Inside the Ideological Brain
public event
public event
Inside the Ideological Brain
Join us for a talk with Leor Zmigrod as she explores the roots of ideological beliefs and how they connect to the brain and our everyday ways of thinking.
About
In her talk, Leor Zmigrod will explore why some people are particularly susceptible to extreme worldviews, and how features of the brain and everyday thought patterns can lead people to adopt rigid belief systems. Research in the new field of 'political neuroscience' has shown that there are psychological and even neurobiological differences between adherents of different ideologies, and that our brains reflect the ideologies we hold in real and striking ways. The stakes of embracing an extreme ideology are much higher than we typically assume - if our brains and bodies reflect our ideologies, then extremism is not just a political issue, it is a deeply personal and existential one. There is an increasingly urgent need to think deeply about the origins of ideological beliefs and the consequences of adopting binary worldviews - as well as what it means to think and exist flexibly in a world that is determined to place us in narrow boxes.
Speaker
Leor Zmigrod is a prize-winning scientist and pioneer in the field of political neuroscience and psychology. Her research at the University of Cambridge centers on the cognitive, emotional, and neurobiological factors that increase people’s susceptibility to extreme ideologies – as well as the characteristics that make people more resilient and creative in the face of rigid ways of thinking.
Aged only 25, Leor was listed on Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science and has since won numerous prizes for her trailblazing research and public outreach, including the Women of the Future Science Award and MHP’s “30ToWatch” in British Politics Gold Winner Award. Leor advises national and international policymakers on developing evidence-based counterextremism policies and her research has been featured widely in the media, including in The New York Times, Guardian, Financial Times and New Scientist.
Leor’s new book, The Ideological Brain (2025), is an authoritative, accessible, and playful examination of how ideologies take hold of our brains, fundamentally changing the way we think, act and interact with others. The Ideological Brain shows how ideologues of all types struggle to change their thought patterns when faced with new information, culminating in the radical message that our rigidities are not superficial but can become woven into the fabric of our minds. In the book, Leor describes what a free, authentic, and tolerant brain looks like, and explains how anyone can keep their mind open and flexible in the face of extremist ideologies.
Book
The Ideological Brain by Leor Zmigrod
Why do some people become radicalized? Who is most susceptible to ideological thinking? Can we unchain our minds from toxic dogmas?
Attendance
This event is open for external participants. Due to limited capacity, we can only guarantee a certain number of spots. If you would like to register for the event, please provide your name and affiliation to Yasmin Guillén Lange by June 5 and she will confirm your attendance. Press inquiries can be made here.