Understanding the Racist Brain: The Neural Correlations of Implicit Biases
Racism is a widespread issue in today’s world, and has been since the birth of this country. In many ways the division of white and BIPOC (black, indigenous and people of color) populations have constructed the foundation of the United States, despite promises in the constitution of “liberty and justice” for all. In order to dismantle the racist structures that compose the fabrics of society, law, politics, and all other facets of American life, we must take the time to understand why racism plagues this country. Looking at social psychology and the corresponding neural correlations of racism, leads us one step closer to understanding the racist brain, and hopefully restructuring neural pathways into more inclusive thinking and action.
Racism is such a rampant issue due to implicit biases, which are “unconsciously triggered belief[s] in the inferiority of, or negative attitude toward, a group(s)” (Clair and Denis 859). Perhaps one of the most detrimental flaws of the human race is this need for the categorization of people; our brains crave a sort of hierarchy and ability to compartmentalize people into these ‘boxes,’ which is what implicit bias essentially entails. Implicit bias tasks test the subconscious response to different races by making the participants associate traditionally negative or positive words with images of people of varying races. According to Psychology Today’s article, “Understanding the Racist Brain,” 75% of white and Asian groups have implicit racial biases against BIPOC. Due to their subconscious negative associations with BIPOC, white and Asian populations associate feelings of fear and anxiety around black, indigenous and other people of color, significantly affecting their social, political and cultural interactions. This only furthers the normalcy of racism and prejudice in today’s world.
Since implicit biases are inherently subconscious, what exactly in the brain causes these negative “gut” reactions to BIPOC? Due to brain imaging technology, the amygdala is to blame. This portion of the brain is responsible for “processing emotional stimuli,” which only sparks the negative emotions towards people of color. Since the brain has many regulatory services, the reactions created by the amygdala are cognitively processed by the prefrontal cortex, which utilizes rationality to process the feelings of fear and anxiety from the amygdala. The rational aspect of the prefrontal cortex is what allows us to not act upon implicit biases and exercise racism; however, not all people have high functioning prefrontal cortexes, and thus cannot rationally process the information from the amygdala. Luckily, though, on a neurological level, these implicit biases can be dismantled due to brain plasticity. Essentially, plasticity is the brain’s ability to rewire reactions to environmental stimuli. So, one can ‘train’ their brain to stop partaking in racist ideology by exposing themselves to new stimuli and actively trying to reverse their prior prejudice.
As innocent BIPOC continue to suffer and die at the hands of law enforcement, it is hard to feel like we can make any ounce of change. However, by taking the time to understand why you may possess implicit biases, and dismantling your own racist brain, we take one step further in practicing true equality. By holding yourself accountable, we get closer to actually living by the values of “liberty and justice for all.” By accepting the rampant problems of racism in this country, and making a change, we show the truest form of patriotism to the United States.
References:
Azarian, Bobby. “Understanding the Racist Brain.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 24 Sept. 2018,www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mind-in-the-machine/201809/understanding-the-racist-brain.
Clair, M., & Denis, J. (2015). Racism, sociology of. In International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (2 nd ed., pp. 857-863). New York, NY: Elsevier. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.32122-5
