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The American Mind Divided
If you feel a lack of empathy and impulse control in America, neuroscience may know why. Our brains are physically different. Understanding both brain structure and trauma may hold the key to diffusing political tension.
The Problem We Can’t See
The American political divide stems from trauma induced conservatism. This explains why rational arguments seem to have left American politics altogether and why the politicians who abandoned them surge ahead. It explains why some Americans see a Communist in every progressive social agenda. It explains why many Americans see a racist in every white face or why some women see a rapist in every man. If something seems missing, that’s because something is — the anterior cingulate cortex. Too many Americans physically lack the brain structure to process a fact-based rational argument.
Stay with me; I know that sounds terrible. It may not be a bad thing. Fear is an evolutionary baseline necessary for survival. Balancing healthy fear and the structure necessary for safety are the yin and yang of politics. Understanding how the physical structure of our brains do that work is the key to restoring balance.