Leor Zmigrod

We possess beliefs, yes, but we can also become possessed by them. With powerful measurement tools, it is now possible to see the consequences of ideological rigidity all the way down to human perception, cognition, physiology, and even neural processes. Our bodies are not impervious to the ideologies that surround us: what we believe is reflected in our biology.

Unlike the impressions left in sand, ideological imprints are difficult to erase. Our most recent scientific discoveries illustrate that human brains soak up ideological convictions with vigor and thirst.

Ideologies offer absolutist descriptions of the world and accompanying prescriptions for how we ought to think, act, and interact with others. Ideologies legislate what is permissible and what is forbidden. Unlike culture—which can celebrate eccentricities and reinterpretations—in ideology, nonconformity is intolerable and total alignment is essential. When deviation from the rules leads to severe punishment and ostracism, we have moved away from culture and into ideology.