Behavioral scientists working in peace and conflict grapple with questions of how prejudice becomes violence, how exclusion begets extremism, and how capable we are of change. The answers are far from simple, but not out of reach.
To help build peace in Colombia, we gave the people most affected by the conflict—victims and ex-combatants—a platform to share their stories with other Colombians across the country. Hearing those stories transformed how people understood their former enemies.
How does our psychology fuel conflict? How might it help bring peace? Behavioral scientists are racing to answer these questions in the face of increasing global conflict.
An interview with Betsy Levy Paluck on the craft of psychological science.
The Research Lead is a monthly digest connecting you to noteworthy academic and applied research from around the behavioral sciences. Here are our picks for September 2022.
Peter Coleman illuminates how we can break the cycle of mutual contempt and why the political divides that seem so intractable do not have to be.
How can you successfully understand someone else’s point of view, share yours, or even change someone’s mind?
In extraordinary times there is speculation to match. But what does science actually tell us about this political moment?
What insight from behavioral science has most changed how Adam Grant views others?
On Saturday, I woke up to white vans carrying white supremacists through my neighborhood.
