How does voting make you feel? (Picture: Getty)
There are only a few days to go until the UK general election – have you decided who you’re voting for yet?
Perhaps you’re feeling overwhelmed at the amount of information out there, or worried you’ll make the wrong decision and come to regret it.
Well, when it comes to voting, feelings actually have a big part to play – and politicians know it.
That means that while you shouldn’t be afraid to let your emotions help decide who gets your support, it’s worth being aware of how they may affect your choice.
Psychologist Dr Smadar Cohen-Chen says: ‘One of the things I often hear as an emotions researcher is that emotions should not “cloud” people’s decisions, that they get in the way, or that they are irrational.
‘But emotions are a critical part of the human experience, and indeed in making decisions. They help people to process information, form goals and guide behaviour.’
Deciding who to vote for can leave people feeling confused (Picture: Getty)
When it comes to elections, Dr Cohen-Chen says there are three key emotions involved – fear, anxiety and hope.
‘What these emotions have in common is a sense of low control over outcomes,’ says the University of Sussex lecturer, writing for The Conversation.
‘Fear and anxiety increase people’s sensitivity to threat. Research shows that fear and anxiety trigger increased attention and information processing, but that this cognitive processing is often biased in political situations, reducing openness to opportunities for change.
‘In extreme cases, fear can even increase people’s support for aggressive policies towards people seen as a “danger”. Narratives invoking fear will warn and caution, promising stability and security.’
It certainly isn’t hard to find examples of this from the current crop of politicians, whether in the UK, Europe, US or elsewhere, stoking fear in a bid to win votes. Immigration, gender identity, the economy, taxes – all used in negative contexts to persuade people not to vote for the party’s rivals.
However, while it may not be popular these days, instilling hope in voters has also been shown to be successful.
For example, a US study revealed that the more hopeful Barack Obama made people feel, the more likely they were to vote for him.
Barack Obama supporters during the 2008 presidential campaign (Picture: Charles Ommanney/Getty)
‘Like fear, hope also involves a sense of uncertainty,’ says Dr Cohen-Chen. ‘But hope comes with a feeling of opportunity. A 2015 study found belief in a changing world increased participants’ support for concessions in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Hope can increase openness to different perspectives and open mindedness in decision making.
‘Research has also shown hope can encourage cooperative negotiation and collective action, which are critical in creating change. Narratives using hope will paint ideal pictures of the future, making promises and enumerating countless possibilities.’
However, just as negative stories can be amplified to stoke fears, politicians can also paint a picture of a picture perfect ideal that simply isn’t achievable.
So how can you avoid being sucked into either one?
By going …read more
Source:: Metro
