A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports, titled “Hard-wired: The brain’s circuitry for political belief,” found the brain has a defense mechanism that kicks in when your political views are challenged.

As Vox’s Brian Resnick explains, it turns out that the brain links your political views with your identity, and just like the brain steps in to defend the body when it senses danger, it kicks in to protect your identity when it senses it’s at risk.

[via attn.com]