a sweet strategy for liberals?

One wing of political psychology aims to ferret out any root differences between liberals and conservatives. Even though I'm not a big fan of this school of research (I find it more interesting to look for the behaviors we all share), a popular - and persuasive - theory is that liberals and conservatives differ on how they prioritize five core values.

Jonathan Haidt's Moral Foundations Theory says we all make moral judgments using some combination of the values: caring for others; fairness; loyalty; respect for authority; and purity. Liberals, however, tend to place "caring for others" and "fairness" at the forefront of their moral decisions, while conservatives give more weight to loyalty, respect and purity.

A forthcoming study suggests that at least one of those values can be tinkered with - by adding a little sweetness.

As with moral preferences, moral values combine a little rational thought with a lot of emotion. But when it comes to "purity", the emotional factor takes on a visceral bent. The opposite of sensing purity is feeling disgust - and it turns out that people who are apt to "feel disgust" also tend to identify conservative.

The physiological connection is not just coincidental; it is real. So much so that researchers can manipulate one's "disgustometer" by feeding you bitter or sweet foods. Serve us broccoli rabe and we're likely to judge our fellow humans more harshly. Make that a Krispy Kreme donut and we feel more kindly towards each other.

So, Madame President - maybe you want to reconsider your campaign to get Americans eating less sugar. Or, at least maybe while you're at it, encourage us to substitute high fructose corn syrup with some Splenda.