Cats, Anyone? Finding What We Have in Common When Ideology Divides Us

What if we shifted our focus from the ways people are different, and looked at the ways that we’re similar?
It’s easy to get along with people who share our values. We naturally create “ingroups” with people who share similar goals, political views or taste in music. Our ingroup becomes “Us,” and anyone outside our group becomes “Them.”

Is it possible to break down the barriers between Us and Them?  The Common Ingroup Identity Model says it is. Specifically, that if we can find a point of similarity with someone, we’ll show less negative bias towards them.

We put two real people on camera to test this theory.


This was produced in partnership with the Greater Good Science Center and the Einhorn Family Charitable Trust. Learn more about how you can bridge differences in your life here.

Science Found a Way to Use Broccoli and Carrots to Stop Prejudice

One scientist’s vegetable experiment reveals a way to connect with people who are different from you … and you don’t even have to eat them.

Did you know that your brain has a built-in threat detector?  It’s called the amygdala. When it works well, it protects us from danger but it also creates unconscious bias—the stuff you don’t even know your brain is doing. 

There’s good news. You can re-train your brain to reduce prejudice and bias — and all it takes is a few vegetables.


This was produced in partnership with the Greater Good Science Center and the Einhorn Family Charitable Trust. Learn more about how you can bridge differences in your life here.