The Ideological Brain

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

Why do some people become radicalized?

Who is most susceptible to ideological thinking?

Can we unchain our minds from toxic dogmas?

Regardless of your political stance, this book will challenge you to reassess your convictions – and what they are doing to your brain.

Drawing on her groundbreaking research, Dr Leor Zmigrod uncovers the hidden mechanisms driving our beliefs and behaviours. She uses the powerful tools of neuroscience to show that our political beliefs are not transient thoughts in our minds – ideologies actually change our cells. And while some individuals are more susceptible to dogmatic thinking than others, all of us can strive to be more flexible. The Ideological Brain is essential reading in today’s polarized and polarizing world.

‘Filled with insightful findings, this book shows that ideological extremism and polarization are not just problems to fret about but puzzles that can be studied and understood’
STEVEN PINKER

‘Massively important...Zmigrod is a joyful and compelling writer’ THE SUNDAY TIMES

‘Mind-expanding, a joy, her findings really are extraordinary’ PROSPECT

© Leor Zmigrod 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critics Review

‘Leor Zmigrod’s hotly awaited debut…uses new research to show that polarised thinking isn’t something that just floats through the mind: it changes our entire neural architecture’ THE TELEGRAPH, BEST BOOKS OF 2025
The Telegraph
'Zmigrod reveals the science behind dogma and shows us how to nurture cognitive flexibility instead’ THE GUARDIAN, BRILLIANT BOOKS IN READ IN 2025
Guardian
'Massively important...Zmigrod is a joyful and compelling writer'
The Sunday Times
‘If I had to pick one, Zmigrod’s would be my book to watch out for in 2025’
New Scientist
'Filled with insightful findings, this book shows that ideological extremism and polarization are not just problems to fret about but puzzles that can be studied and understood'
Steven Pinker, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature
'An extraordinary, eye-opening and startlingly original book, showing what ideology does to the human brain, and casting a bright new light on the sources and nature of dogmatism, ideology and open-mindedness. Packed with insights, this is a remarkable achievement'
Cass R. Sunstein, co-author of Nudge
'Fascinating, insightful, lucidly and entertainingly written, Zmigrod's account illuminates the debate about the nature of ideology and the power it exerts, by bringing cognitive neuroscience – in fact, an intriguing development of it: ‘political neuroscience’ – to bear on both. An educative, rewarding, troubling, but ultimately hopeful, book'
A. C. Grayling, author of The History of Philosophy
'The Ideological Brain is a deeply fascinating and beautifully written investigation of the human mind‘s susceptibility to radical ideologies. Leor Zmigrod elegantly weaves together her ground-breaking research with vivid storytelling. The book is a treasure trove of surprising insights: from the epigenetics of extremism to the impact of stress on rigid thinking, and the role of parenting styles in cultivating authoritarian attitudes.'
Julia Ebner, author of GOING DARK
'A fascinating and important exploration of the causes of cognitive rigidity and of the factors that make some people more vulnerable to it than others. Leor Zmigrod draws on neuroscience, psychology and philosophy in her quest to understand why and how some people are drawn to authoritarian thinking and even to terrorism while others are able to question and resist dominant ideologies'
Nigel Warburton, author of A Little History of Philosophy
'This remarkable book tells us something fascinating and heartening about the neuroscience of our inflexibilities and our dogmatisms. Lucid and eloquent, The Ideological Brain couldn't be more timely'
Adam Phillips, author of Missing Out

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