Neural correlates of maintaining one’s political beliefs in the face of counterevidence

Neural Correlates of Political Belief Maintenance

Introduction

• Many people disregard evidence conflicting with their established beliefs.

• This study investigates the brain mechanisms involved in belief maintenance despite counterevidence.

Study Design

• Neuroimaging was conducted with 40 self-identified liberal participants.

• Participants faced arguments opposite to their strong political views in an fMRI setting.

Key Findings

• Increased activity was noticed in the default mode network (DMN) when political beliefs were challenged.

  • DMN is linked with self-representation and disengagement.

• High belief resistance correlated with:

  • Increased activation in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC);

  • Decreased activity in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC).

• Participants changing their beliefs exhibited lower BOLD signals in the insula and amygdala when confronted with counterarguments.

• Emotions play a crucial role in resistance to belief change.

Importance of Beliefs in Human Cooperation

• Shared understanding is vital for science, culture, and mutual cooperation.

• Cognitive flexibility enhances human knowledge and social collaboration.

• Direct challenges to core beliefs often encounter resistance, leading to decreased openness.

Theories of Belief Resistance

• Belief maintenance may be coupled with negative emotions due to conflicts with new information.

• Possible rationalization strategies employed include:

  • Discounting the source of evidence;

  • Formulating counterarguments;

  • Seeking social validation for original beliefs.

• The emotional significance of beliefs impacts resistance to change.

  • Stronger social identity beliefs tend to be harder to alter.

Expected Neural Mechanisms

• Disengagement and Inward Focus: Resistance may involve disengagement from external stimuli, activated by the DMN.

• Emotion and Resistance: Feelings may evoke activity in regions like the amygdala and insula during belief challenges.

Experimental Methodology

Participants

• 40 healthy, right-handed liberals with strong convictions.

• Ages ranged from 18 to 39 years.

• Subjects received compensation ($20/hr) and provided informed consent, with medial approval from USC IRB.

Stimuli Selection

• Each involved 8 political and 8 non-political statements.

• Statements were matched with discrediting challenges directly influencing belief strength.

Experimental Steps

• A survey collated background information and political affiliations.

• Participants then underwent fMRI scans while evaluating statements and challenges.

  • Included post-challenge belief ratings using a Likert scale.

Results Analysis

Behavioral Results: Belief Change

• Greater changes in belief were noted for non-political versus political challenges:

  • Political belief change averaged 0.31;

  • Non-political belief change averaged 1.28.

• Participants maintained belief reductions weeks later, confirming significant resistance to changing political beliefs.

Response Times

• Faster comprehension of political statements compared to non-political ones.

• Duration of responses longer for political challenges.

• Quick belief rating shifts noted post-challenges, faster for political statements.

Credibility Ratings

• Challenges rated averagely as 3.63 (credibility) and 3.92 (challenge intensity).

• Increased credibility ratings correlated with higher belief changes.

Imaging Results

Brain Activity Analysis

• Significant activity observed in various brain regions when evaluating beliefs, especially:

  • DMN regions during political challenges;

  • Increased activity in DLPFC and OFC for non-political challenges.

• Correlations found between item persistence and specific regions (OFC negatively, DMPFC positively).

Emotion and Belief Resistance

• Activity in specific emotional regions (insula and amygdala) linked to belief persistence differences among participants.

Discussion

• The study highlights how individuals engage their cognitive systems to defend established beliefs.

• DMN activation aligns with the notion of engaged internal processing during belief challenges.

• Emotional structures exhibit dynamics during belief evaluation, influencing resistance to change.

Limitations

• The investigation correlated belief change with unique content types: political versus non-political.

• Unclear generalization for conservatives or individuals with varying political beliefs due to participant biases.

Conclusion

• Belief defense mechanisms utilize neural pathways for internal cognition, influenced by emotions when confronted with contradictions.

• Findings underscore the significance of acknowledging emotional influences within beliefs and cognitive reasoning.