their favored candidate and defensive reasoning. Westen said, None of the circuits involved in conscious reasoning were particularly engaged... Essentially, it appears as if partisans twirl the cognitive kaleidoscope until they get the conclusions they want... Everyone... may reason to emotionally biased judgments when they have a vested interest in how to interpret 'the facts.' The study was published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 18:11, pp. 1947–58, a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Books In 2007, PublicAffairs published Westen's The Political Brain. The book has been widely used by political candidates and leaders around the world and is credited as having influenced campaign strategies in a number of races, beginning with the 2008 Presidential race. President Bill Clinton described it as one of the most significant books in politics he had read in a decade. Personal life He is divorced and has two children. References External links Drew Westen's corporate market research firm with his partner, Dr. Joel Weinberger 12 Sept 2008 interview on PBS' NOW Living people 21st-century American psychologists Harvard University alumni University of Michigan alumni Alumni of the University of Sussex Emory University faculty Framing theorists Linguists from the United States American political writers Psycholinguists American consciousness researchers and theorists 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers University of Michigan faculty 20th-century American male writers American male non-fiction writers Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American male writers