By now you’ve probably hear about the “study” that purports to show that folks on the right have larger Amygdalas than leftists, and therefore have a greater ability to sense a threat and plan for “worst case scenarios”.
Of course, this was hailed by leftists and they proclaimed it as proof that “conservatives are great big scaredy cats.” The study also listed leftists as having more “courage” and optimism due to their larger Anterior Cingulate. I put quotes around the word courage, because while most equate “courage” with “bravery”, the research shows that the author of the “study” uses it to mean “open to more ideas”.
I guess that when you’re willing to believe anything, anything will pass as a compliment.
I also put the word study in quotes because this is a preliminary discovery, and even the author states it doesn’t show if these sections of the brain are genetically larger or if they are grown by a person throughout their lifetime.
But all that aside, over at the hate-filled big “P” progressive site, Crooks and Liars, it took exactly three commenters to get one that suggests people have their brains scanned and those with large Amygdalas be “quarantined for their own good”. He has even come up with a name for it.
And yet you and I are the ones they say people need to be worried about.
Here’s the deal, avoiding any of the stupid study: The Amygdala is your brain’s alert center. It’s the one that sends out the signal to your adrenaline glands and kick-starts the “fight or flight” system in your body. It reacts instantly to threats, and it never forgets a thing. Have you ever smelled a certain scent and it triggered a memory from twenty years ago? That’s the Amygdala.
The Amygdala is controlled in part by another gland that’s wrapped around it called the Hippocampus. If the Amygdala is the alert center of the brain, the Hippocampus is the decision making center. If the Amygdala is sending out alert after alert, the Hippocampus is the one telling the body if it’s really a threat or not. The Amygdala hears a gunshot-like noise and sends out alert signals. The Hippocampus is the one that says “Yes, that was a gunshot” or “No, that’s just a car backfiring”.
If any study hypes up the Amygdala and refuses to take the Hippocampus into consideration, then it’s full of bullshit from the word “Go” and needs to not only be ignored, it needs to be mocked and insulted until the liberal hacks who came up with the study shrink away into obscurity.