Governments and nongovernmental organizations have spent decades perfecting the art of collective persuasion — getting people to do things that are good for them and for society. They have persuaded us to eat more vegetables and to wear our seatbelts, to walk for cures and to give to charity. What has not come so easily is persuading us to identify with — or even tolerate — people we perceive as outsiders. This is especially true when those outsiders form an entire community.
‘The more an individual’s
team affiliation resonated
for them, the less empathy
they were likely to express
for members of the rival team.’
Via Kenneth Mikkelsen
Can mapping neural pathways help us make friends with our enemies?