The Molecule of More

THE MOLECULE OF MORE

really tend to support liberal policies? It seems that the answer is yes.
Liberals often refer to themselves as progressives, a term that implies con-
stant improvement. Progressives embrace change. They imagine a bet-
ter future and in some cases even believe that the right combination of
technology and public policy can eliminate fundamental problems of
the human condition such as poverty, ignorance, and war. Progressives
are idealists who use dopamine to imagine a world far better than the
one we live in today. Progressivism is an arrow pointing forward.
The word conservative, on the other hand, implies maintaining the
best of what we have inherited from those who came before us. Con-
servatives are often suspicious of change. They don’t like experts who
try  to  advance civilization by  telling them what to  do,  even when it’s  in 
their own best interest; for example, laws that require motorcyclists to
wear helmets, or regulations that promote healthy eating. Conservatives
distrust the  idealism of progressives, criticizing it  as  an  impossible effort 
to  build a  perfect utopia; an  effort that  is  more likely to  lead  to  totali-
tarianism in which the elite dominate all aspects of public and private
life. In contrast to the arrow of progressivism, conservatism is better
represented by a circle.
Matt Bai, former chief political correspondent for the New York Times
Magazine, inadvertently recognized the  dopamine difference between 
left and right when he wrote, “Democrats win when they embody mod-
ernization. Liberalism triumphs only when it  represents a  reforming 
of government, rather than the mere preservation of it... Americans
don’t need Democrats to stand up for nostalgia and restoration. They
already have Republicans for that.”
The connection between dopamine and liberalism is further
demonstrated by  looking at  specific groups of people. Dopaminergic 
people tend to be creative. They also work well with abstract con-
cepts. They like to pursue novelty and have a general dissatisfaction
with the status quo. Is there any evidence that this type of person is
likely to be politically liberal? Silicon Valley start-up companies attract
exactly this type of person: creative, idealistic, skilled in abstract
fields such as  engineering, mathematics, and  design. They are  rebels, 
driven to pursue change, even at the risk of going broke. Silicon Valley