Seven Skills to Foster Connection in Divided Times

Research finds that three out of four Americans see political hostility and divisiveness as a serious problem and want to live in a less polarized country. Studies also suggest that division hurts our relationships, our well-being, and the very fabric of our democracy.

If you want to help bridge these divides, we invite you to join the Greater Good Science Center’s 7-Day Campaign for Connection Challenge!

Once you sign up, you’ll receive a new science-based skill for seven days, designed to help you navigate the stress of this election season. Each email will include a step-by-step guide to practicing the skill, a reflection prompt, and ways to learn more.

Here are the seven skills, which research suggests can help foster understanding, ease stress, and create a stronger sense of connection with your loved ones and community:

• See the person, not the label. When we learn personal details about others—beyond their political labels—we view them with more warmth. By focusing on individual qualities and characteristics, we feel less threatened by people who might seem “not like us.”
• Expand your views and circles. Science suggests that forming friendships with people who don’t look or think like you is good for your health. A first step is seeking out information that can challenge your stereotypes and assumptions about other groups, such as by visiting places—or media—that expose you to new people and ideas.
• Find shared identities. We can better connect with people who don’t share our political views if we focus on other important identities that we have in common—for example, as Americans committed to democracy, freedom, community, and belonging.
• Practice perspective taking. Perspective taking can help us appreciate where others are coming from—all while holding firm to our own views. When you find it difficult to relate to someone’s viewpoint, try asking yourself, “What experiences might have shaped their views?” By considering this question—even if you don’t engage directly with the other person—you can broaden your perspective.
• Listen with compassion. Science tells us that if we want other people to understand us, we should start by listening more closely to them. When we listen, we are perceived as more trustworthy, and it encourages our conversation partners to be more open-minded, less defensive, and less focused on their self-interests.
• Try self-distancing. When conversations get heated, we can get so caught up in our thoughts and emotions that we can’t engage constructively. Self-distancing encourages you to view yourself from an outsider’s perspective and think about yourself in the third person—such as saying, “Jane is so angry” instead of “I’m so angry.”
• Identify common goals. Despite our differences, we’re more willing and able to put those differences aside when we identify a shared goal that we need to work together to achieve. Focusing on common goals can shift our perceptions of each other from adversaries to collaborators.

With the Campaign for Connection, our goal is simple: to make it easier for you to connect with others with empathy and respect, even if they see the world differently from you.

The challenge launches today, but you can continue signing up even past the election. Join us for seven days of meaningful actions that can help turn division into understanding and conflict into connection.