# Brain scans of authoritarians show reduced grey matter in regions for empathy and social reasoning

> Source: <https://boingboing.net/2026/06/19/brain-scans-of-authoritarians-show-reduced-grey-matter-in-regions-for-empathy-and-social-reasoning.html>
> Published: 2026-06-19 18:40:09+00:00

A [study published in Neuroscience](https://futurism.com/neoscope/authoritarian-brain-scans) by researchers at Spain's University of Zaragoza scanned the brains of 100 young adults and found structural differences in those who hold authoritarian beliefs — on both the left and the right. Right-wing authoritarians had lower grey matter volume in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, a region involved in understanding other people's thoughts and perspectives. —

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