Can a divided America heal? asks a social psychologist

The patterns of thinking that draw us apart ... Open this email in your browser

This week on TED.com November 12, 2016

Talk of the week Jonathan Haidt: Can a divided America heal? 20:17 minutes · Filmed Nov 2016 · Posted Nov 2016 · TEDNYC How can the US recover after the negative, partisan presidential election of 2016? Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt studies the morals that form the basis of our political choices. In conversation with TED curator Chris Anderson, he describes the patterns of thinking that have led to such sharp divisions in America and in countries around the world -- and provides a vision for how to move forward. Watch now »

Playlist of the week How to turn the political conversation around These 8 insightful talks will encourage better debate -- and better listening.  Watch » 8 TED Talks • Total run time 1:29:11

This week's new TED Talks Engineer Fawn Qiu designs fun, low-cost projects that use familiar materials like paper and fabric to introduce engineering to kids. In this quick, clever talk, she shares scenes from her nontraditional workshops -- where she inspires students not only to understand tech but to create it. Watch » We train soldiers for war ... but we don't train them to come home. Psychologist Hector Garcia shares a treatment he's using -- which leverages the same principles used to prepare soldiers for war -- to help veterans suffering from PTSD get their lives back. Watch » On February 10, 2015, Suzanne Barakat's brother Deah, her sister-in-law Yusor and Yusor's sister Razan were murdered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, by a neighbor who targeted them because they were Muslim. In this powerful and brave talk, Barakat calls on us to understand the shattering price her family has paid for anti-Muslim rhetoric. She asks us to take it seriously -- and to speak up when we witness it. Watch » With warmth and wit, Halla Tómasdóttir shares how she overcame media bias, changed the tone of the political debate and surprised her entire nation when she ran for president of Iceland -- inspiring the next generation of leaders along the way. "What we see, we can be," she says. "It matters that women run." Watch »

Read more on ideas.ted.com Art therapy: Powerful masks are helping combat veterans heal » Creating a mask helps vets explore emotions and experiences Politics: The real divide in America isn't red vs. blue » One writer asks: Who is the real "other side"? Science: How to understand the periodic table » With a TED-Ed video for every element

Quote of the Week “ Jonathan Haidt: As we demonize each other more, we're more likely not just to say about the other side, 'they're wrong' or 'I don't like them,' but we say 'they're evil, they're satanic, they're disgusting.' And then we want nothing to do with them.  Chris Anderson: So, how do we deal with that? How do we defuse disgust? Haidt: Personal relationships are the most powerful means we have. You can be disgusted by a group of people, but then you meet a particular person and you genuinely discover that they're lovely. And gradually it chips away." Jonathan Haidt Can a divided America heal?

 

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