Why you can't go on Twitter and support McCain

This is fascinating - apparently Love & Hate tickle the same neurons, and of the two, St Paul may have been right on when he said we are nothing without Love, but he was being a lot more rational when he was Saul doing Hate. On C:Net

Since embracing Incorrectness, I have noticed that the passion of those who love either Microsoft or Apple seems even to exceed a Goth's passion for black eyeshadow.

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Now, research led by Professor Semir Zeki of University College London may help to illustrate and explain the inflamed emotions that surround two mere technology brands.

It appears that, although love and hate seem to be rather opposing feelings, some of the same nervous circuits in the brain are responsible for both emotions.

The lovely thing is that the two radical heights of intensity both seem to involve two of the most pornographically named parts of the brain's sub-cortex: the putamen and the insula.

Which probably also goes a long way to explain the (to me, anyway) almost religious fanaticism Americans are showing over this election (did anybody catch the BBC's Question Time this week - hoo boy). I'm not American nor in the US, but I have noticed how polarised it all is, and Tribal - trying to have a rational debate with an American on politics right now is like trying to have one on Religion (oh yes, its the same thing ). I think if you said you supported McCain on Twitter you'd get lynched!. Not that I support McCain, you understand - but it would be amusing to do so on Twitter just to see what hate-twts looked like....

But clock this - Prof Zeki notes:

One major difference between love and hate appears to be in the fact that large parts of the cerebral cortex – associated with judgement and reasoning – become de-activated during love, whereas only a small area is deactivated in hate.

"This may seem surprising since hate can also be an all-consuming passion like love. But whereas in romantic love, the lover is often less critical and judgemental regarding the loved person, it is more likely that in the context of hate the hater may want to exercise judgement in calculating moves to harm, injure or otherwise exact revenge,"

In other words, in vitriol veritas (in hate there may be a lot more truth.......)

(Update - Valleywag suggests some people are supporting Obama for opportunistic rather than true belief reasons - tsk, we hate profane suggestions like that )