Tag Archives: leaf van boven

Americans Overestimate Political Polarization, According To New CU-Boulder Research

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Many Americans overestimate the degree of polarization between Democrats and Republicans, and this misconception is associated with citizens’ voting behavior and their involvement in political activities, according to new findings from the University of Colorado Boulder.

“It is clear that Americans see themselves as very sharply polarized,” said Professor Leaf Van Boven, who led the research efforts. “And that the extent of perceived polarization dramatically overstates the actual degree of polarization.” (more…)

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When It Comes To Charitable Giving, People Respond To Their Immediate Emotions, Cu Study Says

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When considering giving money to humanitarian crises people often donate in response to events that grab their immediate emotions, according to a recent study by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and Dresden University of Technology in Germany.

“The question we wanted to answer with our study is what is the impact of people’s emotions on their decisions to make charitable donations,” said CU-Boulder psychology Professor Leaf Van Boven, who co-authored the study. “We demonstrated that people act on what is immediately emotionally arousing to them. In other words, they respond to what makes them upset in the here and now.” (more…)

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