How (many) descriptive claims about political polarization exacerbate polarization

Recently, researchers and reporters have made a wide range of claims about the distribution, nature, societal impact political polarization. Here I offer reasons to believe that even when they are correct prima facie merely descriptive, many these highly negative side effect increasing This is because interplay two factors so far been neglected in work on polarization, namely (1) people tend conform descriptive norms (i.e., capturing [perceptions of] what others commonly do, think, or feel), (2) polarization often convey such norms. Many thus incline behave, cognize, be affectively disposed ways contribute social division. But there silver lining. People’s tendency also provides basis for developing new, experimentally testable strategies counteracting outline three.