Release date: Jan. 30, 2006
Contact: Beverly Cox Clark at 404-712-8780 or beverly.clark@emory.edu

Partisans May Hear State of the Union Speech Differently

A new Emory University study that used fMRI brain scans of political partisans sheds light on why staunch Democrats and Republicans can hear the same facts but walk away with opposite conclusions. The research, led by Emory psychologist Drew Westen, found that the cool reasoning parts of the brain stayed dull, while emotional hot spots lit up.

President Bush's State of the Union will likely elicit similar responses from those who tune in Tuesday, Westen says: "Democrats will turn off the TV in disgust, and Republicans will have their faith in George Bush renewed — by precisely the same words. Republicans will feel confirmed that his domestic spying program is keeping us safe, and Democrats will feel like this is Richard Nixon all over again. It doesn't take much of a grain of truth to get a ball rolling when that ball is inflated with emotion."

For more information regarding the study, click here.

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