Psychophysiology of Politics and Emotional Political Campaigns in the Background of Neuropolitics
Rational choice theory, long dominant in political science, suggests that voters base their decisions on logic and interest analysis. In recent years, however, research in neuromarketing and psychology has shown that emotions and subconscious mechanisms are decisive in political decision-making.
While traditional political science relies on sociological, economic and ideological factors to understand voter behavior, with the development of the discipline of neuropolitics, biological and psychophysiological factors have been seen to be decisive in this process. The idea that voter decisions are shaped by emotions, perceptions and physiological reactions rather than conscious preferences is increasingly accepted.
Neuropolitics is a discipline at the intersection of political science and neuroscience. It examines the psychological and neurological processes that shape people's political thinking, behavior and choices.
Psychophysiological Data Harvesting, a new framework based on neuropolitics, includes the measurement of physical and emotional responses to political behavior and perceptions, and offers a holistic data harvesting experience on attention, focus and mood change. In addition to EEG (Electroencephalography), which measures the electrical activity of the brain and fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging), an imaging technique used to study brain activity, experimental research using eye tracking, electrodermal activity (EDA), or galvanic skin response (GSR), and face coding provides rapid data collection and a wide range of applications. The data obtained through these techniques show which types of messages are more effective and which emotional themes should be emphasized in election campaigns. In this sense, it becomes a useful tool for developing political communication strategies.
Political communication aims to attract the attention of voters and create an emotional bond with them by using emotional elements.
An important strategy here is to shape voters' thoughts by mobilizing emotions such as fear, hope and anger. Especially the proliferation of social media and digital platforms allows emotional messages to spread rapidly and have a greater impact on certain groups.
Emotional political campaigns play a critical role in this context. The content of the message, how it is presented, and the use of visual and auditory elements can directly affect voters' emotional responses. Campaigns that appeal to voters' fears may increase the perception of risk and cause a particular candidate to be perceived as more credible. Similarly, campaigns that include messages of hope and optimism can strengthen the emotional bond with the leader, thereby reinforcing voter loyalty. This is precisely where neuropolitics and psychophysiological data harvesting techniques reveal the unconscious process behind political decisions and perceptions, as well as mood swings in response to political communication campaigns. Moreover, these emotions can influence whether voters support a leader or not.
In conclusion, the combination of neuropolitics, psychophysiological data harvesting and emotional political communication contributes to making modern political campaigns more effective and deepens the link between politics and the mind. The fact that voters are not rational individuals, but rather individuals who act on their emotions and physiological reactions suggests that political strategies will become even more emotion-centered in the future. Future research in these areas will allow for a better understanding of social change and political behavior.
Author: Yaren Demirel
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