from the correlation-does-not-imply-causation dept.
Researchers from the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and Rice University have released a study that shows hormone levels might affect voter turnout.
As witnessed by recent voter turnout in primary elections, participation in U.S. national elections is low, relative to other western democracies. In fact, voter turnout in biennial national elections ranges includes only 40 to 60 percent of eligible voters.
The study, published June 22 in Physiology and Behavior, reports that while participation in electoral politics is affected by a host of social and demographic variables, there are also biological factors that may play a role, as well. Specifically, the paper points to low levels of the stress hormone cortisol as a strong predictor of actual voting behavior, determined via voting records maintained by the Secretary of State.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Theophrastus on Saturday June 28 2014, @07:42PM
tl:dr?: the hypothesis: stress -> cortisol goes up -> less voting
with this being the money-quote in the abstract:
quibbles abound:
many more such questions, (probably much better ones), can be asked
(Score: 2) by frojack on Saturday June 28 2014, @08:51PM
One more quibble:
Of what possible use is this information?
Are they going to be saliva testing voters now? That ought to suppress turn out dramatically!
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by Theophrastus on Saturday June 28 2014, @09:05PM
can you conjecture on the value of knowing any valid predictor of voting behavior? ("value" in the broadest sense of practical or monetary or nefarious) also it's helpful to presume that the cortisol is just this study's way of concluding an easy estimator of human stress. so my statement of their hypothesis did them a disservice insomuch as it should've been a branched diagram showing voting behavior as a parallel consequence of stress as a parallel of cortisol levels.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 28 2014, @10:45PM
oh i guarantee the GOP could spin it just fine, claiming its to prevent "voter fraud" and to keep "junkies" from voting, since they'd be felons if they were caught high, so they "shouldnt be voting anyway".
(Score: 2) by AnonTechie on Saturday June 28 2014, @08:32PM
If this were true, who would benefit ?? GOP or Democrats or the Tea Party ?
Albert Einstein - "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 28 2014, @08:39PM
WHAT DiFFERENCE AT THIS POINT DOES IT MAKE.
(Score: 2) by tathra on Saturday June 28 2014, @10:55PM
the difference is that GOP and tea party dont want to do any of their jobs (representing their constituents and making the gov't work, rather than throwing temper tantrums and shutting down the whole fucking government - twice! - because their own fucking healthcare policy was endorsed by a Democrat) and hell, even run on a platform of refusing to let the government do even the bare minimum it needs to do, but the Democrats are actually representing their constituents, fighting to keep Net Neutrality a thing, plus a lot more that benefits the public.
saying "they're exactly the same" is just conservative FUD to keep people from voting.
posting anon because i'm sick of losing karma just because somebody with mod points has a different political view. thats not what the moderation system is for!
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 28 2014, @10:57PM
ah damn, i forgot to tick the "post anonymously" box.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Sunday June 29 2014, @01:07AM
Fail.
Trying to turn every story on SN into a soap box for your warped sense of values is not what the comment system is for.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 29 2014, @02:49AM
Agreed. The comment system is for trolling and posting inflammatory remarks, not discussion.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Sunday June 29 2014, @05:22AM
Translation: "Side with me or shut up."
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