Low-Effort Thought Promotes Political Conservatism

[Henning]

Paper on "Low-Effort Thought Promotes Political Conservatism":

http://psp.sagepub.com/content/38/6/808

Have fun with it.

[seedload]

Makes perfect sense. The problems happen when you over think things. K.I.S.S.

[ScottL]

Makes perfect sense. The problems happen when you over think things. K.I.S.S.

That's not very promising for complex ideas and higher thinking....

[Diogenes]

Paper on "Low-Effort Thought Promotes Political Conservatism":

http://psp.sagepub.com/content/38/6/808

Have fun with it.

Why did you think it was worthwhile to post crap such as this? I can't remember how many studies i've seen by pointy headed little intellectuals trying to explain that Conservatives are Neanderthals.


In 1994 when the Nation threw the Democrats out of power for the first time in 40 years, various intellectual types described is as the country having thrown a temper tantrum.

This piece you have found is but another attempt at throwing a piece of propaganda into the culture war. Did you even read it? It said the drunker people got, the more likely they were to express a conservative opinion. It is trying to establish a correlation = causation argument. The alternative is "In Vino Veritas." People who are already lean conservative, will more likely speak how they really feel when their inhibitions are lowered.

Utter crap.

In Study 1, alcohol intoxication was measured among bar patrons; as blood alcohol level increased, so did political conservatism (controlling for sex, education, and political identification). In Study 2, participants under cognitive load reported more conservative attitudes than their no-load counterparts. In Study 3, time pressure increased participants’ endorsement of conservative terms. In Study 4, participants considering political terms in a cursory manner endorsed conservative terms more than those asked to cogitate; an indicator of effortful thought (recognition memory) partially mediated the relationship between processing effort and conservatism. Together these data suggest that political conservatism may be a process consequence of low-effort thought; when effortful, deliberate thought is disengaged, endorsement of conservative ideology increases.

[CaptainBeowulf]

We finally know why Diogenes is fine with liquor but against other recreational drugs - booze makes people conservative!!!!

Actually, I tend to agree with Diogenes... in my purely subjective experience, many people these days seem actually too scared of being shunned to express strongly right wing view points in front of other people they don't know, but they'll come out with some pretty right wing stuff once they get their inhibitions down.

Funny thing is, I also find that some of these types seem to have convinced themselves that they have to vote for "liberal" parties/publicly support liberal causes, because conservatism is "bad" - even if they're struggling with themselves to justify that outlook.

[palladin9479]

Current conservatism isn't real conservatism, it's religious fanaticism mixed in with bigotry and corporatism. They'll pay lip service to the old ideas but when it comes to to actually implement them they'll instead defer to the unelected corporate leaders of the GOP.

Which explains why I like certain Republicans yet am strongly against the GOP as a whole. I've personally seen what extreme income inequality and laws that are written by those who desire more inequity will do to a country. If you have any doubts just take a trip to the Philippines.

Their actually a rich country, but you wouldn't know it if you went there. There is such a stark difference from Green Belt / Makati / Cebu and the rest of the country, it's eye opening. You go from Lexus's, BWM's, Mercedes, Asten Martins to horse and donkey carts. From luxury mansions and resorts to village wells and mud huts. The rich and politically connected have gamed the system so much that they control the entire nations wealth leaving the average citizen with almost nothing. No matter how hard they work they'll never rise over poverty level. There is no middle class, only poverty stricken and super rich, very little in between. It's so bad that one of their chief exports is women in the "entertainment" industry.

You can tell the economic situation of a country by the cost of a women for the night (reprehensible but extremely effective measurement). It represents the option of last resort for most women, the method of supporting yourself or your family when you have no other way. It's governed by the market laws of supply / demand and the demand for sex will always be the same. Thus it's price is a component almost purely controlled by the supply. Low supply (and a healthy economy) means high prices, high supply (no jobs / bad economy) means low prices.

Cost of 1 girl for 1 night in Makati (most expensive place in PI)? $60 USD (barfine + her cost). Cost of 1 girl for 1 night in Angels City (cheapest tourist city)? 25$ USD (her cost is included in the barfine).

That is the ultimate cost of having Corporations write your laws and run your country.

[djolds1]

Paper on "Low-Effort Thought Promotes Political Conservatism":

http://psp.sagepub.com/content/38/6/808

Have fun with it.

Amusing.

However, one of this summer's most talked-about authors implies the opposite:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Haidt
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/books ... wanted=all

I doubt that juggling 3x more moral principles than the average liberal burns FEWER grams of ATP in the gray matter. It also accounts for the truism that conservatives understand liberals but just don't agree with them, whereas liberals truly don't understand conservatives at a gut level. I mean, just look at palladin9479's post of three hours ago - he's virtually directly quoting the "What's the Matter With Kansas?" analysis. Does not grok.

We finally know why Diogenes is fine with liquor but against other recreational drugs - booze makes people conservative!!!!

Actually, I tend to agree with Diogenes... in my purely subjective experience, many people these days seem actually too scared of being shunned to express strongly right wing view points in front of other people they don't know, but they'll come out with some pretty right wing stuff once they get their inhibitions down.

There's also the flip side to that - being so tired of being shunned for those same convictions that first you tell the commentariat to go to hell, and then you celebrate it. Be told you're a fascist long enough, and eventually the reaction is "OK. Seig Heil, Y'All!"

Funny thing is, I also find that some of these types seem to have convinced themselves that they have to vote for "liberal" parties/publicly support liberal causes, because conservatism is "bad" - even if they're struggling with themselves to justify that outlook.

Consistency:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cialdini

[Teahive]

Ah, when did politics become so one-dimensionsal?

[djolds1]

Ah, when did politics become so one-dimensionsal?

Context?

[Diogenes]

Current conservatism isn't real conservatism, it's religious fanaticism mixed in with bigotry and corporatism. They'll pay lip service to the old ideas but when it comes to to actually implement them they'll instead defer to the unelected corporate leaders of the GOP.

You are a moron.

[GIThruster]

I don't mind people having a good brawl in these forums. Honestly, Simon has been promoting they degenerate to this from the time he started abusing his moderator position so he can use the entire forum as a soapbox for his obsessions.

Doesn't it seem to everyone here though, that they're being manipulated into pointless argument, when someone posts a deliberately divisive and offensive political thread?

[Betruger]

MSimon, prince of darkness, at the root of all the world's faults and sins. But fear not, GIThruster's here atop his mighty steed "Courage"

[AcesHigh]

Current conservatism isn't real conservatism, it's religious fanaticism mixed in with bigotry and corporatism. They'll pay lip service to the old ideas but when it comes to to actually implement them they'll instead defer to the unelected corporate leaders of the GOP.

You are a moron.

enlighten us with your name-calling!

[Skipjack]

You are a moron.

clever

Ah, when did politics become so one-dimensionsal?

Yepp, that has been my feeling for a while too. To so many people, it is either left or right, black or white and only this or that. This polarization is IMHO not healthy and it is the result of emotional hate- campaigns during a time when rationalism would be more important than ever in politics.

[Diogenes]

Current conservatism isn't real conservatism, it's religious fanaticism mixed in with bigotry and corporatism. They'll pay lip service to the old ideas but when it comes to to actually implement them they'll instead defer to the unelected corporate leaders of the GOP.

You are a moron.

enlighten us with your name-calling!

And you are another.