An anonymous reader writes: A study by Griffith University in Australia has concluded that men who could be described as "Macho" — physically fit and possessed of a muscular upper body — are likely to become right-wing conservatives in terms of political alignment. The study found that upper body strength influences various "mental mechanisms" used in decision making, and attributes this influence to evolutionary "survival mechanisms" that kept hunter-gatherers alive and fed thousands of years ago. In the study, men with great upper body strength were more likely to become angry quickly, more likely to solve "problem situations" with aggression, more likely to feel "entitled" to various things, and — surprise surprise — far more likely to support agressive military action to solve problems like Iraq, Afghanistan, than the average person. The study concluded that "Macho" men were more likely to believe in the ‘utility of political aggression’ to solve conflict, than ordinary men. In the case of America, "Macho" males were found to be far more likely to back right-wing conservative Republican party doctrines, than to support left-wing liberal Democratic Party doctrines.
