politics and brain size studied

A study from University College London published this week in Current Biology has discovered that there are actually differences in the brains of liberals and conservatives. Specifically, liberals' brains tend to be bigger in the area that deals with processing complex ideas and situations, while conservatives' brains are bigger in the area that processes fear.

via good.is

I wonder whether the brain differences are due to experience, nature, or both. I've read that conservatism increases in anxious times–does that mean that those who have larger sections of the brain sensitized to fear are more influenced by it then?

Filed under: Miscellany