STORY FORMAT: Digital/Print Article WORD COUNT: 755 WRITTEN BY: Rebecca Guldberg HOW TO FIND COMMON GROUND INSTEAD OF FIGHTING ABOUT POLITICS Tense political debates occur all over nowadays, from family dinners to heated exchanges on social media. But while it feels like we’re more divided than ever, research suggests that moral instincts that we all share, shaped by millions of years of evolution, may be driving these clashes. Dr. Kurt Gray, a professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, explains that beneath the surface of our political disagreements, we all have a common concern - our brains are wired with a “harm-based mind,” deeply concerned with protecting ourselves and others from perceived threats. He says no matter which side of the political aisle you stand on, your concern about which candidates win, and your fears about the country's future, all stem from the same place deep inside our brains. How Our Brains Shape Morality: What Science Reveals Humans like to think of themselves as fierce predators, but Dr. Gray says our ancestors spent more time worrying about being eaten than doing the eating. “Back in the midst of evolution, we were more prey than predator,” says Dr. Gray. “We spent our days worrying about being eaten by saber-tooth cats or having our children picked off by giant eagles. And while we’re technologically sophisticated today, we still can’t shake these stone-age feelings of being preyed upon.” In ancient times, he says the danger wasn’t just from wild animals though. Gray explains that early humans also faced threats from other humans, leading to a constant fear of being harmed by others. “When we lived in small tribes, it’s argued that there was about a one in 50 shot each year of us being murdered by another person. That’s a really high crime rate.” According to the latest statistics from The U.S. Centers for Disease Control, there are about 7.5 murders per 100,000 people. That means your chance of being murdered is less than one-tenth of one-percent. Dr. Gray says our ancestral concerns about being murdered or attacked by wild animals still underlies our anxiety about being harmed today. “Instead of being worried about animals, we’re worried about other people acting immorally against us. That fear of harm stays with us today," he explains. Why Conservatives and Liberals Aren’t So Different Despite what today’s political landscape might suggest, Dr. Gray says conservatives and liberals aren’t as morally different as they think. While it’s easy to assume that the two groups have opposing values, Dr. Gray's research reveals that both sides are driven by the same core concern: avoiding harm. “We’re all focused on the exact same thing when it comes to morality, and that is protecting ourselves from harm,” Gray says. “Liberals and conservatives both care about things like liberty and justice, but they may use different words to express those concerns.” The real difference lies in who each group sees as vulnerable. Dr. Gray says, “Conservatives tend to see everyone as relatively equal in their vulnerability to harm, while liberals often see the world as divided between oppressors and the oppressed.” Storytelling: The Key to Bridging Divides When it comes to reducing political division, Gray believes that numbers and data won't cut it. Instead, he advocates for a more human approach: storytelling. “Deep down in our minds, we are storytellers and story listeners. Telling stories, particularly those about vulnerability and suffering, helps people resonate with the other side,” Gray explains. If someone shares a story about how they’ve been personally affected by an issue, it’s much more likely to create empathy and understanding than rattling off statistics. As an example, Gray says when it comes to the issue of gun control, “If I tell you a story about how I used a firearm to protect myself from a home invader, you’ll resonate with that more than if I just throw statistics at you.” Moving Forward with Optimism Despite the polarization in politics today, Gray remains optimistic that we can bridge the divide. “There are so many people who are hungry to move past some of this hostility. I’d like to think that if we really connect with people and teach them how to think about things, we can make progress,” he says. Gray's upcoming book, "Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground," explores these ideas further. His research and insights offer hope that, despite our differences, we can find common ground and better understand each other. After all, we’re all just trying to protect ourselves from harm—whether from saber-tooth tigers or each other.