The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation

(Paperback)

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Through a bravura tour of American political leaders and their appeals to the electorate, Drew Westen shows that Americans dont vote with their heads but with their hearts-and that Democratic politicians had better wise up in their approach. The Political Brain is a serious and groundbreaking investigation into the role of emotion in deciding the outcome of elections. It looks at data across several presidential elections from the 1950s through 2000, examines the evidence for the role of emotion in driving voting behavior, and provides a clinical view of a number of campaign ads, debate lines, and personal profiles of the candidates who have sought to win our hearts.

Reviews

"The most interesting, informative book on politics I've read in many years" Bill Clinton "May prove to be one of the most important studies of political campaigning of recent times." Jonathan Freedland in The Guardian"

Author Bio

Drew Westen received his B.A. at Harvard, an M.A. in Social and Political Thought at the University of Sussex (England), and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Michigan, where he subsequently taught for six years. For several years he was Chief Psychologist at Cambridge Hospital and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. He is a commentator on NPR's "All Things Considered" and lives in Atlanta.