My Peace City | nonviolence & social change

Two new academic articles have got my attention because of their link to positive social change. The first article, found in Current Directions of Psychological Science, reports on the science of gratitude. The authors write that that gratitude, a prosocial emotion distinct from happiness, evolved to facilitate reciprocal altruism. Reciprocal altruism is the principle that accounts for why people do good things for people who don’t share their genes (a quandary from an evolutionary perspective that views humans as fundamentally selfish) by proposing that we do good things for either emotional or materially return. When an individual experiences the pleasant sensations of gratitude they are motivated to give back, and the authors suggest, maybe even give to unrelated others. Recent evidence suggests that gratitude not only increases our well-being, but also motivates us to give credit to others for good deeds and is distinct from feelings associated with expectation or obligation. It is clear to me that when there is the expectation to give back upon receiving a gift, my sense of connection and gratitude is diminished. Of course, parents reinforce this behavior by reminding children to “say thank you to your grandpa” etc. I wonder what gratitude would look like if we didn’t practice this reinforcement? I wonder how other cultures understand and experience gratitude?

The second article, found in Science, suggests that there is a relationship between physiology and political attitudes. The research provided evidence that responses to threatening images and startling sounds predicted political orientation, with those concerned with “protecting the social unit” exhibiting more stress (moisture on the skin) and startle (more eye blinks). As the authors note, those with:

measurably lower physical sensitivities to sudden noises and threatening visual images were more likely to support foreign aid, liberal immigration policies, pacifism and gun control, whereas individuals displaying measurably higher physiological reactions to those same stimuli were more likely to favor defense spending, capital punishment, patriotism and the Iraq War

Fear continues to be used by politicians to galvanize support for their issues, just listen to the political pundits talk about the economic situation and the “dire” need to have a bailout plan. Fear was also used in the build-up to the Iraq war and is probably used in every single political campaign ad. The power of fear in shaping peoples attitudes and behaviors is ubiquitous in this culture. The authors juxtapose their findings with the belief that political attitudes are formed from context, relationships and situations. While the physiological measures used in the study suggest a more biological foundation to political attitudes, I would argue that physiological reaction to scary stimuli is not independent of the mind and its creations. As Buddhism teaches us we can certainly train ourselves, over the course of a lifetime, to react in enduring ways.

Interestingly, for those of us on the left end of the political spectrum, this research allows us to connect with those that we disagree with politically. We have all experienced fear, and we all have a deep desire and need to feel safe and protected. We can begin to connect to those who want to “protect the social unit” through this understanding of fear. A kind of “heart unity,” as Gandhi would call it. Now, we just need some research showing that “heart unity” yields the results we desire (peace, understanding, progress etc.) more effectively than a belief in the more righteous opinion or strategy.

• For a related post, check out The Science of Bliss.