On Mon, 28 May 2007 19:56:14 -0700, Captain Compassion
<daranc@NOSPAMcharter.net> wrote:

Political Preference Is Half Genetic
Melinda Wenner
Special to LiveScience
LiveScience.com
Mon May 28, 10:46 AM ET

Whether you prefer Rush Limbaugh or Keith Olbermann has to do with
your genes and your psychology, according to a new study.

People who are more conscientious and prefer order, structure and
closure in their lives tend to be more conservative, whereas creative
people who are open to new experiences tend to be more politically
liberal, says John Jost, a psychologist at New York University who
conducted an overview of previous studies involving a total of more
than 22,000 participants from 12 countries.

But that psychological profile only pulls half the weight when it
comes to determining people's politics, his review showed. The other
half is genetic, as is revealed in studies of twins and their
political bent, Jost says.

Politics in America

A number of sociologists have argued that political ideology died in
America after World War II because both the left and the right wing
were heavily discredited at the time.

Jost says the latest research shows the opposite, that politics in
America today are very much alive. His previous research has
suggested, for example, that more than 90 percent of college students
can identify where their political beliefs fit on a scale running from
the “left” (liberal) to the “right” (conservative), and that their
affiliations strongly influence how they vote in elections.

Americans also appear to enjoy being involved in politics.

For instance, 44 percent of respondents to the 2004 National Election
Study reported that they regularly listen to political talk radio.

Recipe for beliefs

Given our current political appetite, Jost next wanted to know whether
liberals have different psychological traits than conservatives.

His “meta-analysis” of previous studies, including his own, showed
that liberals seem to be drawn to chaos and novelty—for instance, they
tend to support social change—whereas conservatives prefer reassurance
and structure, and thus like to maintain the status quo.

Jost’s findings, detailed in American Psychologist, suggest that
environmental factors, or the types of situations people encounter in
their lives, determine approximately half of their political
preferences.

For example, when people fear death or terrorism, or are in a state of
uncertainty, they tend to become more conservative, he said. A study
of World Trade Center survivors after 9/11 reported that 38 percent
grew more conservative in the 18 months following the attacks, as
compared with only 13 percent who became more liberal.

The other factor that determines a person’s political beliefs is
biology. Research by John Hibbing, a University of Nebraska political
scientist, showed that identical twins share more political beliefs
than fraternal twins. They also, of course, share more genes.

“Forty, perhaps 50 percent of our political beliefs seem to have a
basis in genetics,” said Hibbing, whose studies were included in
Jost’s analysis. While genetics are unlikely to “hardwire” people into
being liberal or conservative, Hibbing said that genes could make
people more or less likely to have certain values or react to
situations in a particular way.

This knowledge could pave the way to a more tolerant society, Hibbing
said.

“If you think your opponents are not just being willfully bullheaded
but rather have a kind of biological predisposition toward a set of
beliefs, you might not spend as much time beating your head against
the wall trying to get them to change,” he said.

I must be fresh out of genes, because I recognize the
crookedness of both the right and the left.