The Ideological Brain, Leor Zmigrod
The Ideological Brain, Leor Zmigrod
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The Ideological Brain
The Radical Science of Flexible Thinking

Author: Leor Zmigrod

Narrator: Tania Rodrigues

Unabridged: 9 hr 42 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/25/2025

Synopsis

Named a best book of the year by The Guardian and The Telegraph

Why do some people become radicalized?
How do ideologies shape the human brain?
And how can we unchain our minds from toxic dogmas?

In The Ideological Brain, Leor Zmigrod reveals the deep connection between political beliefs and the biology of the brain. Drawing on her own pioneering research, she uncovers the complex interplay between biology and environment that predisposes some individuals to rigid ways of thinking, and explains how ideologies take hold of our brains, fundamentally changing the way we think, act and interact with others. She shows how ideologues of all types struggle to change their thought patterns when faced with new information, culminating in the radical message that our politics are not superficial but are woven into the fabric of our minds.

This authoritative, accessible and playful blend of psychology, politics and philosophy explores the cutting-edge of the emerging field of political neuroscience. Zmigrod examines its historical roots before she looks to the future, considering the broader social and political implications of her groundbreaking research. Guiding listeners through her experiments, she eventually 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.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.

About Leor Zmigrod

Dr. Leor Zmigrod is a prizewinning scientist and pioneer in the field of political neuroscience. She studied at the University of Cambridge as a Gates Scholar and has held visiting fellowships at Stanford, Harvard, and both the Berlin and Paris Institutes for Advanced Study. She was listed on Forbes’s 30 Under 30 in Science and has won numerous prizes, including the Women of the Future Science Award and the Glushko Prize. Her research has been featured widely in the media, including in the New York Times, the Guardian, Financial Times, and New Scientist.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Carol on March 11, 2025

I want to give it 20 stars! I actually recognized a part of the neurocognitive testing that I had to determine if I had Mild Cognitive Impairment or worse! That was the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, which I hated with so much vigor when taking it. It determines how rigid or flexible your thinking is.......more

Goodreads review by Allison on March 31, 2025

First Goodreads giveaway win for 2025 and I am so happy to be reading about political neuroscience. Neuroscience is a big love of mine (totally missed my calling), so all the science reads -I am her for. And while I’m at it, I don’t mind the medical jargon that one finds in many science/medical publ......more

Goodreads review by Lance on February 28, 2025

I was fortunate to win an early-release copy in a contest, and I am so glad I did. Summary- Leor Zmigrod explores the psychological and neurological underpinnings of ideological beliefs, delving into how cognitive traits like mental rigidity or flexibility influence a person's susceptibility to radic......more

Goodreads review by John on February 25, 2025

I received an advance reader's edition through Goodreads. My practical brain doesn't fully love the book only because it doesn't give me the easy workarounds to deal with people who don't think or act like me. My rational brain realizes that this is a very good review of the current status of underst......more

Goodreads review by Elizabeth on February 15, 2025

Interesting read! Won a paperback advanced reader copy via a Goodreads giveaway. Personally, I found it a bit dense at times, but the subject matter and insight were compelling, so I stuck with it. Learning about the brain was really fascinating and I now find myself thinking about the Simon effect......more

Quotes

Named a best book of the year by The Guardian and The Telegraph

"Filled with insightful findings, this book shows that ideological extremism and polarization are not just problems to fret about but puzzles that can be studied and understood."
—Steven Pinker, Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and author of Rationality

“The notion that political phenomena would somehow exist in a realm separate from that of human life regulation is pure fiction as Leor Zmigrod demonstrates so clearly. Her book is a must read.”
—Antonio Damasio, David Dornsife Chair in Neuroscience at USC, author of Feeling and Knowing

“This remarkable book tells us something fascinating and heartening about the neuroscience of our inflexibilities and our dogmatisms. Lucid and eloquent, The Ideological Brain couldn't be more timely.”
—Adam Phillips, author of Missing Out

"Fascinating, insightful, lucidly and entertainingly written, Zmigrod’s account illuminates the debate about the nature of ideology and the power it exerts, by bringing cognitive neuroscience–in fact, an intriguing development of it: ‘political neuroscience’–to bear on both. An educative, rewarding, troubling, but ultimately hopeful, book."
—A. C. Grayling, author of The History of Philosophy

"An extraordinary, eye-opening, and startlingly original book, showing what ideology does to the human brain, and casting a bright new light on the sources and nature of dogmatism, ideology. and open-mindedness. Packed with insights, this is a remarkable achievement."
—Cass R. Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard University and author of Decisions About Decisions

"If I had to pick one, Zmigrod’s would be my book to watch out for in 2025."
—Simon Ings, New Scientist
"Leor Zmigrod’s hotly awaited debut. . . uses new research to show that polarized thinking isn’t something that just floats through the mind: it changes our entire neural architecture."
—The Telegraph

"Zmigrod reveals the science behind dogma and shows us how to nurture cognitive flexibility instead."
—The Guardian

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