Week 12 post 2

 When considering all things that shape human identity,  politics is unavoidable at some point or another. Seemingly more than ever, grasping onto political identity has led to a rise in irrationality. In one study, subjects were given logic tests that asked questions like, is there a correlation between a new rash and a new skin cream,  and is there a correlation between crime rates and gun control legislation?  The researchers found that participants with strong mathematical abilities would very likely get the first question about skin creams correctly. Despite these skills, these people still got the second question about gun control incorrect.  This is because their emotions overrode their logical abilities proving the point that emotions have control over things that should be controlled by Logistics in theory. In theory, logical and mathematical skills should be the best identifier of correct test results. However, political identity was the biggest giveaway. This all comes down to the concept of cognitive dissonance and partisanship. People are willing to put aside facts to protect their own identity and the identity of their group. People would rather maintain a positive relationship with their social groups than to perceive the world accurately. This creates a support of politics that are not rooted in truth or Reason and becomes an issue when widely accepted because it moves the world backward.

 This does not mean humans cannot be above illogical tendencies. In fact, there are five things that can be incorporated into everyday life to decrease the influence of cognitive dissonance. The first and possibly most important thing people can do is recognize that we are more biased than we realize.  Bias is an inevitable part of human nature, and though it is not always bad, one must realize that sometimes bias can lead us to be wrong. The next thing people can do is to make a deliberate effort to push through their initial intuition. Although the initial and tuition may be correct, that is not always the case, and there is no harm and exploring all options. The third thing is to make sure that fact-checking is a part of everyday life. There is no instance where anyone should read something and not question its credibility.  The next thing people can do is warn other people about the possible misinformation in our world today as many people take what they see for a fact without ever checking it. The last thing people can do to challenge cognitive dissonance is to have conversations with people who do not necessarily agree with them. The critical part of these conversations is to frame the information you want to get through to them with a language that they agree with. Framing the situation in a way they are more apt to accept allows us to decrease feelings of hostility. No matter an individual's political disposition, cognitive dissonance has a grip on everyone, and to make a better world, we must do our best to fight against it.