Physiology, Identity and Behaviour: A Neuropolitical Perspective

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Is our identity dictated by the heart or by the head, by sentiment or by self-interest? How does our identity relate to public attitudes and to public behaviour? How can we better understand identity and the role it plays in everyday life?This project begins from the starting point that identity matters. The recent riots over the flying of the Union flag in Belfast highlight the potency of identity triggers. The role that identity will play in the forthcoming referenda in Scotland and Catalonia is heavily debated. The question of identity is also central to the ongoing debate about UK membership of the European Union.However, identity is also complex. Identity is not easily captured in standard surveys which ask, for example, how 'Scottish', 'Portuguese', 'Bavarian' or European an individual feels. Indeed we may not always be conscious of what our identities mean to us or of how our various identities affect our behaviour. Identity has an implicit as well as an explicit dimension.This study explores the relationship between our expressed or stated identities, 'what we say', and our revealed or observed responses to identity triggers, 'what we do'. Hormonal testing and fMRI brain imaging are used to provide new insights into old questions about the nature of identity and its effects on public attitudes and behaviours. The project will develop a transformative neuropolitics approach to the study of identity.