Politician Brain Scan

Before I get going on this revealing topic... Yesterday I received a link to a video clip from 60 Minutes episode a few weeks back. The video dealt with a vote on a medicare bill which was passed some years back. Quite frankly, it made me sick to watch, and while I am planning on sharing it with you, I'll be letting the thoughts settle for a while, so I can provide you with an objective analysis when I do.
Alright the topic today is about the dangers of political ideologies. I don't have a reference to the article I am basing this on, but if any readers know where I could get a reference to it, I'll make it worth your while!!
The article reported a study which was done on the brain functions of members of both political parties. No doubt I could take up a whole page on jokes just related to that, but in reality the results were a little sobering.
The experiment was to monitor which parts of the brain where activated when the subjects were given information from a leader within their own party, which information was radically different from what many of them would have normally believed in.
Here's what happened... When the information was given, the logical centers of the politicians brains, actually turned off, and the pleasure centers started to show activity. Consequently, all subjects agreed with the direction that was given to them.
Now I'm hoping I got the story right, as it shows an interesting physiological phenomenon, that we can observe other places as well. While it is now doubt more complex than the explanation I am about to give, basically what happens in the brain is this...
The brain is fed information which supports a specific paradigm. In the case of these politicians, it was to believe in the leadership of their party. This information creates within the brain an alternative reality. Of course if is not so much a reality, as it is an illusion of reality, which the brain the begins to accept as a reality. As time passes, this illusion becomes more and more accepted as reality.
Now enters a party leader with information that would normally raise red flags in the real world, but in the illusionary world, which the brain is now working in, the leader must be right. So the brain receives the message, the logical center looks at it for perhaps just a split second, and realizes there is a conflict. We don't like conflict, and so in an effort to avoid any pain, the brain shuts down logic, releases some 'feel good' hormones, and all of a sudden everything seems fine.
Do you ever wonder how a radical Islamic leader can convince people to kill themselves in the name of religion? Same way. I spent some time, perhaps 10 years ago, looking and investigating Islam. Some of their beliefs are wonderful, and I have always had good encounters when interacting with Muslims. The problem is though, that part of the religion is based on unquestioning obedience to leaders. With that situation, all you need is a corrupt and self-serving leader to give some bad direction, and the brain kicks in, shuts down logic and convinces the victims that it is the right thing.
When you look at both situations, is there really much difference between the way radical Islamic leaders and high ranking members of the political parties work?
With your new knowledge, look around at your life. I was shocked to find just how far from reality, my perception of the world had drifted.
One word of caution at this point. When I did this, I found a number of things in my life which really upset me, and I have spent a lot of time feeling angry and betrayed. Just remember that the illusions with which we have been indoctrinated are likely the same illusions which those who shared them with you have been indoctrinated. It's an ongoing cycle, but it can be broken by those who realize they have the freedom to choose their own thoughts, actions and hence their own destinies.