Public lamenting of polarization may itself deepen partisan animosity.

Evidence

Ironically, the more researchers, public figures and the media lament the rise of political polarization, the more we may be contributing to the problem, since the more people see polarization all around them, the more polarized they become. — Rachel Hartman et al., Interventions to Reduce Partisan…, 73

Categorization

• QUESTION: This dovetails directly with the reader’s benchmark use against PNAS depolarization-is-hard work — the authors here claim an ironic self-reinforcing loop that such skeptical reviews might need to weigh as a confound.
• XREF: Connects to the self-fulfilling prophecy framing in paras 74-76, and to descriptive norm conformity theory. — connects to: Correcting misperceptions reduces partisan animosity across at least 26 countries. — Rachel Hartman et al., Interventions to Reduce Partisan…, 39; Misperceived outgroup extremity drives real polarization through a self-fulfilling spiral.; Exposure to opposing political views often increases rather than reduces polarization. — , The Braided Reading EPUB: 5-Year…, 1475 (+3 more)

Related

• Media coverage of polarization itself can worsen polarization via descriptive norms (similarity 0.83)
• Correcting misperceptions reduces partisan animosity across at least 26 countries. (similarity 0.83)
• Partisan polarization now extends to social life and fear of the other party (similarity 0.82)
• Taking public positions inevitably generates enemies and hostile responses (similarity 0.80)
• Partisan animosity is asymmetrically driven by rising outgroup dislike rather than fading ingroup loyalty. (similarity 0.79)
• Partisans hold systematic misperceptions that exaggerate their opponents’ extremism and hostility. (similarity 0.79)
• Deeper-engagement interventions likely reduce partisan animosity more durably. (similarity 0.79)
• Partisans across many countries exaggerate outgroup hostility toward their ingroup (similarity 0.79)
• Reducing partisan animosity will not suppress policy activism if policy disagreement remains legitimate. (similarity 0.79)
• Rachel Hartman et al. — Interventions to Reduce Partisan Animosity (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Exposure to opposing political views often increases rather than reduces polarization. #expands (0.85) — , The Braided Reading EPUB, 1475
• Hostility toward rivals is expressed by attributing unrecognisable, repulsive opinions to them #expands (0.75) — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 1493
• Taking public positions inevitably generates enemies and hostile responses #expands (0.72) — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 350