Psychologists Discover the Striking Difference Between Conservative and Liberal Brains I The news: Are conservatives and liberals really all that different? New scientific research says they are, and it's all in their heads. A growing consensus is emerging among political scientists and psychologists that differences between liberal and conservative ideology may actually be hardwired in our brains. Recent research from political scientist John Hibbing at the University of Nebraska and colleagues published in Behavioral and Brain Sciences argue that right-wingers possess what's called a strong "negativity bias," or physiological fixation on negative stimuli in their environments. According to the study, conservatives have a more threat-oriented and reactionary mindset than liberals. If true, then differences between left and right may be just as physiological as they are psychological. The studies: Hibbings an