{"id":753,"date":"2025-09-19T08:06:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T04:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hub\/?p=753"},"modified":"2025-09-19T20:23:40","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T16:23:40","slug":"ideological-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hub\/society-culture\/religion\/ideological-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Ideological Thinking? A Neuroscientist Explains"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Why do some people seem unshakeable in their beliefs, even when faced with contradictory evidence? The answer lies in something called ideological thinking\u2014a powerful cognitive process that goes far beyond simply having opinions. Neuroscientist Leor Zmigrod has identified the key components that make our brains so vulnerable to rigid belief systems, from political extremism to religious fundamentalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read more to see how understanding these mental patterns can help explain why ideology feels so natural and why some people fall deeper into its grip than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-the-definition-of-ideological-thinking\" data-level=\"2\">The Definition of Ideological Thinking<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#h-the-2-components-of-ideological-thinking\" data-level=\"3\">The 2 Components of Ideological Thinking<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-why-our-brains-love-ideology\" data-level=\"3\">Why Our Brains Love Ideology<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-learn-more-about-ideology\" data-level=\"2\">Learn More About Ideology<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-definition-of-ideological-thinking\">The Definition of Ideological Thinking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An ideology isn\u2019t just a set of ideas: It\u2019s a <em>system <\/em>of ideas that becomes deeply embedded in your mind and body, dictating your perceptions, thought processes, and behaviors. We\u2019ll start by examining how Zmigrod defines ideological thinking\u2014and why our brains are so vulnerable to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-2-components-of-ideological-thinking\">The 2 Components of Ideological Thinking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Zmigrod defines ideological thinking as a cognitive approach with two essential characteristics: It\u2019s both <strong>doctrinal<\/strong> (rigid in its adherence to a set of beliefs and resistant to updating those beliefs with new evidence) and <strong>relational<\/strong> (favorably oriented toward an in-group; that is, a group of people who share the thinker\u2019s interests or identity). Zmigrod explains that these two components appear consistently across various ideologies, whether you look at political extremism or religious fundamentalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Why don\u2019t we just see things objectively? Researchers in two different fields offer complementary explanations. Neuroscientists, like Zmigrod, find that our brains are wired to filter information through our <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full\/10.1177\/17456916211044140\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">existing beliefs and perspectives<\/a>. Our neural pathways don\u2019t passively record reality: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/theres-no-such-thing-as-an-objective-view-of-something\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">They shape what we perceive<\/a>. Meanwhile, sociologists suggest our biased understanding of the world <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplypsychology.org\/social-constructionism.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">comes from our social nature<\/a>: We <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebsco.com\/research-starters\/religion-and-philosophy\/sociological-theory-social-constructionism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">create meaning together<\/a> through language and shared experiences, rather than discovering preexisting truths. Both ideas hint at why ideological thinking feels so natural: We need frameworks to interpret our world. The question isn\u2019t <em>whether <\/em>we <em>use <\/em>these frameworks, but <em>how strongly<\/em> we cling to them.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-doctrinal-thinking\">Doctrinal Thinking<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>You can see the doctrinal component of ideology at work when people embrace a dogmatic way of thinking: the kind that assumes there\u2019s one true explanation for\u2014and solution to\u2014the world\u2019s problems. Zimgrod explains that <strong>dogmatic ways of thinking typically outline sharp distinctions between those who see the \u201ctruth\u201d and those who don\u2019t<\/strong>, and they often categorize the world into \u201cgood versus evil,\u201d and \u201cus versus them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: The dogmatic certainty of ideological thinking is a response to the complexity of our world, which creates what experts call \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/anger-in-the-age-of-entitlement\/202207\/the-rigidity-entropy-complex\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">psychological entropy<\/a>.\u201d In physics, entropy refers to disorder or uncertainty in a system. So, psychological entropy refers to the mental chaos and anxiety we experience when we feel <a href=\"https:\/\/psycnet.apa.org\/record\/2012-00550-001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">overwhelmed by change, uncertainty, and information overload<\/a>. Our minds naturally seek a reprieve from this chaos, and ideologies provide us with clear-cut explanations that reduce the mental effort required to make sense of uncertainty. But what begins as a helpful mental shortcut can harden into what researchers call \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/spsp.org\/news\/character-and-context-blog\/ho-functional-fixedness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">functional fixedness<\/a>,\u201d where we become stuck in one way of thinking even as circumstances change.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-relational-thinking\">Relational Thinking<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Zmigrod explains that the relational component of ideology manifests itself when people adopt overt identity markers\u2014by flying flags, wearing symbols, and taking part in rituals and other social practices\u2014that signal their membership and loyalty to an ideological group. These <strong>markers create feelings of connection and belonging with fellow followers of the ideology<\/strong>, while simultaneously making it clear who doesn\u2019t belong. Think about how quickly you can identify someone\u2019s political affiliation by their clothing, the bumper stickers on their car, or even the language they use to talk about an election: These markers identify them as part of the group that believes in a certain set of ideas and thinks in a specific way about the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>From Gray Flannel Suits to Red Hats<\/strong><br><br>Zmigrod\u2019s observation that visible identity markers communicate our ideological loyalties highlights a shift in how Americans signal group affiliation. In the 1950s, the epitome of corporate America was the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thisisinherent.com\/blogs\/inherent-news\/a-look-at-style-in-the-man-in-the-gray-flannel-suit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">man in the gray flannel suit<\/a>,\u201d a uniform so ubiquitous it came to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ivy-style.com\/elegance-week-boyer-on-grey-flannel.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">represent conformity and anonymity<\/a>. The suit revealed nothing about political leanings or corporate ties: It just signified membership in the professional class and participation in the rituals of the nine-to-five job. Today\u2019s identity markers serve a different purpose: From <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/how-the-fleece-vest-became-the-new-corporate-uniform-1532442297\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">finance bros<\/a> wrapped in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/04\/05\/fashion\/patagonia-fleece-fintech-banking.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">company-branded fleece vests<\/a> to rallygoers wearing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/09\/24\/us\/politics\/republicans-2024-fashion.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hats and shirts<\/a> emblazoned with candidates\u2019 names, modern Americans advertise their affiliations.<br><br>This shift in self-branding seems to align with what political scientist Robert Putnam observes as a sign of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/bowling-alone#the-great-decline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">social capital in America<\/a> breaking down. In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/bowling-alone\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Bowling Alone<\/em><\/a>, Putnam explains that healthy communities balance <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/bowling-alone#do-social-connections-unite-or-divide-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two kinds of social connections<\/a>: \u201cbonding,\u201d which unites people with similar identities, and \u201cbridging,\u201d which connects people of different backgrounds. As bridging connections weaken, bonding connections intensify, leading to stronger in-group identification and more visible markers of group membership.<br><br>Taking perhaps the most recognizable political identity marker of our time, the red \u201cMake America Great Again\u201d hat, as an example, these markers of belonging <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2019\/01\/27\/689191278\/the-symbol-of-the-maga-hat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">make powerful statements<\/a> about which \u201cus\u201d we belong to and which \u201cthem\u201d we stand against.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-our-brains-love-ideology\">Why Our Brains Love Ideology<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Zmigrod explains that our brains are naturally receptive to ideological systems because they satisfy two of our basic cognitive needs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The need for prediction<\/strong>: The doctrinal aspects of ideologies offer explanatory frameworks that help us to understand and predict the world around us. When your life feels chaotic or the world feels uncertain, an ideology can provide you with comforting answers and certainty.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The need for connection<\/strong>: The relational aspects of ideologies connect us with groups who share our identity, which satisfies our desire for belonging. These communities tell us who \u201cour people\u201d are and give us a shorthand for understanding who\u2019s with us and who\u2019s against us.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Why Prediction and Connection Are Necessary for Survival<\/strong><br><br>Our brains don\u2019t just <em>want<\/em> predictions: They <em>depend<\/em> on them. We evolved to rely heavily on prediction rather than truth for two reasons. First, prediction <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@DrMikeBrooksTHL\/the-purpose-of-truth-how-our-brains-are-wired-to-survive-not-see-reality-339568a35eff\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">helped our ancestors survive<\/a>\u2014it was safer to mistake a stick for a snake than vice versa. Second, our perception lags reality: It <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/everything-we-see-is-a-mash-up-of-the-brains-last-15-seconds-of-visual-information-175577\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">takes up to 15 seconds<\/a> for visual information to be processed, so we\u2019re always experiencing a <a href=\"https:\/\/findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au\/news\/11548-what-you%E2%80%99re-seeing-right-now-is-the-past--so-your-brain-is-predicting-the-present\">slightly outdated<\/a> version of the world. To compensate for this delay, our brains predict what\u2019s happening based on past experiences and expectations. This leaves us <a href=\"https:\/\/news.mit.edu\/2019\/how-expectation-influences-perception-0715\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prone to warping<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/bigthink.com\/mind-brain\/why-you-can-miss-things-happening-right-in-front-of-you\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">even completely missing<\/a> sensory information about events happening right in front of us because it doesn\u2019t fit our predictions\u2014or square with our ideology.<br><br>Similarly, research suggests our need for social connection is as <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.ucla.edu\/releases\/we-are-hard-wired-to-be-social-248746\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">crucial to survival<\/a> as food, water, and shelter. A sense of belonging (the subjective feeling of connection with our social groups) is fundamental to our <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC8095671\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mental and physical health<\/a>. When our ancestors formed social groups, they could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/sense-of-belonging\/201906\/the-importance-of-belonging-across-life\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hunt larger animals<\/a>, protect themselves from predators, and share the responsibilities of raising children. These survival benefits are so powerful that humans may have <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/19575315\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">evolved larger brains<\/a> specifically to manage the complexity of social networks and relationships. When our basic need for belonging isn\u2019t met, our bodies respond with feelings of loneliness, which researchers see as a biological warning signal akin <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thesocialcreatures.org\/thecreaturetimes\/evolution-of-social-connection\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">to hunger or thirst<\/a>.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Prediction and connection are basic human needs that we all want to satisfy, which makes ideological thinking appealing. Yet <strong>turning to ideological thinking to satisfy our needs can also lead our brains into patterns of rigidity and intolerance.<\/strong> Zmigrod explains that when you adopt a strong ideological stance, your brain adopts patterns of dogmatism and resistance to contradictory evidence. We\u2019re all susceptible to this: Rather than seeing ideological thinking as something you either engage in or don\u2019t, Zmigrod sees it as a spectrum from moderate to extreme.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Zmigrod\u2019s insight that ideology leads to rigid thought patterns is supported by other scientists\u2019 research showing that when people exhibit rigid thinking about social and political ideas, they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psypost.org\/new-psychology-research-indicates-that-social-rigidity-is-a-key-predictor-of-cognitive-rigidity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">demonstrate similar rigidity in purely cognitive tasks<\/a>. This suggests that ideological dogmatism isn\u2019t just about what you believe, but how your brain processes information. Racial prejudice offers a clear example of this connection. Research indicates that prejudice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologicalscience.org\/news\/were-only-human\/is-racism-just-a-form-of-stupidity.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">simplifies the world<\/a> in ways that appeal to people with lower mental flexibility because it involves over-generalizing traits to entire groups\u2014and therefore not having to make sense of the tremendous variation within any racial category.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zmigrod explains that <strong>every person\u2019s <strong>susceptibility<\/strong> ideological thinking falls along a spectrum from low to high.<\/strong> People at the low end of the spectrum are receptive to evidence that might contradict their beliefs and tolerant of those with different views. At the extreme end of the spectrum, people hold tightly to their doctrines and can seem willing to harm others (or even sacrifice themselves) for their beliefs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Where you fall on this spectrum isn\u2019t random; Zmigrod contends it\u2019s in part determined by inherent differences in how our brains process and respond to ideological information. This helps explain why some people seem more vulnerable to ideological extremism than others\u2014which we\u2019ll explore in the next section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Other researchers agree with Zmigrod that people show rigid, ideological thinking to <a href=\"https:\/\/michigancrs.com\/definitions\/mental-rigidity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">different degrees<\/a>. However, they note that what looks like rigid thinking in some contexts, particularly for neurodivergent people, can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.neurodiverging.com\/understanding-rigidity-in-autism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">represent different processing styles<\/a> rather than inflexible thinking. For example, apparent rigidity in people with autism often represents an <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC9969081\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">adaptive response<\/a> to perceiving the world with higher levels of uncertainty than neurotypical people experience, rather than a lower tolerance of uncertainty. So, a preference for consistency may not be a cognitive limitation\u2014it can sometimes represent a rational strategy for navigating an unpredictable world, and a valid approach to processing information.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-learn-more-about-ideology\">Learn More About Ideology<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To better understand what ideological thinking is in its broader context, check out Shortform&#8217;s guide to <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-ideological-brain\/preview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Ideological Brain<em>: The Radical Science of Flexible Thinking<\/em><\/a><\/em> by Leor Zmigrod.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ideological thinking is a cognitive process that goes beyond simply having opinions. Learn what happens in your brain when ideas take hold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":761,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government","category-religion"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Is Ideological Thinking? A Neuroscientist Explains - Shortform Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ideological thinking is a cognitive process that goes beyond simply having opinions. 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