Drew Westen, PhD, on the Political Brain

In his book The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation, psychologist Drew Westen argues that Americans don’t vote with their heads but with their hearts. Analyzing data from presidential elections from 1950-2000, he examines how emotion influences voting behavior, and provides a “clinical” view of campaign ads, debate lines and personal profiles of the candidates. Westen is a professor at Emory University and the author of three books and over 100 scholarly articles. He frequently comments on political and psychological issues on television and radio. President Clinton called Westen’s book “the most interesting, informative book on politics I’ve read in many years.” Date & Time: Thu, Jun 12, 2008, 8:15pm Location: Lexingto