Political Animals: How Our Stone-Age Brain Gets in the Way of Smart Politics

[applegrove]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465033008/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0465033008&linkCode=as2&tag=youwonnowwhat&linkId=WV5SPLM2ZBJ7Z35Q

In the mail: Political Animals: How Our Stone-Age Brain Gets in the Way of Smart Politics by Rick Shenkman.

Scientific American: “In this presidential election year, historian and journalist Shenkman offers a timely look into psychological patterns that drive political behavior. He describes how irrelevant events such as shark attacks, droughts and sports outcomes can stimulate instincts that change how we vote. Football fans whose teams win, for example, are more likely to support incumbent candidates. Shenkman details, in particular, four ways that people behave irrationally when it comes to politics: we become apathetic about our government, we incorrectly size up our leaders, we punish politicians who tell hard truths and we fail to apply empathy to political decisions.”

Highly recommended.

[tblue37]

1. KnR for visibility. nt

[Schema Thing]

2. kick

[randr]

3. The Stone-Age did not end

due to a lack of stones.
It took a fire to melt the metal.

[Proserpina]

4. Perhaps, if one's cerebral cortex is excised

otherwise, sounds like junk science to me

[DonCoquixote]

5. Football fans whose teams win, for example, are more likely to support incumbent candidates.

This explains a lot of how the New England Patriots never seem to fall, and how many supposed liberals love it when they cheat and cheat, then wonder how some people in formerly blue states start electing GOP.