Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to U.S. Congress was running for president in 1972 when she had a remarkable interaction with the pro-segregation George Wallace, then governor of Alabama. Her efforts to build bridges with him ultimately changed his point of view. She’s pictured here giving a speech at Laney Community College during her presidential campaign.
Howard Erker/Oakland Tribune-MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Deeply entrenched conflicts are dividing the world – and many people’s social circles.
The violence in Israel and Gaza is triggering often overheated discussions among friends, family and strangers. This comes on top of other, increasingly sharp, rifts in the U.S., including fights over gun control, policing, abortion and other social and political issues.
Scientists who study the intersection of conflict and human behavior say it’s essential to understand the biology behind some of these toxic interactions. Becoming aware of our ingrained impulses, they say, can help us learn to diffuse combustible situations.
And some rare, but noteworthy people who have mastered this lesson — including Nelson Mandela and U.S. Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm — have changed history.
Understanding a hard-wired response
As social beings, humans are wired to forge strong bonds with groups that could help us survive against outside threats, research shows. It’s a natural evolutionary impulse.
Olga Klimecki, a neurology researcher and lecturer at the University of Jena in Germany, says brain scans show how powerfully social identity can shape our emotional response to situations.
For example, if…
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