The Political Brain

1. Emotions, not reason, drive political decision-making

When emotion roared, reason buckled at the knees.

The rational voter myth. Contrary to popular belief, voters do not make decisions by carefully weighing evidence and reasoning to logical conclusions. Instead, they are driven primarily by their emotions and gut feelings about candidates and issues. This explains why presenting facts and policy details often fails to sway voters.

Neurological basis. Brain imaging studies show that when confronted with political information that conflicts with their existing beliefs, partisans' emotional circuits activate while reasoning areas remain quiet. People unconsciously seek out information that confirms their views and discount contradictory evidence.

Implications for campaigns. Successful political campaigns must focus on activating the right emotions in voters, not just presenting rational arguments. Candidates need to tell emotionally compelling stories that resonate with voters' values and experiences. Policy positions should be framed in terms of their emotional and moral significance.

2. The political brain is an emotional brain shaped by evolution

Politics has always been as much about identity and community . . . as about the economy.

Evolutionary heritage. Our brains evolved to quickly process emotional information critical for survival and social cooperation. Political attitudes tap into deep-seated emotional responses shaped by evolution, like in-group loyalty and fear of outsiders.

Emotional networks. The brain contains vast networks of associations linking thoughts, feelings, memories, and sensory experiences. Political messages activate these emotion-laden networks, often outside of conscious awareness.

Key evolutionary influences on political attitudes:

• Kin selection and reciprocal altruism
• Tribalism and in-group loyalty
• Threat detection and avoidance
• Status-seeking and social hierarchies
• Moral intuitions about fairness and harm

3. Democrats must craft emotionally compelling narratives

Democrats have been unable to generate a principled stand that could spare its candidates from having to invent their own response from scratch in every election.

Storytelling over policy details. Democrats tend to emphasize policy positions and rational arguments, while Republicans excel at telling emotionally resonant stories. To win elections, Democrats need an overarching narrative about what they stand for.

Elements of effective narratives:

• Clear protagonists and antagonists
• Moral stakes and values
• Vivid imagery and metaphors
• Personal stories that illustrate principles
• Emotional progression (e.g. from outrage to hope)

Master narrative. Democrats should develop a coherent "master narrative" that defines the party's core values and principles. This provides a framework for candidates to tell consistent, emotionally compelling stories across issues and elections.

4. Frame messages for maximum emotional impact

The choice of words, images, sounds, music, backdrop, tone of voice, and a host of other factors is likely to be as significant to the electoral success of a campaign as its content.

Strategic framing. How an issue is framed shapes how people think and feel about it. Democrats must reframe issues to activate helpful emotional associations and inhibit unhelpful ones.

Multimodal messaging. Effective framing uses multiple modes:

• Carefully chosen words and metaphors
• Evocative visual imagery
• Music and sound effects
• Body language and tone of voice

Avoid opponent's frames. Democrats often mistakenly adopt Republican language (e.g. "tax relief"), reinforcing unhelpful frames. Instead, introduce new frames that activate different emotions and associations.

5. Address both conscious and unconscious attitudes

Americans are of many minds about black people.

Unconscious biases. Most people harbor unconscious racial biases that conflict with their conscious egalitarian values. Similar conflicts exist on many politically charged issues.

Targeting both levels. Effective campaigns must address both conscious and unconscious attitudes:

• Appeal to people's conscious values and principles
• Subtly activate helpful unconscious associations
• Inhibit activation of unhelpful unconscious biases

Make the unconscious conscious. When opponents use coded racial appeals, Democrats should explicitly call attention to the implicit racism, bringing it into conscious awareness where it can be rejected.

6. Manage positive and negative emotions strategically

Focusing primarily on the positive and leaving the negative to chance is simply ceding half the brain to the opposition.

Balanced emotional portfolio. Campaigns must strategically cultivate both positive and negative emotions toward candidates and issues. Relying solely on positive messages cedes control of negative emotions to opponents.

Distinct neural systems. Positive and negative emotions involve different brain systems and independently influence behavior. High positives don't necessarily cancel out high negatives.

Strategic cultivation. Campaigns should:

• Generate enthusiasm and hope for their candidate
• Stoke outrage and fear toward opponents' policies
• Deflect and defuse opponents' negative attacks
• Anticipate and preempt potential negatives

7. Speak to voters' values and moral emotions

If you don't feel it, don't use it.

Moral foundations. Political attitudes are rooted in basic moral intuitions about fairness, harm, loyalty, authority, and purity. Effective messaging must resonate with these moral foundations.

Values over policy. Voters care more about a candidate's values than specific policy positions. Frame issues in terms of core values and moral principles.

Authenticity matters. Voters can sense when a candidate doesn't truly believe what they're saying. Messages must align with the candidate's genuine values and emotions.

Moral emotions to target:

• Compassion and empathy
• Righteous anger and moral outrage
• Pride and inspiration
• Shame and guilt

8. Use vivid imagery and sensory-rich language

Words can carry us to the doorstep of change, but it is often images that carry us over the threshold.

Multimodal processing. The brain processes information through multiple sensory channels. Messages that engage multiple senses are more memorable and emotionally impactful.

Show, don't just tell. Use vivid imagery, metaphors, and sensory-rich language to make abstract concepts concrete and emotionally resonant.

Effective use of imagery:

• Visual metaphors and analogies
• Evocative scenes and settings
• Facial expressions and body language
• Symbols and iconic images

Beware unintended associations. Carefully vet all visual and auditory elements to avoid activating unhelpful emotional networks.

9. Pitch messages at the right level of abstraction

A principled stand is neither an abstraction (too superordinate) nor a detailed policy proposal (too subordinate).

The Goldilocks principle. Messages should be pitched at the right level of abstraction—not too vague, not too detailed. Aim for clear principles with obvious policy implications.

Basic-level categories. People naturally categorize at a "basic level" that balances informativeness and distinctiveness. In politics, this corresponds to broad principles and values.

Principled stands. Formulate clear, emotionally resonant stands on issues that voters can easily grasp and remember. These should flow from the party's master narrative and core values.

10. Reframe Republican narratives and language

Democrats should study the words carefully, particularly the names and slogans, to see what emotions and networks the Republicans are trying to activate and where they are laying traps.

Deconstruct opponent messaging. Analyze Republican language choices to identify the emotional networks they aim to activate. Look for hidden assumptions and implications.

Introduce alternative frames. Don't just argue against Republican frames—introduce new frames that shift the debate onto more favorable emotional terrain.

Reclaim key concepts. Republicans have co-opted terms like "values," "freedom," and "patriotism." Democrats must infuse these concepts with progressive meanings.

Expose Orwellian language. Call attention to deceptive Republican framing, like the "Clear Skies Initiative" that weakened pollution regulations.

11. Tell the truth about race and poverty

We fail as a party and as a nation when we deny those truths rather than turning moral problems into moral imperatives.

Acknowledge hard truths. Democrats must honestly address racial realities and the genuine problems in poor communities, while reframing them as moral imperatives for action.

Bridge divides. Use shared values and common concerns to build bridges between different racial and economic groups.

Expose coded racism. When Republicans use subtle racist appeals, Democrats should explicitly call attention to the implicit racism.

Reframe the debate. Shift from abstract discussions of discrimination to concrete issues of fairness, opportunity, and shared prosperity.

12. Invest in both gut instinct and scientific data

Republicans govern with faith and intuition but campaign with the best available science. Democrats govern with the best available science but campaign with faith and intuition.

Balance art and science. Effective campaigns require both emotional intelligence and rigorous data analysis. Democrats often rely too heavily on polling data without sufficient attention to emotional resonance.

Test messaging empirically. Use scientific methods to test the emotional impact of different messages, images, and framing choices.

Cultivate political talent. Identify and nurture candidates and strategists with natural political instincts and emotional intelligence.

Leverage technology. Harness big data and analytics to micro-target messages and optimize emotional impact.

Last updated: October 20, 2024