Why is the world so polarized?
Did you notice a rise in protests and civil unrest across the globe? Increased ideological clashes particularly related to the pandemic? The uneven response by governments and the ongoing political blame games further polarized people’s perceptions. And how certain radical groups use the events to ramp up violence. You’d think that humanity would have been more united to deal with the situation but it seems to further divide us instead; is the world on the brink of collapse? Are we losing our humanity? How did we get there?
In an increasingly connected world dominated by social media, we are getting flooded by media news, friends posts, rumor sites articles, conspiracy theories, distorted information. For some, this overwhelming injection of conflicting data can create mixed feelings, from confusion, anxiety, fear, to depression.
Despite what we may think of ourselves, we all have prejudice. When presented with irreconcilable reports on a subject matter, our brain will favor the simplified story most aligned with our inherent perspective, as we seek comfort and reassurance in supporting our preconceived beliefs.
Social media are also designed to reinforce our own prejudice. Their main goal is to keep us connected and browsing on their platform as long as possible, to maximize profit through advertisement. To achieve this, their search engine and recommendation algorithms will prioritize posts and articles most related to our preferences. The more we interact on a topic and one-side perspective, the more we are presented with similar stories, further enforcing our belief and hiding the other side of the story. And the ease of use of social media provides a platform for groups of specific interests to spread misinformation to advance their own cause.
How can we break this cycle?
Be open minded and consider diverging point of view
Our brain is a network of neurons, much like interconnected cities through highways. The more a path is used, the better it is maintained, the stronger that memory becomes; less visited paths tend to disappear. Having strong beliefs reinforce that; while not necessarily a bad thing, it may force us to quickly discard diverging opinions and facts, preventing us from even considering the other side of the story.
The ability to take a step back, hold on to our thoughts and carefully listen or read a story that presents an opposing point of view is critical in keeping an open mind. Too often we refuse to pay attention because it is easier for our brain to stick to what it already knows.
How many times have you been eagerly awaiting for the other person to finish talking just to pour your own thoughts, without considering what they just said? You weren’t really listening, rather you wanted to lay your own opinion. Being able to truly listen and pay attention, and adjust our thoughts is part of a growing process.
Research the facts and look for reliable sources
Of course, we should not be too easily influenced and susceptible to switch our mind every time; it is important to discern between opinion and fact. Even though the speaker sounds coherent, are the words backed by solid facts? The writings enumerate a list of events, but are there reliable references?
If you rely on your social media feeds to stay informed, follow news sources provided by professional journalists. Before the omnipresence of the internet and social media, the news were curated by professional editors. Though bias always existed and still remains on traditional media, they are more easily identifiable and classified with their ideology. This helps put their news in perspective. Short posts and articles on social media however offer no clear way to confirm their reliability.
When looking at a news source, it is important to consider who owns and finance the media source. Though some corporations or CEOs do not interfere in the work of their publishing media editors, coverage bias could still exist in fear to attract upper management attention.
Read more books
Books are among the greatest creations of mankind. They embody the ability of humans to think, be imaginative and thoughtful. They may be the best representation of our intelligence. From our early beginnings, at home or at school, we’ve been taught to read, not only to learn to master our language, but also to work our mind. Books help us learn new concepts or practical processes, discover the world how it was or could have been.
Unfortunately, over time, adults tend to reduce their reading habits, whether due to time constraint for prioritizing work or family. However, to stay in tune with the constantly evolving world, we must dedicate a portion of our time to read books, of as many subjects as possible. Books allow us to explore specific subject matter in depth, as opposed to social media short posts, which barely present the “what”, without describing the “why” and “how”.
Reading literary fiction enhance the brain’s ability to keep an open mind while processing information
Reading fiction books help build our creativity. Why does it matter? Because it helps create pathways in our brain to grow new neurons, new cities of knowledge and imagination, improving our ability to envision alternative possibilities, hence to be more open minded.
Learn about psychology
Psychology is the science of mind and behavior. As a social creature, our human way of thinking is built through our experiences and interactions with our environment and other people. How we’ve been treated, what we’ve been taught, influence the choice we make, the path we take in our life, consequently the opinions and interpretation of what we see. This makes each of us unique.
Learn psychology to better understand yourself, others and improve critical thinking skills
Understanding these fundamentals help to become more considerate of others. You know who you are because of your past life, but that other person may have led a totally different lifestyle, so their perception of things and events could greatly differ from yours.
Being considerate leads to empathy. Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from their frame of reference. Perhaps you’ve met your neighbor and he just started talking to you about a particular situation that made him angry; if you take the time to truly listen, nod, and acknowledge his concerns — whose may be driven indirectly by fear — and show empathy, you’d realize how much it’d help him calm down. Even better, not being emotionally attached to his situation, you could even offer rational advice.
Know what the strongest emotion is
We all wish that love would have been our strongest emotion. Sadly, it is fear. Humans have come a long way since our evolution from primates, but we still carry the genetic baggage of our ancestors that helped us survive and evolve. For humans and animals, the purpose of fear is to promote survival. In our modern civilization, fear carries multiple uses; fear of being run over by a car incite us to pay attention to the road before crossing; fear of getting burnt forces us to react accordingly in the presence of fire.
However, misunderstandings and the unknown can also cause fear. People could fear the other simply for not understanding their difference in culture and behavior; fear being such a strong emotion could lead our brain to switch to survival mode, further closing our mind. This reaction may be instinctive, but we can train ourselves to take a step back and reconsider by practicing the above mentioned habits.
That you took interest in the matter is a great start. If you already practice these guidance or intend to, be sure to let me know whether they are helpful or not. In the meantime, imagine how the world would be if everyone of us were open minded and practice genuine empathy?
