote for Republicans? 

Author Drew Westen attempts to answer this question. The main idea behind this book is that "the states that determine elections are really the voters' states of mind." The central thesis behind this book is that "the vision of mind that has captured the imagination of philosophers, cognitive scientists, economists, and political scientists...bears no relation to how the mind and brain actually work.”

This first chapter illustrates an example between two political videos of Bill Clinton and John Kerry. In short, many people (a.k.a. potential U.S. voters) saw the Kerry video as very effective but just “not relatable enough.” Bill Clinton later won the election. Why? Well Kerry’s video was about how great of a leader he was, but he seemed to distance himself from his potential voters. How could they vote for someone who was so unlike them and who possibly wouldn’t be able to represent them well? Of course, “them” is an extremely broad term. Kerry additionally had little to no facial expression in his campaign video and instead looked “serious and dour.” Clinton, on the other hand, one of the most intellectual people to ever take office in the West Wing, did not mention his alma mater and instead appealed to his voters by being more emotional in his video. This is what eventually won him the presidential election.

In the rest of this book, I hope to read more examples about this notion of “emotion” playing a large role in politics (both state and national). In all, this book would appeal to people who love politics, watch “House of Cards”, love neuroscience, or are psychologists. 

Read More

CYBCYL Chapter 11 – Looking Into Memory and Temper: The Temporal Lobes

The temporal lobes have “largely gone unnoticed in human psychology,” according to Amen. In fact, there has been little to no discussion on them in psychiatric journals However, using Amen’s brain imaging, he has found that the temporal lobes play an important part in our learning, socializations, emotional stability, and memory. Additionally, there is one lobe on each side of the brain, the dominant side (left), and the nondominant side (the right). The dominant side is responsible for: 

• Understanding and processing language
• Short-term and long-term memory
• Auditory learning
• Retrieval of words
• Complex memories
• Visual and auditory processing
• Emotional stability

The nondominant side is primarily responsible for: 

• Recognizing facial expressions
• Decoding vocal intonation
• Rhythm
• Music
• Visual learning

 Language is a very important function of the temporal lobes. There is a specific part, called Wernicke’s area, in the dominant side responsible for written and spoken language. In relating to the connection of neurons in the brain, each language has a particular “node” of neurons which connect to one another well per language. For individuals who know more than one language, there are multiple “nodes” in this region.

Since these lobes have a variety of functions, there are likewise many problems associated with them. Some common to both are:

• Memory problems
• Amnesia
• Anxiety for no reason
• Feeling of déjà vu, jamais vu, or presque vu
• Periods of spaciness or confusion
• Seizures

Amen lists many more problems on the temporal lobes, which take up an entire page. I had no idea that these “armchairs” of the brain are responsible for so many functions.

Since I know many people who can relate to the problems that this chapter describes, I am eager to see what “remedies” Amen has in store. It seems, from this chapter, that many of the problems with the temporal lobes are involved with memory and aggressiveness. Again, please follow the checklist provided in this chapter to see if you may have a problem with your temporal lobes.

Amen’s overall progression in this book has been quite significant, and even someone with little to no prior knowledge of the brain can understand if and where their problems lie and how they can be fixed. That is what makes this book so appealing. Moreover, someone can have only a minor problem in a certain area (or no problem at all), and yet Amen’s prescriptions would work excellently. Even though some might seem trivial, they are extremely effective (In fact, I have tried a few myself). So even average, brain-healthy people can start their journey to improving themselves and changing their lives.

Read More

CYBCYL Chapter 10 – Getting Unstuck: Cingulate System Prescriptions

How can one heal deep cingulate system problems?

First, I advise readers to determine if they may have a problem using Amen’s provided checklist in Chapter 9. Then start to follow the prescriptions below. You do not have to have a problem to use these prescriptions.

Cingulate System Prescription 1: Notice When You’re Stuck, Distract Yourself, and Come Back to the Problem Later. The first step is to be aware that you have a problem, especially with circular or looping thoughts. This is what can enable you to distract yourself from these (usually harmful) thoughts and then come back to them later. Just get up and literally do something else.

Cingulate System Prescription 2: Think Through Answers Before Automatically Saying No. -As previously mentioned, people with a cingulate system problem are very likely to be inflexible and unable to cooperate with other people. Therefore, it is vital that these people work to fix this problem. Amen suggests to take a deep breath, and during that deep breath, consider what saying no will mean. This is especially important when considering relationships with significant others.

Cingulate System Prescription 3: Write Out Options And Solutions When You Feel Stuck. This one, like the others, is very self-explanatory. First you have to write out the thought. Then make a list of things you can do about the worrying thought. Then finally make a list of things you cannot do about the worrying thought. This is a very simple technique that can help ease the tension.

These are only some of the main prescriptions that can help your cingulate system. The book delves into many others which involve making paradoxical requests and Amen’s own prayer that he calls the “serenity prayer.” Please try to buy this book and see for yourself.

I felt that this chapter was especially important since the cingulate system is responsible for common problems, many of which we have every day. Again, as I mentioned before, you don’t have to have a problem with the cingulate system to take advantage of Amen’s “prescriptions.” Many of these problems are extremely commonplace, and by following his techniques, you can still change your life. I also immediately thought about how many people I know fit the symptoms of having a problem in their cingulate system. From chapters 9 and this chapter, however, it is easy for people to recognize that first, they have a problem and second, they can fix it. In this way, I hope that many other chapter will continue this trend of identifying, attacking, and ultimately, improving problems in your brain and in your life.

All in all, this book is very unique in that it talk about how one can influence change in their behavior through. After a particular system in the brain is discussed, the subsequent chapter talks about how people can positively influence that system which essentially changes them for the better (hence the title “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life”).

Read More