Political polarization is bad for our mental health:

Last year, Psychology Today published an article about mental health and politics. The article, by Susan McQuillan, discussed the way that divisive politics are taking a toll on the mental health of Americans.

The Psychology Today article discussed a study done by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It turns out that the politics of division is so destructive that it has cost many Americans their friendships, created conflicts within families and in the workplace, and filled Americans with “anger, frustration,…guilt and regret.”

In fact, more than 25 percent of the survey respondents agreed that politics caused them stress and depression, while more than 15 percent of respondents said that politics made them lose sleep and created conflict in their extended families.

In the confusing aftermath of the recent US presidential elections, many people are talking about who won and why, but almost no-one is talking about the stress of living in a country that’s so politically divided.

Human beings thrive within a harmonious community:

To me, the study’s findings are not surprising. Human beings are communal animals. In order to have a strong sense of security and a good quality of life it’s necessary that we feel a deep sense of connection and belonging within our community. Political divisiveness undermines the experience of a harmonious community and leads to insecurity, fear, anger and stress.

We humans have two opposing inner survival mechanisms: love, compassion and altruism on the one hand and fear, anger and hatred on the other. Both of these drives are important to our survival.

Love, compassion and altruism enable us to create strong families and communities and to lift one-another up and support each-other when times get tough. Fear, anger and hatred are important in recognizing who might be trying to hurt us and empowering us to defend ourselves and our loved ones from harm.

Both drives must be in balance. We don’t want to be so blindly generous that we allow ourselves to be exploited, or so naïve as to get repeatedly taken advantage of. On the other hand, we don’t want to be so fearful of others that we become insular, intolerant or antisocial.

Being too nice makes us resentful, but being paranoid and hostile makes us utterly miserable.

The politics of division creates an automatic “us-them” scenario in which anyone who appears different or who holds alternative opinions is immediately considered the “other,” and therefore “bad.”

“Othering” makes us unhappy:

Psychologically, this type of “othering” is meant to protect us and keep us “safe” from the “bad people” who might try to hurt us. The problem is that the vast majority of people who think or live differently than we do are no better or worse than we are and certainly no danger to anyone.

Interestingly, the most dangerous people within our communities are those who are the most prone to engage in “othering.” It’s these individuals who resort to violence to promote their extreme ideology, and this is another reason why political polarization must be strongly discouraged.

Living in a country with extreme polarization of political views is stressful for everyone. One would think that it would be worse for those people whose party is not in power but that’s not always true. Everyone is more stressed when a county is so divided.

For everyone involved, the act of “othering” causes distress. When we place people into “us” and “them” camps, the intention is to boost our sense of togetherness within our smaller community, but what it actually does is boost our stress.

To be sure, the people being excluded feel hugely stressed, but the people doing the excluding feel stressed as well – they just misunderstand the reasons why they’re feeling so unhappy.

Those doing the “othering” believe – quite wrongly – that they’re unhappy because they live in proximity to the “others.” What they don’t realize is that they’re actually unhappy because they’ve created false divisions among themselves and it’s these divisions that are hurting them.

The more divisive the politics of a country are, the more stressful and distressing it is for its citizens.

The Conways — a microcosm of political polarization:

An interesting – and tragic – example is that of Claudia Conway. She is the 16 year-old daughter of George and Kelly-Anne Conway. Both parents are Republicans but they share different views.

Kelly-Anne was until recently an adviser to president Trump, while George vehemently opposes Trump and started the Lincoln Project whose sole purpose has been to defeat him.

Claudia, caught in the middle between two diametrically opposed parents, had threatened to seek emancipation a few months ago, prompting Kelly-Anne to resign as a White House adviser and George to step down from his role with the Lincoln Project. Both parents realized, at least for the moment, the emotional toll their political divisiveness was taking on their young daughter.

Political alienation is toxic for everyone:

Alienation is bad for our mental health. Political alienation is a toxic experience for everyone. Without an overarching sense of unity, there is no political – or emotional – stability. Political divisiveness brings with it anxiety, alienation and misery.

It’s deeply distressing – and destabilizing – to go through life with the thought that so many people in our community are “the other,” even for those whose party is in power. Those who adhere to extremist political views have no idea how unhappy –and unhealthy – this is making them.

We Canadians aren’t spared, either, from the fractious politics in our neighbors to the south. Many Canadians live in the US; many Americans live in Canada, and aside from that, we can’t underestimate the impact of US politics on the Canadian psyche.

Community harmony is health-promoting:

The way we view our community has an enormous impact on our emotional well-being. When we feel a strong sense of oneness within our country, our brains release more of the feel-good neurotransmitters, oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin. These brain chemicals are known to be health promoting and longevity-boosting.

On the other hand, when we feel a strong sense of division within our country, we release the stress hormones cortisol and adrenalin. According to a study by the Mayo Clinic, an excess of these brain chemicals over time can cause anxiety, depression, heart disease and premature aging, and may even lead to early-onset dementia.

More political divisiveness causes more stress and more stress causes unhappiness, illness, and possibly early death.

In these difficult times, we need more unity, not divisiveness:

We should not underestimate the detrimental effect of political divisiveness on our mental health. Whether we’re in the privileged group or the oppressed group, the “us” or the “them,” these divisions weigh heavily upon all of us.

Political polarization is stressful and leads to mental health problems for everyone. In these already challenging times, what we need more than anything is healing. Let’s do our best to bring back a sense of unity and stability in the United States, and anywhere else that it’s needed.

Sign up here for my free biweekly wellness newsletter that brings you fresh, thought-provoking content.

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel where you’ll learn simple tips for taking the best care of yourself and your loved ones.

Tune in to my Ruthless Compassion Podcast where I go in-depth about topics like mental health, trauma, and loneliness.