Polarization and Emotional Response to Threats: The Case of Covid-19

Authors

  • Pedro Hemsley Institute of Economics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Flavio Moraes EBAPE, Getulio Vargas Foundation, Brazil
  • Lynda Pavão Department of Economics, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.1111.17852

Keywords:

Psychopathy, polarization, Covid-19, fight or flight response, JEL codes: D91, I10

Abstract

In this paper, we ask how polarization is related to innate responses to threats. Through an online survey, we study the relationship between polarization about Covid-19 mitigation measures and psychopathy, a condition characterized by a reduced emotional response to perceived threats. We find that polarization is significantly lower for individuals with high psychopathy traits. This suggests that polarization over emotionally-charged political issues may be related to a biological mechanism that operates in high-risk environments: the fight or flight response.

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Published

2024-11-30

How to Cite

Hemsley, P., Moraes, F., & Pavão, L. (2024). Polarization and Emotional Response to Threats: The Case of Covid-19. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 11(11), 310–320. https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.1111.17852

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 11 (2024): Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Pedro Hemsley, Flavio Moraes, Lynda Pavão

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