A Yale psychologist's simple thought experiment temporarily turned conservatives into liberals

[applegrove]

Hilary Brueck at Business Insider

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-turn-conservatives-liberal-john-bargh-psychology-2017-10

"SNIP........

The researchers behind the psychology experiment told a group of participants to imagine that they'd been granted a superpower by a magic genie and were suddenly as invincible as Superman — bullets bounced off them, fire couldn't scorch their skin, and “a fall from a cliff wouldn’t hurt at all,” Bargh writes in his book. The study's control group was simply told to imagine they could fly.

Then the researchers asked the participants to weigh in on some political statements, including whether they "would be reluctant to make any large-scale changes to the social order," and whether "it’s okay if some groups have more of a chance in life than others."

Liberal participants' attitudes on social issues didn't shift at all. The conservative participants, on the other hand, started adopting more liberal views on social issues (though not economic ones.)

Participants who imagined themselves with the ability to fly had no change in their political views.

.........SNIP"

[smirkymonkey]

1. Interesting.

I think it all has a lot to do with the feelings of fear and powerlessness.

[applegrove]

2. And taking union power away from them and good jobs makes them weaker

Last edited Sat Oct 21, 2017, 10:49 PM - Edit history (2)

and more afraid. And, according to this article, more conservative. Which is another reason why the GOP would love trickle down tax cuts that don't trickle down and depress economies. Kinda puts Kennedy's popularity into contest what with his optimism and ask nots, and race to the moon and all that empowerment talk.

[DK504]

3. Don't forget they can't past an 8th grade level

so they know everything about everything.