Andrew McFarlane

a historian can speculate, as the British Brexit debate sometimes resembled a battle between snow flakes and gammons.

"snowflake", used derisively to indicate that younger generations could melt When confronted with the harsh reality of life, was immediately applied to the stereotypical urban Remainer.

Meanwhile, the cartoon Brexiteers than older men, the cheeks led to reddish, with indignation, to The Insult of "gammon" - an unflattering comparison with the pink pig meat cured in connection with food in British pubs.

the creation of such cartoon versions of political opponents is hardly in the United Kingdom is limited.

A proposed Republicans vastly overestimate the proportion of Democrats who are atheists or agnostics, at 36% - four times the reality. In turn, Democrats, an estimated 44% of Republicans, reducing More Than 250,000 dollars (£192.000), in the year. Only 2% do.

these stereotypes develop in part from their own experience. But just as often, they are formed by what we hear from friends, family and colleagues.

stereotypes are reinforced by Social Media , where opponents.

research suggests that encourage, perhaps, to sharpen the political leaders of the divisions. The media, propagandists and foreign agents may of fanning the flames.

this gives the impression of two deeply separated groups in societies around the Globe - The Left and The Right side.

overestimate to be Still while the polarization seems to be the research initiative - to study an international body, polarization - suggests people are huge political differences overestimate.

Prof Anne Wilson, a psychologist at Canada's Wilfrid Laurier University, says: "the misperceptions of The Other side are not arbitrary: the people are to overestimate rather the proportion of opponents, who hold extreme or unfavorable views in connection with their party. However, we also see a blindness to the Common Ground . "

As an example, she says the depiction of U.S. gun laws as "two pages" issue is clouding Common beliefs. This includes background checks and a higher minimum age for gun owners

" Common values about children's education, health care, or civic duties are also found.

to bring A season of stories about the people together in a fragmented world.

people can only mix hate with which they run out of other people. But without these interactions, we lose the ability for reality checks, and to see the humanity in others.

language. When people are moral and emotional words on Twitter such as "evil," "indecent," or "Sin " Messages virally disseminated, and more within (but not between) their social networks.

But some of our research, led by Mina Cikara, a professor of psychology at Harvard University , found that When people of different groups overlap quite, empathy for the members of the opposing group is increased.

"you will See a picture indicating that these people, social relations, and was enough to shrink the respondents "empathy gap," says Prof Cikara.

democracy is based on our ability to vigorously disagree with you, but to forging, ultimately, to find sufficient Common Ground to reach a consensus.

If The Left and right co-operated, companies could be better positioned to face the challenges in areas such as health, climate, education, or terrorism.

teaching people about how often political polarization is overestimated could help, and Jeffrey Lee.

Prof Cikara, says: "people are intelligent and responsive. If we let them know that you were wrong, how excited The Other side may be a reaction to a policy, you are also updated, as a lot of you said that the opposing party, driven by malicious obstruction. "

If you are members of the various groups will be reminded that you have to improve to keep important identities in Common - for example, as part of a nation, or of the international Community relations and cooperation.

In the studies, we have new groups in the laboratory from a simple coin toss. We had people on a team that, among other things, members of their own ethnic group, as well as members of a different race. Within minutes, of racial bias.

Through the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging - such as MRI scans doctors use to detect brain injury, but the tracking of changes in blood Flow - we are in regions of The Brain that indicate emotions or perceptions.

The Brain data, in particular, suggested that, if people understood themselves as part of a Common group.

When people stereotype the feeling that you are listening to are less likely, and the conflict escalated. By signaling that you see that someone carefully, you can take The First step in the direction of restoring a sense of Common humanity.

A recent example of this came from the application as Yale is the oldest, first-year undergraduate, at the age of 52, in the past year.

Aware of the "snowflake" student stereotype, he wrote: "I've sure had changed my mind, here at Yale University. For me, it's no shame to be wrong and to learn. It's a shame in willful ignorance, and it's a shame, in contempt. "

this piece

The analysis was a piece of.

is professor of psychology at Lehigh University , Pennsylvania. is an associate professor of psychology and neural science at New York University .

Edited by Andrew Mcfarlane

Source of news: bbc.com