There has been a study conducted by Charles Brack which covers my subject but at the same time manages to go much deeper into the topic than I am required. Basically, the right hand is controlled by the left half of the brain and the left hand is controlled by the right side of the brain. If someone is left handed for example, it means that they use the right hemisphere of their brain more. This works visa versa as well, with right handed people using their left hemisphere more. Even though there is no proven relationship between handedness and political standing, each hemisphere of the brain is associated with a political side. The left side of the brain is viewed as the conservative side while the right side is more liberal. Does this mean that all left handed people are democrats and all right handed people are conservative? The answer is no, even with the association these characteristics shared, correlation does not imply causation.

 

The reason that the right side of the brain is viewed as liberal goes as follows.  This side of the brain is much more “laid back” in a sense. This side of the brain does not search for the exact answer and is not as black and white as its counterpart. Rather, it searches for multiple answers and even for answers other than the ones given. An example is if you told the right side of your brain to find the meaning of “god.” Instead of looking for just one answer, it will search for any possibility. This is called polysemantic or ambiguous. In plain english, the right side of the brain will tell you the more complex and yet vague answer to a question. The right side is also deemed the “creative” side due its polysemantics and spatial orientation. The right side is also more adept to recognizing emotions of others, allowing a person to feel empathetic for another. These qualities of the right brain are frequently associated with being “liberal” minded. Liberals are viewed as people who are creative in their ideas, and tend to think outside the box. Also, liberals tend to be more worried about issues concerning the harm of people, relating to the empathetic right hemisphere. Again, this does not mean that left handed people are liberal, just that the right side of the brain exhibits many liberalist qualities.

 

The left side of the brain is associated more so with conservative ideals and ways of thinking. The left side of the brain thinks in a monosemantic manor. Using my previous example, if I asked the left hemisphere “what is god,” it would try to find the sole correct answer. Opposite that of the right hemisphere, the left wants to find the right answer and takes no consideration that a given answer is wrong. Another example is 2+2=4. The right side of the brain would challenge that statement, while the left side would accept it as fact. However, the left brain also tends to bend reality so that it conforms with the brains expectation. Also, the left side of the brain excels in linguistic orientation allowing a person to express their thoughts much more clearly (as if their emotions do not bear as much of an effect). These qualities can be loosely lumped together and associated with being conservative. Conservatives look for the most logical and straightforward answer, much like the monosemantic left side of the brain. This can be tied to a conservatives reluctance to change something (as it would make things more complicated). As the brain matures, the left side develops more than the right since it deals with language and speaking. This dominance could also vaguely relate to why many people become more conservative (that is unwilling to change) as they get older.

 

This study talks about a man named Paul, a split-brain patient.  That means that his left and right brain hemispheres operate separately from each other. He was interviewed during the Watergate scandal, while Nixon was president. The study states that the right side of Paul’s brain did not like Nixon, while the left side did. Coincidentally, Nixon was a republican, or a conservative. Paul’s “liberal” brain disliked Nixon, while his “conservative” brain liked him. This does not mean that the left side couldn’t have disliked Nixon and visa versa. In addition, not all people are like Paul, in that our left and right brain hemispheres work in tandem together. As a result, they influence each other, allowing people to exhibit qualities of both sides. It is not uncommon to see a person who is a great speaker and is also in touch with their emotions. In conclusion, the data from this study suggest a relationship between handedness and political standing, but the data is merely speculative.    

 

 

The source of this study can be found on

http://neuropolitics.org/Conservative-Left-Brain-Liberal-Right-Brain.htm