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

Researchers at Spain's University of Zaragoza scanned the brains of 100 young adults and found that right-wing authoritarians have reduced grey matter in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, a region linked to empathy and social reasoning. The study, published in Neuroscience, suggests structural brain differences associated with authoritarian beliefs across the political spectrum.

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. — The post Brain scans of authoritarians show reduced grey matter in regions for empathy and social reasoning https://boingboing.net/2026/06/19/brain-scans-of-authoritarians-show-reduced-grey-matter-in-regions-for-empathy-and-social-reasoning.html appeared first on Boing Boing https://boingboing.net .