Our Mental Tug of War
Navigating between intuition and reason in political conversations
Hello Folks!
Let’s discuss the biggest psychological barrier progressives face when talking with Republican voters: our own intuition.
Here are three tips for the week, plus two inspiring quotes and one terrific resource.
3 Smart Tips
Progressives often try to change Republicans’ minds with facts and logic because we feel the most effective way to persuade someone is with an argument. But this approach overlooks human psychology. Persuasion happens via two pathways in the brain: a fast, intuitive path and a slow, reasoned path. Most of us understand the importance of the reasoning path, but we neglect the intuitive one.
Intuition is like an inner voice that offers guidance without relying on logical reasoning. It's the gut feeling or instinct that helps us make decisions based on something we know or feel deep down, rather than facts or detailed analysis. Consider choosing a meal: Logically, you might consider nutritional value, but intuitively, you choose what you've enjoyed before.
While it’s tempting to dismiss intuition as inherently irrational, in reality, it’s incredibly valuable. For the most part, intuition is the combined feelings left behind by our past experiences. When responding to events in the present, we don’t have the time or cognitive bandwidth to survey our memory for all relevant experience. Instead, we rely on fast-acting feelings generated by a lifetime of experience .
In politics, intuition matters because it can serve as a roadblock to persuasion via the logical route. When someone’s intuition points strongly in one direction, you can’t point them in another using argument alone. The climate change debate is a good example. Despite overwhelming evidence, some Republicans remain skeptical due to their deep gut feelings that climate change isn’t real.
You can see why it’s useful to know how those two paths of persuasion work. Too often we waste our time trying to persuade people via the path of reason when that path is already blocked by their intuition.
Here are three tips for improving your persuasion:
Appeal to intuition, not reason: Forget about trying to make a strong argument. Instead, leverage people’s preexisting intuitions about morality and the way the world works. For example, if someone feels that climate change is a hoax, don’t fight against their intuitive “feels” by presenting evidence that climate change is real. Instead, focus on something both of your intuitions are already aligned on: the responsibility of companies to clean up after themselves or the desire to have a clean and healthy environment for our children.
Focus on your relationship more than your message: When people like you, their intuition nudges them to agree with you. Thus, to persuade, foster their trust. For instance, in a climate conversation with differing views, begin by empathizing with their experiences, showing genuine concern. This cultivates a bond, demonstrating care beyond politics. Their intuitive trust in you as an empathetic individual will make them want to agree with you.
Share stories, not arguments: Stories communicate information through intuition rather than reason. We connect emotionally with the characters and grasp the storyline without needing to dissect evidence or analyze the plot's implications. As long as the narrative seems plausible, it's embraced as a form of emotional truth. For instance, when discussing climate change, sharing a personal story about a community affected by extreme weather can be more impactful than presenting statistics on global temperature rise. This approach taps into a shared human experience, making the message more relatable and persuasive. In contrast, arguments, which rely on logic and facts, often lead to skepticism and critical evaluation.
2 Smart Quotes
The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of. — Blaise Pascal
Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them. — David Hume
1 Smart Resource
For those looking to dive deeper into understanding and managing intuitions in political discourse, I recommend checking out The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt. The book offers insightful analysis into how moral reasoning influences our political beliefs and interactions. While most people know the book for its cogent presentation of Moral Foundations Theory, my favorite part is Chapter 2, “The Intuitive Dog and Its Rational Tail.” It's a must-read for anyone interested in understanding political communication.
Smart Politics offers regular free webinars for progressives who want to be more persuasive in their political conversations at home, in their communities, and on the campaign trail. Sign up for upcoming events on Eventbrite.
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