A recent study says REM sleep can affect fear. Another says removing fear can make one more liberal.

[Thor_MN]

https://www.livescience.com/60742-sleep-quality-fear-ptsd.html

People in the study who got more "rapid eye movement" (REM) sleep had less activity in the areas of the brain linked to fear in the face of a frightening event, compared with those who got less REM sleep, according to the study, published today (Oct. 23) in the Journal of Neuroscience.

https://www.sciencealert.com/study-turned-conservatives-liberal-politics-yale-psychology

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.

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 ok 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.)

Put them together and they would suggest putting conservatives to sleep. Literally, not figuratively. Increase their REM sleep to reduce their fear, to reduce them being assholes.

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. Fear is what drives their lives, so this makes sense.

[doc03]

2. No kidding Faux News feeds their fear the damn Rethugs ar scared of anyone that isn't white,

wasn't born in Murica and they think there is a terrorist behind every tree. So all they need is some Ambian.

[mucifer]

3. I don't sleep well and I am very fearful.

Fearful of republicans that is.

[DBoon]

4. at one point, David Bowie was afraid of Americans

lack of sleep due to cocaine use?

[smirkymonkey]

5. Well, can you really blame him?

[Ilsa]

6. I doubt they'd sleep well, considering

the burden of guilt many of them carry. Of course the trumpsters are sociopaths. Probably sleep great.

[Tobin S.]

7. So what I should really be doing with my conservative relatives

instead of arguing with them about politics and trying to change their minds in that manner is actually encouraging them to take more naps, and totally avoiding going into my commie political rants that probably scare the shit out of them.

Damn, I've been going about this entirely the wrong way and counter-productively for the past 27 years. I may, in fact, have been unwittingly responsible for a lot of Republican votes. I'm sorry, America.