Politics and Personality

How Brain Structure Affects How We Think, Work, and Vote

Dark Personalities in Society and Politics
There are said to be three dark personalities that cause social harm. They are the sociopath, the psychopath, and the narcissistic personality.

Sociopaths have no conscience, no sense of right and wrong, and no regard for the rights or feelings of others. They can often be recognized by how frequently they lie. They can also be manipulative, targeting one individual or group and making them a social victim. Some politicians seem to behave like this.

Psychopaths are sociopaths who are also very mean. Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, is a prominent example. He orders the killing of political opponents and the bombing of towns in which many civilians are injured or killed. He has his generals throw thousands of troops at an enemy in battle, using them as cannon fodder, and not caring how many are killed as long as the battle line gradually advances.

Those with a Narcissistic personality disorder are sociopaths who are under the delusion that they are more important than other people. Lacking empathy, they feel entitled to verbally lash out at or punish anyone of whom they disapprove. They have a strong need for admiration and approval, and hate being disagreed with, criticized, or ignored. Their feelings of entitlement give them away. Donald Trump is the most prominent example of a narcissist in politics.

Conservative Versus Liberal Personalities
Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain shows that areas that process social and emotional information differ between conservatives and liberals.
A part of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex, an area that helps detect errors and resolve conflicts, tends to be larger in liberals.
The amygdala, which processes emotions and resolves threats, is larger in conservatives.

Those with Liberal personalities like creativity and accept ambiguity, nuance, and complexity. They welcome change and are not bothered by disorder. Their style is aspirational, seeking to improve society, make progress, and create better things. Liberals often work in creative professions such as theater, music, and teaching.


People with Conservative personalities desire stability, order, conformity, tradition, and authority. Their style is defensive, fearing danger, disorder, and uncertainty. They are often intolerant of ambiguity and have anxiety over death and systemic threats. Conservatives are often attracted to work in institutions of power with clear outcomes like finance, the military, and law enforcement.

Liberals will often aspire to improve the nation, such as making it more democratic. Conservatives will often place more value on their political party as their social identity and put that before country.


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