The neurobiology of political ideology: Theories, findings, and future directions

Social scientists are increasingly interested in studying the psychological bases of political preferences. Research at the interface of neuroscience and political psychology is uniquely positioned to test theories that link political attitudes to cognitive, affective, perceptual, and motivational processes in the brain. In this article, we review existing theories and evaluate findings from the growing field of political neuroscience with an emphasis on four brain regions that have emerged as important neural substrates of political ideology: the amygdala, the insular cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the prefrontal cortex. We conclude by discussing current methodological and theoretical limitations before setting out an agenda for future research.