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Donkeys may be more in touch with their emotions than elephants, according to a new study on politics.  

Researchers from Tel Aviv University and the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya conducted six studies that related to current events in Israel.

"We selected our different scenarios with the aim of tackling both positive and negative developments in intergroup conflicts, eliciting a range of different emotions towards the out-group and the situation, referring to different types of out-groups, and among different in-groups. Furthermore, we wanted to utilize both contrived, controlled scenarios, and major real-world developments, reflecting real and possible political developments," lead researcher Ruthie Pliskin said in a news release.

All of the six studies examined in the study suggest that induced emotions are more influential for leftists than rightists.  

"We would expect to find similar results among rightists and leftists in other cultures, including conservatives and liberals in the U.S., because of the cross-cultural similarities in the superstructure of ideology and the needs associated with rightist versus leftist ideology--and because of how these factors relate to emotional processes and their outcomes," added Pliskin.

Pliskin and his team said that the latest study help highlight the idea of how political thought and emotions work together.

The findings are published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.