Self-described conservatives pressed the wrong button in response to a new stimulus 47 percent of the time, whereas avowed liberals had a 37 percent error rate; liberals had double the activity of conservatives in the region of the brain that helps people recognize “no-go” situations.

Conservatives and liberals have different patterns of neuronal impulses when confronted with unexpected circumstances. Self-described conservatives pressed the wrong button in response to a new stimulus
47 percent of the time, whereas avowed liberals had a 37 percent error rate; liberals had double the activity of conservatives in the anterior cingulate cortex, a deep region of the brain that helps
people recognize “no-go” situations, but the study’s authors emphasized that the results do not mean that liberals are smarter or better than conservatives.