Editorial Review:

This groundbreaking investigation by a renowned psychologist and neuroscientist proves it: We vote with our hearts, not our minds.

Drew Westen, a Professor of Psychology at Emory University, is the lead investigator on a team of neuroscientists who have been studying how the brain processes political information. For two decades he has been advancing a theory of the mind that differs substantially from the more "dispassionate" visions held by most cognitive psychologists, political scientists, and economists. In this book he shows, through a bravura tour of American political leaders and how they have appealed to the electorate, that Americans don't vote with their heads but with their hearts, or guts, or neuroses.

The Political Brain is a serious and groundbreaking investigation into the role of emotion in deciding the life of the nation. It looks at data across several Presidential elections from the 1950s through 2000, examines the evidence for the role of emotion in driving voting behavior, and provides a "clinical" view of a number of campaign ads, debate lines and personal profiles of the candidates who have sought to win our hearts. What's the matter with Kansas? Kansans are overemotional. And here's why...

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

How do people decide - in polititcs and elsewhere:

This book does a very good job of exposing the decision making process in general. The the writer explores the subject of how people respond to the messages of politicians and describes numerous studies on the effectiveness of political campaigns. However, the insights that one can gain from these observations go much beyond the political sphere. The insights reveal the very nature of how people respond to external messages.
As the writer mentions, it is not just democrats who overrate the rational... more info

The Political Brain is a good read during this election season:

This book is an excellent read for those political junkies who are following this election day by day.

Fascinating and compelling:

As a psychotherapist and author, I'm amazed at how Westen makes such a complex, well researched subject so compelling and fascinating. I am rarely a nonfiction reader out of my genre of psychology, but this book is a pleasure to read. Westen explains how the parts of the brain work together and helps us easily understand the role of emotion in deciding not just the fate of the nation but everything political. I have recommended this book to all my friends.

a must read:

Drew Westen draws on both basic neuropsych research and political research. He is not always clear which of the two he is using in his conclusions. This is a well written book by a committed Democrat. His analysis of why people vote for particular candidates is interesting and believable. Yep, this is why they made Socrates drink the hemlock. A must read for all who hope to vote in an informed way or who intend to run for office.

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