Scientists Find Liberal Gene at Pat Dollard

Scientists Find Liberal Gene

October 28th, 2010 (11) Posted By Pat Dollard.

Researchers have determined that genetics could matter when it comes to some adults’ political leanings.

According to scientists at UC San Diego and Harvard University, “ideology is affected not just by social factors, but also by a dopamine receptor gene called DRD4.” That and how many friends you had during high school.

The study was led by UCSD’s James Fowler and focused on 2,000 subjects from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Scientists matched the subjects’ genetic information with “maps” of their social networks. According to researchers, they determined that people “with a specific variant of the DRD4 gene were more likely to be liberal as adults.” However, the, subjects were only more likely to have leanings to the left if they were also socially active during adolescence.

“It is the crucial interaction of two factors — the genetic predisposition and the environmental condition of having many friends in adolescence — that is associated with being more liberal,” according to the study.

“These findings suggest that political affiliation is not based solely on the kind of social environment people experience,” said Fowler, who is a professor of political science and medical genetics.

The researchers also said their findings held true no matter what the ethnicity, culture, sex or age of the subjects were.

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Tyler520

I believe it – we now know that sociopaths are literally wired differently; their selfishness emerging from the fact that their synapses associated with emotion are disconnected and disassociated – liberalism is simply a grey area occupying territory within the realm of narcissim
prestonsbrooks

Well, then, now all Oblowme has to do is use his “healthcare program” to blood test everyone and liquidate those who lack the “proper” genetic makeup. Wow, just like Hitler…
wwtd

The DRD4 gene is also known to cause narsasism, brown, and smells like a donkey’s ass.
josephus

Wait a minute. This is wrong.
If you “have more friends” and you have that gene you’re wired to be Liberal?
They make it sound like Conservatives are loners and freaks…of course.

This, as usual, is bogus science. When you have that gene receptor and your parents ignore you as an infant, aren’t affectionate, leave you to cry…you develop this mentality that you are on your own. That you are unloved. You become angry, jealous and insecure.

You think everyone is out to screw you. Everything is an issue and an affront. And everyone needs to be punished.

Why? Because you could never control your environment as a kid and still can’t. And that kills you. So you lean toward the thuggishness of Fascism, Socialism and Communism — all the same strain of sickness — trial lawyers, human rights councils, etc. etc. To fight your fights that you deem worthy of a fight.

Sick, sick, sad people.
RockyMtn1776

There may well be a grain of truth in this story.
Read Evil Genes by Barbara Oalcley, she writes many politicians inherit a gene that makes them want to control others regardless of the cost. Some of the worlds greatest tyrants had this gene.
DC

This study looks to me like just some lead-up to saying homosexuality is genetic. If you believe that liberals are genetically “hard-wired” to be that way, then it’s just as easy to believe that fags are also “hard-wired” to be that way too.

This is just more junk science crappola that tries to convince an ignorant society that we are all genetically pre-disposed to all our behaviors. Homosexuality is a “learned” behavior…just like liberalism!
http://hyperinflation-watch.blogspot.com/ ZenDraken

[posted this on HotAir]

This could just as easily be called a conservative gene, or conservative “defect”. If we turn into the world of GATTACA, you might be marginalized (or eliminated) as “deficient” for having a genetic predisposition to conservatism. Or vica-versa.

In any case, you can be sure liberals will view this genetic variant as an asset, just as conservatives would view the same. So, really, this just puts us back at square one, though we can now point to a biochemical basis for our politics. Assuming this new information is valid, of course.

————-

Key quote:

“The 7R variant of DRD4, a dopamine receptor gene, had previously been associated with novelty seeking.”

So we have a correlation: [7R variant of DRD4] ~ [novelty seeking] Fair enough. But it’s just a correlation, not necessarily causation.

So now there’s this leap of faith:

“The researchers theorized novelty seeking would be related to openness, a psychological trait that has been associated with political liberalism.”

And voila! With just a little sleight of hand, you have a “Liberal Gene”!

Embrace Science. *Science* is awesome, but always be skeptical of scientists.
libertarian

I thought it was a mental disorder…..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism_Is_a_Mental_Disorder
JIM D

Well I say good for the scientists that found the gene, now develop a shot that will eradicate it!! Then the gimmee gimmee lazy motherfuckers can get off their asses and stop trying to share my shit!!
TerryTate

The libs will try to spin this to say that they are more popular thus that is why they had more friends.

The truth though, is that libs need those people to hide behind. They use peer pressure and group think to determine who they are rather than relying upon self-determination.

Common Lib behavior = herd behavior, group think, bandwagoners, collective thought, crowd psychology, sheeple, peer pressure, orthodoxy of thought, mob rule, and scapegoating.

Now given that the United States was founded upon the belief in the individual, does liberalism really have a place in this nation?
MarkF

I had a lot of friends growing up but turned out normal anyway. When I think back to who was “popular” in adolesence, there were two groups. The outgoing and gregarious and the hot chicks.

Niether group was overloaded with liberals. If having lots of friends makes you liberal, then by friends they must mean gangs, posseys or fellow inmates.