OpenMind Blog
Explore the science behind our divisions and gain tools to overcome them
A Tool for Understanding
Like a lot of folks, I occasionally hear people espouse values and beliefs different and often counter to my own. When I was young, I didn’t understand this. Many of these beliefs and positions seemed irrational to me. How could people believe such...
Why Friendships are Falling Apart Over Politics
Former Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia were on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Yet despite their obvious legal disagreements, the liberal Ginsburg once described herself and the conservative Scalia as “best...
What Israeli and Palestinian Kids Can Teach Us About Getting Along Across Differences
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is among the world's most intractable disputes. The past few decades of fighting over land, rights, and security have left many on both sides with hardened hearts. The program Seeds of Peace works to soften those...
Gut Check: The Psychology of Partisan Stereotyping
Democrats and Republicans today seem like members of rival Veronese families. Not only do partisans distrust and disparage the out-party, they also dislike the idea of anyone in their family dating an out-party supporter. A Democratic Romeo and a...
An Interactive Guide to Navigating Difficult Conversations
In the aftermath of the 2016 election, 16% of Americans stopped talking to a relative or close friend due to politics. More recently, the Pew Research Center found that approximately half of Americans say they've stopped talking about politics with...
Judging Others and Judging Ourselves: Moral Myopia?
“As we pull down controversial statues and reassess historical figures” let’s also examine our own moral blind spots, urges Nicholas Kristof. Although our moral failings may not be on the horrific scale of those who enslaved their fellow humans, we...
We’re More Polarized by Our Labels Than Our Beliefs
There’s no way around it: we’re pretty politically polarized. 91 percent of Americans told a polling firm last year that they believe the country is divided over politics — that tops the number who said we are divided by race and ethnicity (83...
Common Mistakes in Political Conversations
With election season around the corner, many of us may find ourselves thrust into heated discussions — with friends, family members, or our broader social networks — about our deeply-held political convictions. Although these conversations have the...
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