A new study holds clues as to why we get so passionate about politics.
When your political views are challenged, the brain becomes active in regions associated with personal identity, threat response and emotions, according to the study.
"We think it's because political beliefs are important to our identity, to our sense of who we are. They are part of our social selves as well and can define who we spend time with and how they relate to us," said Jonas Kaplan, assistant research professor of psychology at the University of Southern California's Brain and Creativity Institute, who was lead author of the study.
"When the brain considers something to be part of itself, whether it's a body part or a belief, then it protects it in the same way," he said.
Now, the researchers hope that their findings could shed light on how to talk politics without provoking a brawl.
More at: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/03/health/political-beliefs-brain/index.html
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