Loretta Breuning

Loretta Breuning commented on the post, Patronage Works in the Baboon World, on the site The Political Mammal 7 months ago

Exactly what I was thinking. Partly because we’re more future oriented. We can think “someday a messiah will come to lead us out of this terrible place.” A baboon only thinks about thinks he can touch, not […]

Loretta Breuning wrote a new post, Patronage Works in the Baboon World, on the site The Political Mammal 7 months ago

Every baboon troop is led by an alpha who holds power until ousted by a challenger. Brute force makes you alpha among small-brained mammals like bovines, but in the primate world, power is won by trading favors. […]

Loretta Breuning commented on the post, Optimism and the Mysterious Independent Voters, on the site IVN Editors' Blog 7 months ago

Great points:
1. We don’t have as much control as we’d like to imagine.
2. A party affiliation can’t make you right (ie. righteous) all the time.
3. Competition of ideas is healthy, regardless of wins and […]

Loretta Breuning commented on the post, Why Are All Debate Moderators Democrats?, on the site The Political Mammal 7 months, 1 week ago

Yeah, if someone points out your bias, you just think they’re the one who is biased. But I think we all plant seed in each others mind. Eventually, in the quiet of your own home, the other person’s view sprouts […]

Loretta Breuning wrote a new post, Why Are All Debate Moderators Democrats? , on the site Election Center 7 months, 1 week ago

Debates are structured to convey fairness, but the moderators are always Democrats. If the moderators were Republican, people would notice. Why are Democrat journalists presumed “neutral,” while Republican […]

Loretta Breuning wrote a new post, Why Are All Debate Moderators Democrats? , on the site The Political Mammal 7 months, 1 week ago

Debates are structured to convey fairness, but the moderators are always Democrats. If the moderators were Republican, people would notice. Why are Democrat journalists presumed “neutral,” while Republican […]

Loretta Breuning commented on the post, Reductionist Debate on Job Creation Defies Reality, on the site The Political Mammal 7 months, 2 weeks ago

Hopefully it sparks smaller private discussions, but that also ends up being irate venting among the like-minded. But we have to give ourselves credit- in other times and places, people come to blows. Verbal […]

Loretta Breuning commented on the post, Reductionist Debate on Job Creation Defies Reality, on the site The Political Mammal 7 months, 2 weeks ago

Thanks. What a beautiful one-sentence summary of my work (and the subject of my forthcoming book, Beyond Cynical.)

Loretta Breuning wrote a new post, Reductionist Debate on Job Creation Defies Reality, on the site The Political Mammal 7 months, 2 weeks ago

I’m usually very choosy about my information sources, but a walk through an airport yesterday assaulted me with headlines on newsstands and monitors. One caption stopped me in my tracks : “Can government create […]

Loretta Breuning commented on the post, Psychology and the Politics of Greed, on the site The Political Mammal 7 months, 3 weeks ago

Thanks so much, and until then, there’s a lot more on this in my books, and for free on my websites, http://www.imammalthebook.com, and http://www.meetyourhappychemicals.com.

Loretta Breuning commented on the post, Psychology and the Politics of Greed, on the site The Political Mammal 7 months, 3 weeks ago

What makes my head spin is psych professors representing calling childish jealousy “equity” and “justice.”
Thanks for the feedback!

Loretta Breuning commented on the post, Psychology and the Politics of Greed, on the site The Political Mammal 7 months, 3 weeks ago

Yes, that IS the question of life! That “I have enough feeling” is a release of serotonin. The feeling last for a few minutes, and then the chemical is metabolized. That’s why people keep seeking, and why animals […]

Loretta Breuning wrote a new post, Psychology and the Politics of Greed, on the site Independent Voter Network 7 months, 4 weeks ago

Greed is a big theme in this election. It’s easy to blame this on politicians, but they are playing to the prevailing mindset of voters. Psychologists did much to create that entitlement mindset. Modern psychology […]

Loretta Breuning wrote a new post, Psychology and the Politics of Greed, on the site The Political Mammal 7 months, 4 weeks ago

Greed is a big theme in this election. It’s easy to blame this on politicians, but they are playing to the prevailing mindset of voters. Psychologists did much to create that entitlement mindset. Modern psychology […]

Loretta Breuning commented on the post, Good News about Energy, Economy, and Democracy, on the site The Political Mammal 8 months ago

Some of our fellow mammals will process information with more than their primal instincts.

Loretta Breuning wrote a new post, Good News about Energy, Economy, and Democracy, on the site The Political Mammal 8 months, 1 week ago

Good news is everywhere, but it’s widely ignored. There’s good news about energy supplies (increasing), economic innovation (thriving), and Third World democracy (all-time high). The facts about positive […]

Loretta Breuning commented on the post, How To Be Non-Partisan Without Getting Your Throat Slit, on the site The Political Mammal 8 months, 1 week ago

I know what you mean about cattle (see my last post on herd behavior). But dominance is a separate motivation. (The former is oxytocin and the latter is serotonin- see my meetyourhappychemicals.com.) A person can […]

Loretta Breuning commented on the post, How To Be Non-Partisan Without Getting Your Throat Slit, on the site The Political Mammal 8 months, 1 week ago

I’m not understanding your last line because in nature, animals stick with the best reproductive opportunities, and that’s the only thing that motivates them to break away from the herd. In humans it’s hard to […]

Loretta Breuning commented on the post, How To Be Non-Partisan Without Getting Your Throat Slit, on the site The Political Mammal 8 months, 1 week ago

Plant the seed and let it sprout while your throat is not under the blade!

Loretta Breuning commented on the post, Brain Chemicals Cause Herd Behavior in Politics, on the site The Political Mammal 8 months, 1 week ago

Being a leader isn’t breaking away. A leader has to go where the pack is disposed to follow. Breaking away mean meeting believing in your ability to meet own survival needs regardless of what the pack does. […]

Loretta Breuning wrote a new post, How To Be Non-Partisan Without Getting Your Throat Slit, on the site The Political Mammal 8 months, 2 weeks ago

Life throws me chances to practice being independent every day. Yesterday, I landed in the middle of a political conversation when I sat down to get my hair cut. The customer in the next chair was condemning big […]

Loretta Breuning wrote a new post, Brain Chemicals Cause Herd Behavior in Politics, on the site The Political Mammal 8 months, 4 weeks ago

Brain chemicals cause herd behavior in politics. When a mammal runs with the herd, its brain releases a chemical called oxytocin. That produces a pleasant feeling, which motivates the mammal to stick with the […]

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