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197. Navigating Political Anxiety: Mindfulness, Tribalism, and Emotional Triggers Before Election Day. Part 1 of 2.
In many of our past episodes we’ve uncovered
aspects of emotions that can come up when we’re stressed plus this month we’re looking into the topic of conflict so today’s episode goes into both these areas by looking at the political anxiety many of us may be experiencing around the upcoming Presidential election. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum we seem to all experiencing the same sensation of fear resulting from the polarization we’re feeling. We thought it might be helpful to take a deeper look at this by exploring the what and the why when it comes to feeling this way, particularly as election day approaches.
We’ll call on 3 experts to guide us: Rick Hanson, Amy Chua, and Drew Westen Ph.D.
Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologist and New York Times best-selling author. His books include Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha's Brain, Just One Thing, Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness. He’ll help us learn more about mindfulness and emotional regulation.
And Amy Chua is author of the Political Tribes:
Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations. She is a noted expert in the fields of ethnic conflict and
globalization and will help us learn about tribalism and identity politics.
Drew Westen, author The Political Brain, The
Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation, is a clinical, personality, and political psychologist and neuroscientist. He will help us see how emotions, particularly fear and anger influence politics.
This will be a 2 part series. This is the
episode covering the pre-election and the other will be post-election.
Topics Covered:
Political Anxiety Defined
Rick Hanson’s Concept of “Paper Tiger Paranoia”
Virtuous Conduct
Tribalism and Identity Politics (Amy Chua)
Emotions in Politics (Drew Westen)
Statistics on the 2024 Election Campaign (Pew Research Center)
Mindfulness, Empathy, and Connection
Here are 3 takeaways from our episode:
1. Political anxiety, driven by high-stakes issues like abortion and climate change, is often intensified by our brain's tendency to overestimate threats, known as "paper tiger paranoia." Mindfulness can help manage these fears by grounding us in reality and reducing the sense of being overwhelmed.
2. Tribalism, as described by Amy Chua,
worsens political anxiety by creating an "us vs. them" mentality. While polarization grows, she remains optimistic that local, community-driven
efforts can bridge divides and foster empathy.
3. Emotions in politics play a major role
in voter decision-making, with campaigns often exploiting fear and anger. Drew Westen highlights that positive emotions, like hope and authenticity, can inspire greater political engagement and help alleviate political anxiety.
Mentioned in the Episode:
Rick Hanson:
https://www.amazon.com/
Let
Be, Let Go, Let In 15-Minute Guided Meditation
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2024/anxious-about-election/
https://rickhanson.com/dos-and-donts-of-virtuous-conduct/
https://rickhanson.com/topics-for-personal-growth/navigating-political-turmoil/
https://rickhanson.com/how-to-promote-healthy-human-politics/
Amy Chua, Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations
https://www.amazon.com/
Drew Weston, The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation
https://www.amazon.com/
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/10/10/voters-feelings-about-the-2024-campaign-and-election-outcomes-concerns-about-political-violence/
Peace of Wild Things by
Wendell Berry
https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/peace-wild-things-0/
How to reach Yo Canny:
Our Store:
www.girltaketheleadpod.com/store
Our Website:
www.girltaketheleadpod.com
You can send a message
or voicemail there. We’d love to hear from you!
email:
FB group: Girl, Take the Lead
https://www.facebook.com/groups/272025931481748/?ref=share
IG:
yocanny (Yo)
YouTube
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yocanny/
View all episodes
By Yolanda Canny
5
2121 ratings
In many of our past episodes we’ve uncovered
aspects of emotions that can come up when we’re stressed plus this month we’re looking into the topic of conflict so today’s episode goes into both these areas by looking at the political anxiety many of us may be experiencing around the upcoming Presidential election. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum we seem to all experiencing the same sensation of fear resulting from the polarization we’re feeling. We thought it might be helpful to take a deeper look at this by exploring the what and the why when it comes to feeling this way, particularly as election day approaches.
We’ll call on 3 experts to guide us: Rick Hanson, Amy Chua, and Drew Westen Ph.D.
Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologist and New York Times best-selling author. His books include Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha's Brain, Just One Thing, Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness. He’ll help us learn more about mindfulness and emotional regulation.
And Amy Chua is author of the Political Tribes:
Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations. She is a noted expert in the fields of ethnic conflict and
globalization and will help us learn about tribalism and identity politics.
Drew Westen, author The Political Brain, The
Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation, is a clinical, personality, and political psychologist and neuroscientist. He will help us see how emotions, particularly fear and anger influence politics.
This will be a 2 part series. This is the
episode covering the pre-election and the other will be post-election.
Topics Covered:
Political Anxiety Defined
Rick Hanson’s Concept of “Paper Tiger Paranoia”
Virtuous Conduct
Tribalism and Identity Politics (Amy Chua)
Emotions in Politics (Drew Westen)
Statistics on the 2024 Election Campaign (Pew Research Center)
Mindfulness, Empathy, and Connection
Here are 3 takeaways from our episode:
1. Political anxiety, driven by high-stakes issues like abortion and climate change, is often intensified by our brain's tendency to overestimate threats, known as "paper tiger paranoia." Mindfulness can help manage these fears by grounding us in reality and reducing the sense of being overwhelmed.
2. Tribalism, as described by Amy Chua,
worsens political anxiety by creating an "us vs. them" mentality. While polarization grows, she remains optimistic that local, community-driven
efforts can bridge divides and foster empathy.
3. Emotions in politics play a major role
in voter decision-making, with campaigns often exploiting fear and anger. Drew Westen highlights that positive emotions, like hope and authenticity, can inspire greater political engagement and help alleviate political anxiety.
Mentioned in the Episode:
Rick Hanson:
https://www.amazon.com/
Let
Be, Let Go, Let In 15-Minute Guided Meditation
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2024/anxious-about-election/
https://rickhanson.com/dos-and-donts-of-virtuous-conduct/
https://rickhanson.com/topics-for-personal-growth/navigating-political-turmoil/
https://rickhanson.com/how-to-promote-healthy-human-politics/
Amy Chua, Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations
https://www.amazon.com/
Drew Weston, The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation
https://www.amazon.com/
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/10/10/voters-feelings-about-the-2024-campaign-and-election-outcomes-concerns-about-political-violence/
Peace of Wild Things by
Wendell Berry
https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/peace-wild-things-0/
How to reach Yo Canny:
Our Store:
www.girltaketheleadpod.com/store
Our Website:
www.girltaketheleadpod.com
You can send a message
or voicemail there. We’d love to hear from you!
email:
FB group: Girl, Take the Lead
https://www.facebook.com/groups/272025931481748/?ref=share
IG:
yocanny (Yo)
YouTube
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yocanny/
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