#eric w. dolan

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

People on the far-right and far-left exhibit strikingly similar brain responses

New research shows that people with strong political beliefs react more emotionally to political content. Brain activity patterns were simil

By: Eric W. Dolan

Published: Oct 11, 2025

A new study suggests that people with strongly held political beliefs, whether liberal or conservative, tend to process political content in strikingly similar ways at a neurological level. The findings, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Attitudes and Social Cognition, indicate that emotional reactions may play a central role in driving ideological extremity.

The researchers set out to better understand what might fuel increasingly polarized and extreme political attitudes in the United States. While disagreement and debate are foundational to democratic systems, the political landscape has become more divided in recent years, with a growing number of Americans identifying with viewpoints further from the political center.

Prior research has pointed to several contributors to this trend, including psychological tendencies like intolerance of uncertainty or a preference for black-and-white thinking. But many scholars have also proposed that emotion—especially negative emotion such as fear or anger—plays a powerful role. Emotional reactions can shape how people interpret news, view political opponents, and form alliances. In this study, the researchers asked whether people on the far left and far right not only hold strong beliefs but also experience political information in similarly emotional ways.

They also aimed to test a concept sometimes referred to as the “horseshoe theory,” which suggests that political extremes may resemble each other more than they do moderates. If true, then individuals on opposite ideological ends could be more psychologically alike than different, at least in how they respond to political content.

“This research was inspired by the growing political polarization and ideological extremism observed around us. Recent political crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war between Israel and Gaza have intensified extreme views across both ends of the political spectrum, which motivated us to look beyond left-right differences,” said study author Daantje de Bruin, a PhD student at Brown University and member of the FeldmanHall lab.

“Instead, we asked whether there might be common neurophysiological mechanisms underlying political extremism, regardless of ideological content. This idea aligns with the ‘horseshoe theory’ of politics, which suggests that the far left and far right, despite opposing beliefs, often resemble each other in psychological and behavioral ways.”

To explore these questions, the team recruited 44 participants from across the political spectrum, with a particular focus on those at the ideological extremes. Participants were identified based on how far they leaned from the political center on a 100-point scale, ranging from extremely liberal to extremely conservative.

The participants watched a politically charged segment of the 2016 vice-presidential debate between Tim Kaine and Mike Pence while undergoing brain scans in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. At the same time, the researchers recorded physiological responses—specifically, galvanic skin conductance, which measures emotional arousal through changes in sweat gland activity. Eye-tracking was also used to assess where participants focused their attention.

Analysis of the brain imaging data revealed a consistent pattern: participants with stronger political beliefs, regardless of whether they were liberal or conservative, showed increased activity in brain areas associated with emotion and threat detection. These included the amygdala, known for processing fear; the periaqueductal gray, which is involved in defensive behaviors; and the posterior superior temporal sulcus, a region linked to interpreting social cues and understanding others’ intentions.

“Our findings were in line with our hypothesis that holding extreme views (regardless of the content of those views) means that individuals share, at least on some dimensions, similar processing of the world around them,” de Bruin told PsyPost. “This helps explain how the language or actions of die-hard liberals or conservatives can appear eerily similar to the language and actions of those on the other side.”

This finding suggests that extreme political views may be tied to stronger emotional reactions to political material. In other words, the more ideologically extreme a person was, the more emotionally charged their brain response appeared to be when watching political content.

The researchers also analyzed how similarly participants’ brains responded to the debate. By comparing moment-to-moment brain activity across pairs of participants, they found that those who both held extreme views—even if one was very liberal and the other very conservative—showed more synchronized brain responses than moderates did. This synchronization was especially pronounced in areas of the brain involved in understanding others’ perspectives and emotions, such as the temporoparietal junction and adjacent regions.

Importantly, this effect was not merely the result of shared ideology. Participants with very different political beliefs still showed similar patterns of brain activity if both were high in extremity. This provides evidence that the way people process political content may be shaped more by the intensity of their beliefs than by the direction of those beliefs.

Another layer of the study looked at the role of language. The researchers used a machine learning tool to evaluate the level of extreme language in the debate video. They found that parts of the video containing more extreme or provocative language tended to strengthen the brain synchrony effect among extreme individuals. In other words, the most emotionally intense parts of the political content seemed to draw extreme viewers into an even more aligned neurological state.

Finally, the researchers examined physiological arousal. While they did not find that more extreme individuals had higher average arousal levels overall, they did find that shared physiological responses between pairs—specifically synchronized spikes in skin conductance—correlated with greater neural synchrony. This relationship held especially true for participants with the most extreme beliefs. In other words, when extreme individuals not only shared strong views but also experienced similar emotional reactions in their bodies, their brains tended to process political content in more closely aligned ways.

“We find that people with more extreme political views, on either end of the political spectrum, show stronger brain responses to the political content in areas involved in emotions, such as fear, threat detection, and understanding the perspective of others,” de Bruin explained. “We also find that more extreme individuals, regardless of their political ideology, show more similar neural responses to political content.”

“Despite stark differences in political beliefs, extreme individuals on opposite sides of the political spectrum thus process political content in similar ways, providing neurophysiological support for the horseshoe theory of politics. This suggests that ideological opposites may be more alike in how they process politics than they realize. Recognizing this shared experience could foster greater empathy and reduce dehumanization across the political divide.”

The study provides evidence that emotion plays a central role in shaping how people with extreme beliefs experience political content, but it also comes with some limitations. First, the political material used covered only a narrow set of topics, specifically immigration and policing. It is not clear whether similar results would emerge with different political subjects or more recent content.

Second, the research was conducted entirely within the United States and may not generalize to other countries or political systems. Cultures with different norms, levels of polarization, or media environments might show different patterns of emotional and neurological responses.

Despite these limitations, the study provides new insight into how emotion and social perception influence political extremity. The fact that people with opposing ideologies can show similar patterns of brain activity suggests that emotional experience may be a shared thread connecting those on both sides of the political divide. Recognizing this shared experience might help reduce hostility and open the door to more understanding, even in a time of rising polarization.

“Our findings support the theorized link between extremism and affective processing, highlighting the importance of understanding polarization and radicalization as not just a cognitive or ideological process, but also one that considers emotion,” de Bruin said. “In future work, we aim to further investigate how affective processing might be altered in more extreme individuals, and why their responses may differ from moderates. Ultimately, we aim to use these insights to inform approaches that reduce polarization and help people engage with political information more thoughtfully.”

The study, “Politically Extreme Individuals Exhibit Similar Neural Processing Despite Ideological Differences,” was authored by Daantje de Bruin and Oriel FeldmanHall.

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Politically extreme individuals exhibit similar neural processing despite ideological differences - PubMed

The current state of political polarization in the United States encompasses a growing divide between partisans and a shift toward more extr

Abstract

The current state of political polarization in the United States encompasses a growing divide between partisans and a shift toward more extreme ideologies. Although rising ideological extremism poses societal challenges, the mechanisms supporting extreme views remain uncharacterized. Leveraging a combination of neurophysiological methods, we show that regardless of which side of the political aisle an individual is on, those with more extreme views show heightened neural activity to politically charged content in brain regions implicated in affective processing-including the amygdala, periaqueductal gray, and posterior superior temporal sulcus. Moreover, we observe that those who share an extreme perspective-even when they do not share an ideology-exhibit increased neural synchronization in the broader posterior superior temporal sulcus region while consuming political content. For those on the most extreme ends of the ideological spectrum, this effect is further influenced by listening to extreme language. Finally, we find that shared arousal, measured through galvanic skin conductance responses, modulates the strength of coupling between shared extremity and neural synchrony. Together, our findings suggest a role for affect in shaping ideological extremity, which helps explain why those at the far ends of the political spectrum come to view the world through a shared, extreme lens. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

[aunti-christ-ine]

A new study has found that the more literally a person understands metaphorical statements and the more religious they are, the more likely they are to share pseudo-profound bullshit on social media. 

The new research, published in Applied Cognitive Psychology, replicated Gordon Pennycook’s 2015 study on bullshit receptivity — meaning the propensity to interpret nonsensical sentences as profound statements — using a sample from two Eastern European countries. 

But, unlike the original study, the new research also examined the willingness to share bullshit. 

“We were studying cognitive biases and their relationship to various unfounded beliefs, such as paranormal claims, conspiracy theories and pseudoscience,” said study author Vladimira Cavojova of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. 

“Focusing on these kinds of unfounded beliefs made us aware that social media is full of nonsense (e.g. pseudo-profound tweets that are also part of this study), and Pennycook and his colleagues came up with a very original way to test this kind of general receptivity to bullshit. 

“We were also interested in the propensity to share bullshit statements, because social media also allows for the rapid spread of this kind of content,” Cavojova explained. 

In the study, 76 Slovak and 45 Romanian participants completed several measures of bullshit receptivity, willingness to share pseudo-profound bullshit, cognitive abilities, and thinking dispositions. 

Examples of pseudo-profound bullshit included statements like “Hidden meaning transforms unparalleled abstract beauty” and “Wholeness quiets infinite phenomena.” The researchers also included 10 of Deepak Chopra’s tweets, including one which read: “Attention and intention are the mechanics of manifestation.” 

The participants were asked to rate how profound they thought the statements were and how likely they would be to share the statements on social media. 

Cavojova and her colleagues found that people who were more receptive to bullshit and more likely to say they would share it tended to be more prone to ontological confusions, more likely to believe conspiracy theories, and more likely to be religious. 

“People more prone to judge nonsense statements as profound are also more likely to believe in other unfounded things. Moreover, it seems that especially more religious people and people with troubles to differentiate between various ontological categories (e.g. differentiating metaphorical statements from factual statements) are more vulnerable to transcendental sounding bullshit like the one we measured,” Cavojova told PsyPost. 

For example, ontologically-confused people interpret phrases such as “Old furniture knows things about the past” as more literal than metaphorical. 

The researchers also found that statements that were rated as more profound were more likely to be shared. But the willingness to share bullshit statements was lower than their profundity ratings. 

“The positive message is that even though people often fall for this kind of bullshit, they are generally less willing to share it,” Cavojova added. 

The study — like all research — includes some limitations. 

“The major caveat is that the measure we used – the Bullshit Receptivity scale – is based on pseudo-transcendental bullshit which can be criticized as being too tightly related to spiritual (and mainly New Age) beliefs. Even though the items were randomly generated and thus have no intended meaning, people still could find some personal meaning in them (based on their vagueness and their personal beliefs),” Cavojova explained. 

“Therefore, it is necessary to study bullshit also in a non-transcendental context, allowing us to determine what features of bullshit makes it so likeable, controlling for the role of personal spirituality.” 

“We are currently working on a scale that would enable us to measure receptivity to bullshit in non-transcendental domains, such as health or interpersonal relationships. Preliminary results show that people don´t trust too obscure statements, but rather simple-sounding but untruthful statements relying on imprecise metaphors or analogies,” Cavojova said. 

The study, “Reception and willingness to share pseudo‐profound bullshit and their relation to other epistemically suspect beliefs and cognitive ability in Slovakia and Romania“, was authored by Vladimíra Čavojová, Eugen‐Călin Secară, Marek Jurkovič, and Jakub Šrol. 

We recommend: 

 ✜ People who are more receptive to ‘pseudo-profound bullshit’ are less likely to donate to charity   -PsyPost   ✜ Schizotypy and bullshit receptivity predict belief in conspiracy theories   -PsyPost   ✜ High cognitive ability not a safeguard from conspiracies, paranormal beliefs   -PsyPost 

  Eric W. Dolan  

[abzu2]

Psychopharmacology Magic mushroom compound might treat depression by reviving emotional responsiveness in the brain

art by Cameron Grey By Eric W. Dolan New research suggests that psilocybin-assisted therapy helps alleviate treatment-resistant depression by reviving emotional responsiveness in the brain. Psilocybin is the primary mind-altering substance in psychedelic “magic” mushrooms. The drug can profoundly alter the way a person experiences the world by producing changes in mood, sensory perception, time…

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[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

Participating in activist groups linked to increased narcissism and psychopathy over time

A new longitudinal study suggests a two-way relationship between environmental activism and personality. Findings indicate that while specif

By: Eric W. Dolan

Published: Nov 30, 2025

A new longitudinal study published in Personality and Individual Differences provides evidence of a complex, two-way relationship between environmental activism and specific personality traits. The findings suggest that while manipulative and aggressive tendencies can predict involvement in environmental causes, engaging in activism may also reinforce traits such as narcissism and psychopathy over time.

Hannes Zacher, a professor at Leipzig University, conducted this research to investigate the psychological underpinnings of environmental engagement. Previous cross-sectional research has often linked environmentalism with positive traits like agreeableness and openness. However, more controversial tactics employed by groups such as Last Generation have prompted questions about potential “dark” personality traits among activists.

Zacher aimed to test two competing psychological theories regarding this relationship. The first is the dark-ego-vehicle principle, which posits that individuals with high levels of dark traits are drawn to activism to satisfy ego-focused needs, such as a desire for status or dominance. The second framework is self-perception theory, which suggests that people infer their own personality characteristics by observing their past behaviors.

In a previous 2024 study, Zacher observed positive associations between environmental activism and traits such as Machiavellianism, narcissism, and left-wing authoritarianism. But that research relied on data collected at a single point in time. This limited the ability to determine whether these personality traits drive people to become activists or if the experience of activism actually changes a person’s character.

For his new study, the researcher utilized a panel study design involving employed individuals in Germany. The study included 1,998 participants at the first time point. One year later, 1,199 of these individuals provided follow-up data that could be matched to their initial responses.

The study measured three distinct forms of environmental activism. The first was civic environmental actions, which included general activities like attending rallies or organizing events. The second was direct participation in specific activist groups, namely Fridays for Future and Last Generation. The third measure assessed the level of support a participant felt for these activist groups.

Participants also completed the “Dirty Dozen” scale to assess the dark triad of personality. This includes Machiavellianism, characterized by manipulation and strategic calculation; narcissism, defined by grandiosity and entitlement; and psychopathy, which involves impulsivity and a lack of empathy. Additionally, the study measured three dimensions of left-wing authoritarianism: antihierarchical aggression, anticonventionalism, and top-down censorship.

The researcher used statistical models to determine whether personality traits at the first time point predicted activism one year later. These models also tested the reverse possibility: whether engaging in activism predicted changes in personality traits over the subsequent year.

The results revealed a reciprocal relationship regarding Machiavellianism. Individuals with higher levels of Machiavellianism were more likely to engage in civic environmental actions one year later. Simultaneously, those who engaged in civic actions showed increased levels of Machiavellianism over the course of the year.

This finding aligns with the idea that the strategic and alliance-building nature of activism may appeal to those with Machiavellian tendencies. It also suggests that the environment of political engagement might reinforce these manipulative traits.

Regarding left-wing authoritarianism, the study found that antihierarchical aggression predicted greater participation in environmental activist groups. This dimension involves a desire to overthrow established power structures and punish those in power.

This predictive link supports the notion that individuals with aggressive, anti-establishment views are drawn to groups advocating for systemic change. However, the reverse was not true; participation did not predict subsequent increases in antihierarchical aggression.

A different pattern emerged for narcissism, offering a notable divergence from earlier results. The data did not support previous findings that narcissism predicts engagement in civic actions or support for activist groups. Instead, participation in activist groups predicted higher levels of narcissism one year later.

This contradicts the dark-ego-vehicle assumption for this trait but lends support to self-perception theory. It suggests that the act of participating in high-profile, often moralized group activities may cultivate a sense of grandiosity or moral superiority over time.

Perhaps the most unexpected findings concerned psychopathy. The researcher had not initially hypothesized a link here, and the 2024 study found no unique associations. Yet, the current analysis showed that both civic environmental actions and participation in activist groups predicted higher levels of psychopathy one year later.

This suggests that the confrontational nature of certain forms of activism might foster characteristics associated with psychopathy, such as callousness or impulsivity. It is also possible that the disruption associated with protests allows for the expression of these traits.

Zacher also examined anticonventionalism, a facet of left-wing authoritarianism involving the rejection of traditional values. The analysis showed a reciprocal positive relationship between anticonventionalism and support for activist groups. Those who rejected tradition were more likely to support these groups, and supporting these groups appeared to deepen anticonventionalist views.

Finally, the results regarding top-down censorship provided mixed evidence compared to the prior study. Consistent with the 2024 findings, merely supporting activist groups predicted an increase in top-down censorship over time. In contrast, actual engagement in civic environmental actions predicted a decrease in censorship preferences.

This makes sense given that activists often protest against government authorities and would likely oppose state censorship. The distinction highlights a psychological difference between active participants on the ground and those who offer passive support.

The researcher noted some limitations to the study. The data relied entirely on self-reports, which can be subject to bias. Additionally, the sample consisted of employed individuals in Germany, meaning the results may not apply to students, retirees, or people in other cultural contexts.

The time lag of one year is another factor to consider. Personality traits are generally stable, and a single year may not be sufficient to capture long-term developmental changes. Future research could benefit from longer timeframes and more diverse samples to verify these patterns.

Despite these limitations, the study offers significant contributions to the psychology of political engagement. It demonstrates that the relationship between who we are and what we do might be bidirectional. Our personality influences the causes we champion, but those causes also leave a mark on our character.

The study, “Environmental activism, dark triad traits, and left-wing authoritarianism: A constructive replication study,” was authored by Hannes Zacher.

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Environmental activism, dark triad traits, and left-wing authoritarianism: A constructive replication study

A recent cross-sectional study with 839 employed individuals in Germany, published in Personality and Individual Differences, found positive

Abstract

A recent cross-sectional study with 839 employed individuals in Germany, published in Personality and Individual Differences, found positive associations between three dimensions of environmental activism (i.e., environmental civic actions, participation in and support of environmental activist groups), two dark triad traits (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism), and two dimensions of left-wing authoritarianism (i.e., antihierarchical aggression, anticonventionalism; Zacher, 2024). The goal of the current study was to constructively replicate this previous study with a larger sample (N = 1998 employed individuals in Germany) and time-lagged panel data with baseline controls across one year. Consistent with pre-registered hypotheses on reciprocal relations among the focal constructs, Machiavellianism and civic environmental actions positively predicted each other over time. Antihierarchical aggression predicted greater participation in environmental activist groups, and participation in environmental activist groups predicted higher narcissism, but in both cases not vice versa. Anticonventionalism and support for environmental activist groups positively predicted each other over time. Exploratory results showed that civic environmental actions and participation in environmental activist groups predicted higher psychopathy. Civic environmental actions negatively, and support for environmental activist groups positively, predicted top-down censorship. Overall, these findings partially replicate and extend previous research on associations between environmental activism, dark triad traits, and left-wing authoritarianism.

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Earlier study, same author:

The dark side of environmental activism

In times of growing concerns about climate change, environmental activism is increasing. Whereas several studies have examined associations

Abstract

In times of growing concerns about climate change, environmental activism is increasing. Whereas several studies have examined associations between environmental activism and the Big Five personality characteristics, the potential “dark side” of environmental activists' personality has been neglected. Accordingly, this study examined associations between environmental activism, the dark triad traits (i.e., Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism) and left-wing authoritarianism (i.e., antihierarchical aggression, anticonventionalism, top-down censorship). Data came from 839 employed individuals in Germany. Results showed positive associations between environmental activism and Machiavellianism, narcissism, antihierarchical aggression, and anticonventionalism. Most of these associations remained significant after controlling for Big Five characteristics, demographic characteristics, political orientation, and right-wing authoritarianism. These findings suggest that environmental activism, in addition to its potential positive outcomes, may also have a dark side in terms of activists' personality.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

People with a greater tendency for victimhood are more likely to engage in cyberbullying, according to new research

New research provides evidence that people with an elevated sense of victimhood are more likely to engage in cyberbullying. The findings pro

By: Eric W. Dolan

Published: May 26, 2023

New research provides evidence that people with an elevated sense of victimhood are more likely to engage in cyberbullying. The findings provide a better understanding of how personality traits and authoritarian tendencies are related to abusive behavior on the internet. The study has been published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media.

The author behind the new study was interested in studying online bullying and harassment, which have become widespread concerns due to the increasingly abrasive and polarized nature of online discourse. He wanted to understand the phenomenon of cyberbullying and identify the individuals who are most likely to engage in this behavior. He was particularly interested in exploring the relationship between mental health, personality traits related to victimhood, and authoritarian worldviews in relation to cyberbullying.

“I would consider myself to be on the political left and over the last 10 years, I’ve anecdotally witnessed some shifts, pretty widely discussed in news media, in the culture of the political left,” explained study author Christopher J. Ferguson, a professor of psychology at Stetson University.

“Specifically, parts of the far-left appear to have abandoned principles of free speech and due process and have become obsessed with victimhood and identity. Much of this occurs online and Twitter mobs and other online outrage appeared to have gotten outsized influence in our society. I thought psychology had done a pretty good job understanding right-wing authoritarianism, so I was curious to examine how a culture of left-wing authoritarianism was developing, particularly in online spaces.”

Ferguson used an online sample collected during the COVID-19 pandemic to conduct their study. They recruited participants through a liberal arts university in the U.S. South and online platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to ensure a diverse sample. The final sample included 361 adults, who completed various online assessments via Qualtrics.

To measure cyberbullying perpetration, the researcher used the Cyberbullying Perpetration Scale. The scale assessed behaviors such as spreading rumors, excluding individuals from online groups, and making false accusations. The study also assessed mental health symptoms using the Brief Symptoms Inventory-18 , which measured psychological distress in three dimensions: somatization, depression, and anxiety.

Personality traits related to histrionic symptoms were measured using the Brief Histrionic Personality Scale, which assessed attention-seeking and seductiveness. Borderline personality symptoms were measured using the short version of the Borderline Symptom List.

To assess authoritarian worldviews, Ferguson used the short version of the Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale and developed a scale for left-wing authoritarianism. The Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale included items related to obedience, respect for authority, and the need for a strong leader. The left-wing version focused on rigid left-wing beliefs and the willingness to eschew free speech or due process to enforce those beliefs.

Finally, the participants completed an assessment of trait victimhood via the Tendency for Interpersonal Victimhood Scale. This scale included items that assessed the tendency to perceive oneself as a victim and feel taken advantage of by others (e.g. “It is very hard for me to stop thinking about the injustice others have done to me”).

The study found that both right-wing authoritarianism and left-wing authoritarianism were positively associated with trait victimhood. Greater trait victimhood, in turn, predicted higher levels of cyberbullying.

“The modern left has become very efficient at identifying victimhood as a status marker and this isn’t at all a good thing. We should be sensitive to real victims of bad circumstances (natural disasters, war refugees, etc.), but we seem to have a tendency to give victimhood actual moral status,” Ferguson told PsyPost.

“Unfortunately, some individuals have what is coming to be called trait victimhood wherein victimhood is part of one’s identity and such individuals thus feel justified in being aggressive toward others. Whether on the left or right, such individuals tend to have more mental health problems and are also more aggressive and cruel, at least online. Sadly, we’ve been giving these individuals a lot of cultural power and we should really stop doing that.​”

Interestingly, borderline personality traits, which are characterized by unstable emotions and impulsive behavior, were initially found to be correlated with cyberbullying. However, when considering other variables together, borderline traits did not significantly predict cyberbullying. This suggests that trait victimhood may be the key factor driving cyberbullying, rather than general mental health issues.

The study has limitations, including its correlational nature and reliance on self-report data. Causal conclusions cannot be drawn, and future research should consider longitudinal assessments to understand developmental paths.

“It’s only one study (albeit preregistered), and it would be good to see it replicated,” Ferguson said. “I think there is still much to learn about creeping authoritarianism on the left as psychologists being (like me) mostly leftists have been reluctant to admit it could be a problem. And of course none of this means that right-wing authoritarianism isn’t also a problem.”

Individuals high in trait victimhood may believe their aggression is justified due to their perceived victim status, and Ferguson argued that that emphasizing victim narratives may exacerbate authoritarian tendencies. Instead, it may be more beneficial to encourage collaboration and understanding among different communities to reduce aggression and discord.

“I suspect that people who don’t live and work in far-left spaces like academia and (honestly) journalism probably aren’t aware of how bad this has become in some of those spaces,” Ferguson told PsyPost. “Some people refer to a ‘long march’ of quasi-Marxism through our institutions — whether or not ‘Marxism’ is a fair paradigm (and I’m not sure it’s quite as intellectually organized as that), I do suspect there’s some truth to the “long march” idea — which means that rolling it back is also going to take persistent, concerted effort, and we’re going to need to figure out how to do that without tempting authoritarians on the right to do it for us.”

“But that is going to mean, on one hand, we stop treating self-declared victimhood as if it were empirical evidence and, on the other, we may need to take a hard look at some academic disciplines that function to do very little other than to promote exactly those same self-declarations of victimhood status, particularly when founded on identity categories.”

The study was titled: “Cyberbullying and Its Relation to Right and Left Authoritarianism, Trait Victimhood, and Mental Illness.”

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https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2023-67794-001

Abstract

Many policymakers, advocates, and the general public perceive online discourse as having become aggressive, with widespread issues related to cyberbullying and harassment. However, not all individuals engage in noxious online behaviors equally. The current study sought to identify correlates of cyberbullying behaviors in a community sample of 361 adults (range 18–69). All methods and analyses were preregistered. Results suggested that cyberbullying was related to trait victimhood and directly to right-wing authoritarianism. In exploratory analyses, trait victimhood was itself related to both right- and left-wing authoritarianism, as well as to general mental health symptoms. It is concluded that cyberbullying is related to a tendency to report mental health issues, along with perceiving oneself as a victim and with a willingness to embrace authoritarian worldviews, particularly from the right. By contrast, trait victimhood is related to both right and left authoritarianism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)

==

You can't wield the power to silence and destroy people and claim to be a "victim" or "oppressed" at the same time.

we may need to take a hard look at some academic disciplines that function to do very little other than to promote exactly those same self-declarations of victimhood status, particularly when founded on identity categories.

#DefundGenderStudies

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

Adolescents with authoritarian leanings exhibit weaker cognitive ability and emotional intelligence

Teens with lower intelligence and emotional abilities are more likely to support authoritarian beliefs, whether left- or right-wing, suggest

By: Eric W. Dolan

Published: Jan 23, 2025

A recent study published in the Journal of Personality has found that adolescents with lower levels of both cognitive and emotional abilities are more likely to hold authoritarian attitudes, whether on the left or right of the political spectrum. The findings highlight how limitations in reasoning and emotional regulation are tied to authoritarianism, shedding light on the shared psychological traits that underpin these ideological attitudes.

Adolescence is a critical developmental period when political beliefs and ideological attitudes begin to take shape, yet studies examining these processes among adolescents are sparse. Researchers at Ghent University in Belgium aimed to determine whether the relationships observed in adults—such as the link between lower cognitive abilities and more authoritarian attitudes—also apply to adolescents.

One of the primary motivations for the study was to address the assumption that ideological development primarily occurs during adulthood, particularly following exposure to higher education. This assumption has been widely discussed in political psychology, with theories suggesting that adolescence is too early for meaningful political engagement due to limited cognitive capacities.

However, recent research has challenged this view, arguing that proto-ideological beliefs emerge even in childhood and that understanding these early beliefs can shed light on how ideological attitudes develop. By focusing on adolescents, the researchers hoped to capture a critical stage in this developmental trajectory.

Another key goal was to examine the role of emotional abilities, which had received less attention than cognitive abilities in prior research. Emotional abilities—such as understanding and regulating emotions—are crucial for navigating social situations and making judgments about societal issues. Given that previous studies on adults found emotional abilities to be strong predictors of ideological attitudes, the researchers hypothesized that these abilities might play an even more significant role during adolescence.

To examine how cognitive and emotional abilities relate to ideological attitudes, the researchers recruited 507 participants aged 15 to 22 years. The participants were primarily high school and college students, ensuring a sample representative of middle and late adolescence.

The researchers used standardized intelligence tests to measure cognitive abilities. For participants aged 16 or younger, the WISC-V test was administered, assessing skills such as verbal comprehension, fluid reasoning, and processing speed. For those 17 and older, the Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test was used, which measures fluid and crystallized intelligence through tasks like reasoning, symbol learning, and comprehension.

Emotional abilities were assessed using four abridged performance-based tests, including measures of emotional understanding and recognition. The results from these tests were combined into a composite score to represent each participant’s overall emotional abilities.

To measure ideological attitudes, the researchers used three well-established scales. Right-wing authoritarianism was assessed using items measuring conformity, respect for authority, and aggression toward out-groups. Social dominance orientation was measured by assessing preferences for hierarchical versus egalitarian social structures. Finally, left-wing authoritarianism was evaluated using a scale adapted to capture opposition to traditional authority and advocacy for redistributive policies.

The results showed significant relationships between both cognitive and emotional abilities and ideological attitudes, though the strength and nature of these relationships varied. In line with prior studies in adult populations, adolescents with lower cognitive abilities were more likely to endorse authoritarian attitudes, both on the right and left of the political spectrum.

Interestingly, the relationship between cognitive abilities and social dominance orientation was weaker than for right-wing authoritarianism, suggesting that hierarchical preferences might be less cognitively driven.

Emotional abilities, however, emerged as even stronger predictors of ideological attitudes than cognitive abilities. Adolescents with lower emotional abilities were more likely to hold authoritarian beliefs across all three dimensions: right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and left-wing authoritarianism. Furthermore, when emotional abilities were included in the models, the influence of cognitive abilities on ideological attitudes became nonsignificant, suggesting that emotional abilities may play a mediating role.

Another key finding was the striking similarity between right-wing and left-wing authoritarian attitudes. Both shared common psychological underpinnings, such as a preference for conformity and authority, which were negatively related to emotional and cognitive abilities. This overlap supports the idea that authoritarian attitudes, regardless of political orientation, stem from similar cognitive and emotional processes.

Interestingly, the study found no significant differences between middle and late adolescents in the strength or nature of these relationships. This consistency suggests that the links between abilities and ideological attitudes are stable across this developmental period, challenging the notion that these relationships emerge only in adulthood.

“In summary, the present results mirror the results obtained in adult samples, with similar relationships of more or less equal magnitude between cognitive abilities and ideological attitudes, and with even stronger relationships for emotional abilities,” the researchers wrote. “The very concept of ‘ideological attitudes’ almost necessitates that its developmental roots go back in time. Many people are committed to politics, but in reflecting on ‘the political’ they do not always think in terms of specific policy issues. Ideological attitudes, after all, have a different compass, one that aligns with values and norms . Such values and norms likely develop at younger ages and are amenable to socialization, making people responsive to specific ideological attitudes.”

The findings shed light on how both cognitive and emotional abilities are related to adolescents’ ideological attitudes. However, because the data were cross-sectional, the researchers could not establish causal relationships or observe how these abilities and attitudes evolve over time. This limitation leaves unanswered questions about whether deficits in cognitive and emotional abilities lead to authoritarian attitudes or if certain ideological beliefs influence the development of these abilities. Future longitudinal studies are necessary to explore these dynamics in greater depth, tracking changes across adolescence and into adulthood to better understand the developmental pathways that connect abilities to ideological preferences.

The study, “The Relationship Between Cognitive and Emotional Abilities and Ideological Attitudes Among Adolescents,” was authored Alain Van Hiel, Kim Dierckx, Hilde Depauw, Tassilo Tissot, Ruben Van Severen, Johnny Fontaine, and Arne Roets.

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https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jopy.13007

Abstract

Objective A large number of studies—usually based on samples of adults—have revealed a negative relationship between cognitive abilities and right-wing ideological attitudes. Recently, this relationship has been claimed to be weaker among adolescents.

Method We administered data in a sample of adolescents (N = 531) who completed a full cognitive abilities test, as well as a number of abridged, performance-based emotional abilities tests. We also administered Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA), Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), and Left-Wing Authoritarianism (LWA).

Results The results revealed the relationships that mirror the pattern obtained in adult samples, both among middle (age 17 or younger) and late adolescents (age 18 or older). Specifically, the relationship between cognitive abilities and ideological attitudes emerged with a similar magnitude. Not only did the analyses reaffirm previous studies with regard to the relationships for RWA and SDO, but we also revealed meaningful relationships for LWA. Moreover, emotional abilities bore out even stronger relationships than cognitive abilities.

Conclusions The present results thus show that the relationships between cognitive and emotional abilities on the one hand and ideological attitudes on the other hand also apply to adolescents. We discuss the need to better understand the development of ideological attitudes throughout childhood and adolescence.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

People who are obsessed with celebrities tend to score lower on measures of cognitive ability

"Our results also support previous findings showing that excessive behaviors such as celebrity worshiping can possibly impair cognitive func

By: Eric W. Dolan

Published: Jan 3, 2022

Cognitive performance is slightly reduced among those with higher levels of celebrity worship, according to a new study published in BMC Psychology.

“Interest in the topic of celebrity worshipers spans almost two decades. From several studies, over that period, research showed a weak to moderate tendency for those who showed the strongest admiration for their favorite celebrity to have lower cognitive skills, using a variety of cognitive measures,” explained study authors Lynn E. McCutcheon, Ágnes Zsila, and Zsolt Demetrovics in a joint statement to PsyPost.

“However, most of these studies did not control for a variety of extraneous variables. The current study did control for several possibly relevant variables.”

In the study, 1,763 Hungarian adults completed a 30-word vocabulary test and a digit symbol substitution test, a validated assessment of fluid intelligence. The researchers also collected data about the participants’ self-esteem, current family income, material wealth, and highest level of education.

Celebrity worship was measured using a scientific questionnaire known as the Celebrity Attitude Scale. The scale asks participants the extent to which they agree or disagree with statements such as “I often feel compelled to learn the personal habits of my favorite celebrity,” “I am obsessed by details of my favorite celebrity’s life,” and “If I were lucky enough to meet my favorite celebrity, and he/she asked me to do something illegal as a favor I would probably do it.”

Even after controlling for demographic and socioeconomic variables, the researchers found that high scores on the Celebrity Attitude Scale were associated with lower performance on the two cognitive ability tests.

“We found a weak tendency for those who showed the strongest admiration for their favorite celebrity to have lower cognitive skills, suggesting that the earlier results were not due just to chance,” the authors of the study said. “Our results also support previous findings showing that excessive behaviors such as celebrity worshiping can possibly impair cognitive functioning, presumably due to the increased focus and energy invested in this behavior that becomes dominant in the individual’s life.”

“Although celebrity admiration seems not to be a strong precursor of poorer cognitive performance, high levels of admiration can be regarded as one contributing factor to lowered performance in tasks requiring cognitive effort, independently from education or age.”

But it is unclear whether celebrity worship is the cause or consequence of reduced cognitive ability. For example, it “may be that individuals with higher levels of cognitive skills are more likely to understand the marketing strategies behind a famous person,” and thus less vulnerable to celebrity worship, the researchers explained. But it is also possible that celebrity worship functions like an addictive behavior and requires cognitive effort to be maintained.

Previous research has found that celebrity worship is associated with addictive and problematic social media use.

“Future studies should seek further support for our suggestion that the cognitive effort invested in maintaining the absorption in a favorite celebrity may interfere with the person’s performance in tasks that require attention and other cognitive skills,” the authors told PsyPost. “Although our research does not prove that developing a powerful obsession with one’s favorite celebrity causes one to score lower on cognitive tests, it suggests that it might be wise to carefully monitor feelings for one’s favorite celebrity, keeping in mind that most celebrities are human beings who have some flaws just like average persons have.”

The study, “Celebrity worship and cognitive skills revisited: applying Cattell’s two-factor theory of intelligence in a cross-sectional study“, was published November 8, 2021.

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Celebrity worship and cognitive skills revisited: applying Cattell’s two-factor theory of intelligence in a cross-sectional study - BMC Psyc

Background Almost two decades of research produced mixed findings on the relationship between celebrity worship and cognitive skills. Severa

Abstract

Background

Almost two decades of research produced mixed findings on the relationship between celebrity worship and cognitive skills. Several studies demonstrated that cognitive performance slightly decreases with higher levels of celebrity worship, while other studies found no association between these constructs. This study has two aims: (1) to extend previous research on the association between celebrity worship and cognitive skills by applying the two-factor theory of intelligence by Cattell on a relatively large sample of Hungarian adults, and (2) to investigate the explanatory power of celebrity worship and other relevant variables in cognitive performance.

Methods

A cross-sectional study design was used. Applying an online survey, a total of 1763 Hungarian adults (66.42% male, Mage = 37.22 years, SD = 11.38) completed two intelligence subtests designed to measure ability in vocabulary (Vocabulary Test) and digit symbol (Short Digit Symbol Test). Participants also completed the Celebrity Attitude Scale and the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale. Subjective material wealth, current family income and general sociodemographics were also reported by participants.

Results

Linear regression models indicated that celebrity worship was associated with lower performance on the cognitive tests even after controlling for demographic variables, material wealth and self-esteem, although the explanatory power was limited.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that there is a direct association between celebrity worship and poorer performance on the cognitive tests that cannot be accounted for by demographic and socioeconomic factors.

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[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

New psychology research links psychopathy and narcissism to antisemitism

A new study reveals a link between "dark" personality traits like narcissism and psychopathy, and antisemitic beliefs. Researchers suggest t

By: Eric W. Dolan

Published: Feb 11, 2025

Individuals with traits like narcissism and psychopathy may be drawn to antisemitic ideologies, according to a new study published in the journal Current Psychology. Researchers found that people who score higher on measures of these dark personality traits also tend to express stronger antisemitic views, suggesting these ideologies can serve as a way for them to satisfy their selfish needs. This research sheds light on the psychological underpinnings of antisemitism and offers a novel perspective on why some individuals are attracted to this form of prejudice.

The new research was grounded in a psychological concept known as the dark-ego-vehicle principle. This idea suggests that individuals who display dark personality traits, such as certain forms of narcissism and psychopathy, are inclined to adopt ideologies that help them meet their inner needs. In other words, these personality characteristics may lead people to embrace beliefs that allow them to express aggression, assert dominance, and seek attention—all while appearing to stand for a moral or righteous cause.

“Consistently, we have found dark personality traits (especially narcissism and psychopathy) to be related to different forms of prosocial activism,” explained study authors Ann Krispenz, a postdoctoral associate, and Alex Bertrams, the head of the Educational Psychology Lab at the University of Bern.

“In our previous studies, higher grandiose narcissism was related to environmental activism, feminist activism, LGBQ activism , and anti-sexual assault activism. We are interpreting these findings to show that prosocial movements are being hijacked by people with dark personalities who use them as a vehicle to act out their selfish dark needs (e.g., moralistic self-exaltation, virtue signaling).”

“From a theoretical point of view, it was reasonable to assume that antisemitism may also be a dark-ego vehicle and should be associated with dark personality styles; however, what mainly motivated us to apply the dark-ego-vehicle principle to antisemitism was the terror of October 7, 2023,” the researchers continued. “Since then, there has been an increase in directly observable antisemitism in countries such as the USA, UK, Germany, and Switzerland. The fact that a horrific massacre became the basis for protests in favor of the perpetrators and the aggressive behaviors at these protests indicated to us that emotionally dark motives are at work.”

“We had the opportunity here to test the dark-ego-vehicle principle on a very serious current situation. We consider our study on the one hand as a test of our theoretical approach and on the other hand as our entry into psychological research for a better understanding of antisemitism.”

To investigate this idea, researchers conducted a longitudinal study, meaning they looked at data collected from the same individuals over time. They invited participants from 14 previous studies, focusing on political attitudes and the dark-ego-vehicle principle, to participate in a new study. This resulted in a large sample of 3,981 individuals from the United States and the United Kingdom.

In these earlier studies, participants had already completed questionnaires measuring various aspects of their personality, including dark personality traits like different forms of narcissism (grandiose and antagonistic narcissism), psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and sadism. They also assessed indicators of dark personality needs, such as aggression, the desire to dominate others, sensation seeking, virtue signaling (publicly displaying moral virtue without genuine moral conviction), and selfishness (measured as low altruism).

In the new study, these same participants were asked to complete questionnaires designed to measure antisemitic attitudes. One questionnaire, called the Generalised Antisemitism Scale, measured both general antisemitism and two specific types: Judeophobic antisemitism, which reflects traditional stereotypes about Jewish people related to dishonesty and greed, and antizionist antisemitism, which focuses on prejudice directed towards the state of Israel as a Jewish entity.

Another questionnaire, called the “Pro-Palestinism” Scale, was also used to assess antisemitism. Despite its name, the scale was included to focus on radical antizionist views, even those that might condone violence.

“We must emphasize that political pro-Palestinian attitudes exist that do not fall under the definition of antisemitism,” the researchers explained. “The measure of ‘pro-Palestinism’ in our study comes from a previous research paper in which the authors used this term regarding this measure. We did not want to change the given term because whatever name we would choose ourselves could be perceived as biased.”

“We therefore decided to keep the term but to put it in quotation marks. We included this measure because, according to the previous research mentioned above, it captures antisemitism rather than pro-Palestinianism. It has complemented our other antisemitism measures as it also includes very explicit aggressive attitudes such as the approval of terrorist attacks. We wanted to include this aspect.”

The study’s findings largely supported the idea that dark personality traits are linked to antisemitism. The vast majority of the relationships examined – over 94% – showed a positive direction, meaning that higher scores on dark personality measures were associated with higher scores on antisemitism measures.

Specifically, when looking at the pre-registered hypothesis, the researchers found that antagonistic narcissism and psychopathy showed particularly strong positive relationships with antizionist antisemitism. This suggests that individuals with these more hostile and manipulative personality traits were more likely to endorse antisemitic views targeting Israel. Grandiose narcissism, characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance, also showed a positive association with antizionist antisemitism, although the relationships were generally weaker than those seen with antagonistic narcissism and psychopathy.

The researchers were surprised to find that these dark personality traits were linked not only to antizionist antisemitism but also to Judeophobic antisemitism, the more traditional form of prejudice against Jewish people. This suggests that dark personalities may be drawn to antisemitism in general, regardless of its specific form.

“Prior to analyzing the data, we assumed that Judeophobic antisemitism was not as suitable as a dark-ego vehicle because it may be less easy to justify with moralism and rationalize than antizionist antisemitism,” Bertrams and Krispenz told PsyPost. “In the future, we will have to examine Judeophobia more closely regarding dark needs.”

Furthermore, the researchers found that indicators like aggression, dominance, sensation seeking, virtue signaling, and selfishness were also generally associated with higher levels of antisemitism. While some of these relationships were weaker than others, the overall pattern indicated that individuals driven by these dark needs were more likely to express antisemitic attitudes.

“Our research focuses on psychological incentives and rewards of being antisemitic,” the researchers said. “Such incentives and rewards may arise only for certain individuals but not for others—depending on individuals’ personalities. One implication of this view is that some antisemitic individuals may actually not be cognitively convinced by antisemitic content but may see the expression of antisemitic sentiment as an opportunity to live out dark needs and to receive the positive affect that arises when such needs are currently met.”

“In the context of the DEVP, we basically think that any ideology, prejudice, and activism that can help satisfy dark needs is attractive to individuals high in dark personality variables. For instance, studies have found that both left- and right- wing authoritarianism are related to dark personality variables. Which specific ideological vehicles dark-ego individuals use may depend on which ideas and narratives they come into contact with in their specific life contexts and whether they recognize the opportunity of dark needs satisfaction.”

“In the case of left- and right-wing authoritarianism, one comes additionally into contact with the prejudices against certain social groups that are common in the respective political sphere,” Bertrams and Krispenz told PsyPost. “Regarding authoritarianism and antisemitism, there is empirical evidence that on the left-wing authoritarian side one is more likely to endorse antizionist antisemitism while on the right-wing authoritarian side one is more likely to endorse Judeophobic antisemitism.”

As with all research, there are limitations to consider. Firstly, the study relied on self-report questionnaires to measure both personality traits and antisemitic attitudes. While these are standard tools in psychology, they are subject to potential biases, as individuals may not always accurately report their own traits or beliefs. Future research could benefit from using a wider range of methods, including observing actual behaviors, to gain a more complete picture. Secondly, the study primarily focused on samples from the US and the UK. Antisemitism is a global issue, and its expression and underlying motivations may vary across different cultures and countries.

Looking ahead, researchers are interested in investigating the question of cause and effect more directly. Longitudinal studies that track individuals over time and experimental designs could help to determine if these traits actually lead to the adoption of antisemitic beliefs.

“To investigate the causal relationship between dark personality traits such as psychopathy and antisemitism, a longitudinal study with several measurement points and a large sample will be needed,” Bertrams and Krispenz said. “At the moment we are trying to acquire funds for such an extensive study.”

The researchers argue that it is less important to study every possible ideology associated with dark personality traits and more valuable to understand how individuals with these traits shift between different belief systems over time.

“From our point of view, it seems not as useful to continue researching the multitude of ideologies with more and more studies,” they explained. “The attraction of certain ideologies and forms of activism for individuals with dark personalities is likely to change again and again depending on societal processes anyway. That is why we call it a vehicle; as individuals with dark egos can hop from one to the other when the old one has had its day, or another one better meets their dark needs.”

“It appears therefore not so important to ask which are all the ideologies that are related to dark personality traits at present. A more important research question may be whether the described vehicle leaps exist. If one looks at climate activism, it now seems to be less widely represented on the streets and in social media, whereas antisemitic protests are very present now. It is possible that some activists have switched from the topic of climate change to manifest antisemitism.”

The researchers also addressed the pushback they experienced from exploring the links between dark personality traits, activism, and ideology.

“Prior to our study, there was a case at our own university where an academic employee openly celebrated the October 7 massacre in an X-tweet,” Bertrams and Krispenz told PsyPost. “When the public and the university leadership became aware of this, he was dismissed and the structures of the institute he was employed at were investigated and changed. We are therefore aware that antisemitism also exists here in Switzerland and even very close to us, but that it is not tolerated at our university. Therefore, when we began our research on antisemitism, we felt largely protected from inappropriate attacks against our research in our immediate environment.”

“However, we know that antisemitism exists in certain parts of the academic system. Therefore, we expected attempts to cancel our research within the anonymous review process and, in our personal experience, this expectation was realistic. Since starting the DEVP research, it has become normal for us to sometimes receive clearly unscientific reviews or rejections without any substantive justification—as it was the case with our antisemitism study; however, it is then also easy to raise an objection because it is so blatantly unscientific. Nevertheless, we also experience a lot of approval and encouragement from colleagues.”

The study, “Antisemitism as a dark-ego vehicle,” was published December 26, 2024.

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Antisemitism as a dark-ego vehicle - Current Psychology

According to the recently proposed dark-ego-vehicle principle (DEVP), individuals high in dark-personality traits (e.g., narcissism, psychop

Abstract

According to the recently proposed dark-ego-vehicle principle (DEVP), individuals high in dark-personality traits (e.g., narcissism, psychopathy) tend to be attracted to certain kinds of (political) ideologies if and when these ideologies can be used to satisfy their dark needs. With the present pre-registered longitudinal study, we attempted to falsify the DEVP in the context of antisemitism. In this regard, we predicted positively directed relationships between certain dark-personality traits (i.e., grandiose narcissism, antagonistic narcissism, psychopathy) and antizionist antisemitism. Individuals from several samples from the US and the UK (N = 3,981) completed validated psychometric measures of antisemitic attitudes. This data was correlated with several variables which had already been assessed previously: individuals’ dark-personality traits and specific dark-personality-needs indicators (e.g., aggression, virtue signaling). The results showed a failed falsification of the DEVP: The vast majority of the correlations between the examined dark-personality traits and antisemitism were positively directed. This was not only true for antizionist antisemitism but also for the classical Judeophobic antisemitism. The overall pattern of the found relationships was in line with the DEVP and its assumption that individuals high in dark-personality traits, particularly in antagonistic narcissism and psychopathy, may be attracted to antisemitic ideology.