That Open Secret About Political Polarization | Jake Teeny | TEDxEvanston

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A critical factor behind the political polarization troubling the country is the lack of dialogue between people with opposing views; research from behavioral science has explanations for this conversational reluctance and what can be done to help correct it.
Jake’s talk focuses on two key components to it. The first half addresses the reasons people with opposing views are generally unwilling to talk to one another and the second half focuses on how to bridge the gap between people with opposing views to have a productive dialogue. Jake Teeny is an assistant professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management. His research focuses on the psychology of persuasion and understanding why and how people engage in it. More about his work as well as his ongoing blog on how to use psychological science to enhance everyday life can be found at EverydayPsych.com. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@jeffschuster3309]

Good speaker! This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. I agree that we must have mutually respectful conversations on important political topics. I am one of those people who enjoy a political conversation where both sides are respectfully presented. I currently lead a private Facebook Group called Reengineering Politics that is intended to be a platform for such conversations. I also know of people who have told me that they cannot participate in my group because they think the other side is 100% wrong (left and right). How can we get a majority of people to open up and consider other points of view? Biased news media and political partisans seem to be dominating the political landscape. I think we need to find a way to break through this noise and reunite as Americans.

[@montage1555]

Wonderfully said. I'd join your group

[@BlinkSlowProductions]

Jake speaks the truth! I heard so many people say they don’t want to talk to another person just because of their political views. I don’t want that polarization graph to look any worse than it already is!

[@NikkiPons-s6i]

Political positions were designed to be secret due to the potential for abuse. Before the Internet, we only discussed them with family and friends in person. Now we argue about them anonymously with strangers. Disscussing them with strangers doesn't change anyones mind. They just tell you what you tell them you want to hear because you won't leave them alone until they do. Debating politics online can be dangerous, costing people jobs, friends, it can do great harm. The best practice is to keep ones opinions to oneself.

[@ytrocks1133]

I feel like this should have more views

[@montage1555]

Agreed. So far when looking up this particular subject, most of what I found has been more polarizing. This is the first one I found that was not

[@markmatthews4652]

Absolutely fantastic, my friend! A well-balanced, informative discussion on how we can have discussion!

[@RobertMBabic]

Thank you for your contribution username Jake Teeny

[@davidibragimov6105]

Very clear and concise TED talk, thank you very much!

[@Hajicoyote]

He’s a real All American Man!

[@stellajoyner2349]

He sounds like Spencer Reid😂😂😂