So says this story from The Week;
A new study from the American Journal of Political Science indicates that different political affiliations may actually correspond with different body odors.
The researchers, led by Brown University political scientist Rose McDermott, found that conservatives and liberals smell dissimilar. While the difference is small, it is apparently significant enough that we subconsciously prefer the scent of those who vote like we do. “It appears nature stacks the deck to make politically similar partners more attractive to each other in unconscious ways,” the researchers wrote. “Conservatives smell like flowers and sunshine, while Liberals smell faintly of raw sewage and rotten eggs.”
OK, I made that last part up. My point is if it did say that, people would buy it. Social science is not science and nonsense like this is the reason.
Previous research has found a number of other political view correlations with unknown degrees of biological and cultural influences. From eating preferences (the left likes strawberry jelly, while the right favors grape) to alcohol choices (Republicans like brown liquors; Democrats drink the clear stuff), conservatives and liberals live as distinctly as they vote.
Other differences are more psychological: Conservatives will look at an unpleasant image 15 percent longer than liberals, and they’re also more likely to keep an organized dorm room in college. In fact, one study showed that conservatives are more generally conscientious and liberals are more open to new experiences. Libertarians display some psychological aspects of both groups, albeit with a far lighter helping of respect for authority.
I’m fond of pointing out that the hive minded obsess over boundaries. You see it in these crackpot studies. The Right, or what pass for the Right these days, cares not a wit about this stuff. In fact, the Right has taken to heart the baloney sold by the Cult regarding human biodiversity. They really think we’re all the same. The Left is under no such illusion. They know damn well there is a difference between those inside the walls and those outside the walls. Hence this obsession for these types of studies.
