A politician who deviates from his party line is more likely to hold the attention of voters.
- The insula and the anterior cingulate cortex are more active in the face of political ideas that step out of line.
- These ideas capture the audience’s attention better than expected speeches
Our attention is more easily focused on politicians who step out of line, according to a new study published in Philosophical Transactions.
Based on on the situation in the United States, the psychologist Ingrid Haas has in fact just proved that the neurological reaction is stronger when, for example, a Republican elected official adopts a position in favor of new taxes, or when a Democratic candidate adopts an opinion critical of environmental regulations. That is to say when one or the other is on an unusual posture for their political family.
brain imaging
Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), his team examined the insula and anterior cingulate cortex in 58 individuals – two brain regions that are involved in cognitive function – and reported increased activity when participants read statements contradicting an elected official’s political affiliation.
“If a politician has a position which is in contradiction with the policy of his party, then he had better publicize it, since people will pay more attention to it”, deduces Ingrid Haas. But this cerebral activity can also arouse the attention of the public, and its distrust, in the face of overly opportunistic remarks. “It could be strategic for some politicians to mask their true positions,” concludes the psychologist.
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