S4 E18 | Stash or Cash: Partisan Priorities in Resource Distribution

The Dissidents

This week Mike and Elizabeth discuss political conflict from the perspective of evolutionary psychology. While making the country (or the world) a better place for all is a commonly shared goal, the means for accomplishing it are rarely agreed upon. The authors of a recent article argue that in the simplest of terms, conservatives tend to value amassing resources while liberals value the distribution of resources. Both are necessary for a flourishing society, but the difference in focus makes compromise difficult. The authors suggest that the alternation of power common in the history of the United States may be quite beneficial in meeting the shared goals of both parties.

Podcast Notes:

Baumeister, R. F., & Bushman, B. J. (2023). Cultural Animal Theory of Political Partisan Conflict and Hostility. Psychological Inquiry, 34(1), 1–16.