Connecting with your neighbors

Betsy Sinclair, The Conversation.​ Are you angry about politics right now? Seething? You’re not alone. According to the Mood of the Nation Poll by researchers at Penn State, 9 in 10 Americans can name a recent news event or something about American politics that made them angry.
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Political scientists Steven Webster, Elizabeth Connors, and I have investigated what happens to people’s social networks — their friends, family, and neighbors — when partisan anger takes over. For example, suppose your neighbor is a member of the opposite political party. You’ve always watered their plants when they go on vacation. Given the news these days and how angry you’re feeling, what will you say when they ask for help during their next trip?
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We see that political anger disrupts ordinary life — coffee with a friend — as well as more major life decisions. Political anger breaks our social networks. People rely on their relationships to understand our world — and to vote. The more we isolate ourselves from people who see things differently, the easier it is to misunderstand them, pushing us to separate even more. Learn how to connect with your neighbors.​