mmmm, braaaains.....

Homo politicus: brain function of liberals, conservatives differs
by Marlowe Hood
Sun Sep 9, 1:33 PM ET

PARIS (AFP) - "The brain neurons of liberals and conservatives fire differently when confronted with tough choices, suggesting that some political divides may be hard-wired, according a study released Sunday.

Aristotle may have been more on the mark than he realised when he said that man is by nature a political animal.

Dozens of previous studies have established a strong link between political persuasion and certain personality traits.

Conservatives tend to crave order and structure in their lives, and are more consistent in the way they make decisions. Liberals, by contrast, show a higher tolerance for ambiguity and complexity, and adapt more easily to unexpected circumstances.

The affinity between political views and "cognitive style" has also been shown to be heritable, handed down from parents to children, said the study, published in the British journal Nature Neuroscience.

Intrigued by these correlations, New York University political scientist David Amodio and colleagues decided to find out if the brains of liberals and conservatives reacted differently to the same stimuli."

results here

In the end, of course, it's all boiled down to "yes, but it depends." As they say, the brain is a malleable thing. But interesting, methought, on both a political and a personal level.

and, of course, A new case study of a stroke patient suggests that adults' brains might be just as "plastic," or capable of creating new neural pathways, as those of children.

speaking of brains... how mine work (story-building version)

A few days ago I mentioned that I had an Idea for a new book, sparked off a conversation I was having with Madamoiselle Agent. Over the course of the next 24 hours, e-mails went back and forth, fine-turning some of the basic universal/structural ideas for worldbuilding, using M'selle Agent as a sounding board for my thoughts.

But as of then I had no real plot, no real idea of who the players would be; just a sense of the world, the conflict, and the 'hook.'

Oh, and a working title. *grin*

Saturday evening, I had a flash of one of the main characters: his physical attributes, his relation to the hero, etc. Okay, noted and filed. But I still needed my hero -- and at this point I didn't even know if it would be a hero or a heroine.

Driving home from dinner last night, cruising southbound on route 91, my hero dropped into my head. Literally. From vague thoughts about nothing whatsoever to do with the book, a character appeared, complete with physical appearance, backstory, trauma, and quirks. It's still blurry and subject to change as he is fitted into the story and vice versa, but the Team Hero players are on the stage.

I have Good Guys and Conflict.

Now I need the villian(s)....


Obviously, I need another longish car drive. Does this mean I get to deduct the cost of my vehicle (and petrol) as a work-related expense?


(and meanwhile, still must finish everything else on my plate before I get to go back to the story-buffet. Must. Work. Faster....)

(and for those following along the publishing game at home, the contracts for the new Anna Leonard arrived, have been looked over, signed, and are on their way back out today.)

eating agenting brains...

Madamoiselle Agent (aka arcaedia) is hosting Agent Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior. Stop by before 10pm Eastern time and ask your agenting-related question!