How To Talk To People You Disagree With
The Science of Happiness
PRX and Greater Good Science Center
4.4 • 1.9K Ratings
🗓️ 28 March 2024
⏱️ 19 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We learn techniques for working across the aisle without compromising our values from a Democratic politician in one of the most conservative states, Oklahoma.
Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/w2a9a42p
Episode summary:
Trying to have a conversation with someone who has an opposing view can be exhausting. This week, we explore what it means to have productive discussions when we disagree. Democratic Oklahoma State Senator Jo Anna Dossett recounts her experience bridging political divides with Republican senators in her state with active listening and self-compassion. Later, we hear from political science professor Lilliana Mason about the blurred line between personal and political identities, and how connecting with individuals on an emotional and social level can lead to more fruitful discussions than just focusing on facts.
Today’s guests:
Jo Anna Dossett is an Oklahoma State Senator.
Learn about Jo Anna Dossett: https://tinyurl.com/muxw7yvz
Follow Jo Anna Dossett on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dossett4ok
Follow Jo Anna Dossett on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/293n98fc
Follow Jo Anna Dossett on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/yc3mszhx
Lilliana Mason is a political science professor at Johns Hopkins University.
Learn about Lilliana Mason’s work: https://tinyurl.com/w2hy6fhk
Follow Lilliana Mason on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/29sumyxb
Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:
Eight Keys to Bridging Our Differences: https://tinyurl.com/45ntehyp
Four Lessons From Mediators for Bridging Differences: https://tinyurl.com/bdhf68te
What Will It Take to Bridge Our Differences? https://tinyurl.com/3sua8uz5
Six Techniques to Help You Bridge Differences: https://tinyurl.com/ypsbycf4
15 Practices to Help Kids Bridge Differences: https://tinyurl.com/mvw4s649
More Resources on Bridging Differences
TIME - How Americans Can Tackle Political Division Together: https://tinyurl.com/3phj6y7j
APA - Healing the political divide: https://tinyurl.com/38kzvm5k
BBC - Crossing Divides: What the research tells us: https://tinyurl.com/yahmwdth
Stanford - How to Bridge Political Divides: https://tinyurl.com/yc7ha55p
Tell us about your experiences and struggles bridging differences. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
Help us share The Science of Happiness!
Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/d3mc7e6t
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I grew up in a very rural area that's characteristic of Oklahoma. You know within minutes you can be in the middle of a |
| 0:15.1 | pasture with hay bales and livestock. My parents were very conservative and |
| 0:21.2 | it's just it's been in my adulthood that I've kind of adopted some |
| 0:26.4 | different ways of thinking ways of teaching my own children that vary from how I |
| 0:30.8 | was raised which is a very patriarchal, |
| 0:34.2 | theocratic, authoritarian kind of way. |
| 0:38.2 | I was a teacher for 16 years. |
| 0:41.0 | We had undergone such steep cuts to public education funding in Oklahoma. |
| 0:46.0 | I was seeing conditions when my workplace just deteriorating. |
| 0:50.0 | That was my motivator to run for office. |
| 0:52.0 | I flipped a seat, red to blue. |
| 0:55.0 | That was back in November 2020 and have been serving here ever since. sense. |
| 1:06.0 | Welcome to the Science of Happiness. |
| 1:08.0 | I'm Allison Briscoe Smith, the Child Psychologist and Senior Fellow at the Greater Good Science |
| 1:12.2 | Center, where I implement research and how we can bridge our differences. |
| 1:15.6 | I'm filling in this week for Dacker Keltner. Today we're talking about strategies |
| 1:20.1 | grounded in research that we can use to preserve and strengthen relationships |
| 1:24.9 | across differences. Our guest is Oklahoma State Senator Joanna Dossett, a |
| 1:29.6 | Democrat in the very conservative state of Oklahoma. |
| 1:33.0 | Senator Dossett has had to get the buy-in of her Republican colleagues to get any legislation |
| 1:37.6 | passed, so she's really had to dig deep to find ways to work across disagreements. |
| 1:42.0 | It's some real inner child stuff. |
... |
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