polarization

A drawing of a U.S. map overlaid with two clashing fists

Government & Politics December 5, 2025

Down-ranking polarizing content lowers emotional temperature on social media – new research

by Tiziano Piccardi, Johns Hopkins University, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] Reducing the visibility of polarizing content in social media feeds can measurably lower partisan…

Government & Politics December 4, 2025

Why one 16th-century theologian’s advice for a bitterly divided nation holds true today

by Michael Bruening, Missouri University of Science and Technology, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] Ideological division was tearing the country apart. Factions denounced each other…

a symbol representing a clash, with two arrows pointing toward a lightning bolt

Government & Politics November 5, 2025

What both sides of America’s polarized divide share: Deep anxieties about the meaning of life and existence itself

by Carl F. Weems, Iowa State University, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] Opening my social media feed, I’m often confronted with a jarring contrast: intense,…

Government & Politics November 3, 2025

Polarizing political events are leading Americans to increasingly call for a national divorce

by Ryan D. Griffiths, Syracuse University, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] The United States government has been shut down for nearly a month, yet another…

A drawing of Earth with a red thermometer representing climate change

Energy January 23, 2025

How the oil industry and growing political divides turned climate change into a partisan issue

by Joe Árvai, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] After four years of U.S. progress on efforts to…

outline of a human head with drawing of brain visible

Psychology November 4, 2024

Election anxiety doesn’t need to win − here are 3 science-backed strategies from a clinical psychologist to rein in the stress

by Shannon Sauer-Zavala, University of Kentucky, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] Uncertainty about the election getting to you? Is anxiety the dominant feature of your…

sign with American flag stating "Vote Here"

Elections August 12, 2024

Dealing with election anxiety? A psychiatrist explains how to channel your fears and break out of tribal thinking

by Arash Javanbakht, Wayne State University, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] Instead of excitement about the upcoming election, many of my patients and friends –…

An image of two jagged conversation balloons facing each other, one blue, one red, with the words "partisanship and polarization" below

Politics April 8, 2023

Your political rivals aren’t as bad as you think – here’s how misunderstandings amplify hostility

by Daniel F. Stone, Bowdoin College, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene drew raised eyebrows when she suggested on Presidents Day…

Politics January 9, 2023

Talking across the political aisle isn’t a cure-all – but it does help reduce hostility

by Dominik Stecuła, Colorado State University and Matthew Levendusky, University of Pennsylvania, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] Simmering tension in American politics came to a…

Politics January 8, 2023

Ancient Greece had extreme polarization and civil strife too – how Thucydides can help us understand Jan. 6 and its aftermath

by Rachel Hadas, Rutgers University – Newark, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] The second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection is upon us. And…

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Community, History December 21, 2025

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