Take our Mindfulness Test

Find a mindfulness-based therapist

Political controversies tap into our core emotional instincts.

Liberals and conservatives tend to emote differently, which often makes the “other side” feel like an enemy.

Introspection erodes confirmation bias and promotes empathy, helping us humanize our political adversaries.

Even small, self-reflective shifts can help build trust.

My brother and I used to ruin more than a few holiday dinners. For decades, I identified with the progressive left and he the libertarian right. Arguments over Reaganomics, climate change, and the long-term viability of Social Security still echo in my ears—though today they prompt more nostalgia than aggravation.

What changed? On my part, two things: engagement with research in political psychology, and the power of introspection.

Political psychology increasingly shows that people on the left and right tend to emote differently, for reasons both biopsychological and social. As Chris Mooney argued in The Republican Brain, liberals and conservatives are, in many ways, “different people”—not blank slates shaped solely by their family upbringing (to wit: Ronald Reagan breaking from his Rooseveltian roots, only for his son Ron to break from his legacy and swing left).

Once we align our moral emotions with a political team,........

© Psychology Today