Anger—not fear—drives shift to conservative views, study finds
New study reveals anger, not fear, is the main emotion driving shifts to conservative views during threats.
Why it matters
- Anger drives shifts to conservative views during threats, challenging conventional wisdom.
- Provides insight into emotional drivers of political behavior.
By the numbers
- Study involved over 2000 participants across three experiments.
- Shifts were narrow, specific to threat context (e.g., terrorism led to support for military policies).
The big picture
- Emotional responses, especially anger, lead to targeted political attitude shifts.
- Changes are issue-specific, not broad ideological shifts.
What they're saying
- Commenters highlight specificity of political shifts.
- Conservatism offers simple solutions to complex problems, appealing in threatening times.
Caveats
- Study based on self-reported emotions and political views.
- Conducted in controlled settings; real-world applicability may vary.
What’s next
- Researchers plan to study if threats can make people more entrenched in existing beliefs.