Ever wondered why some trends are just suddenly everywhere?

Newsflash, nothing gets popular by accident.

I'm Brittany Luce, and on the It's Been a Minute podcast, I take the things you and I are both obsessing over

and show you the invisible forces behind the scenes that make us love it or hate it.

Be smarter about what you're consuming. Listen to the

It's Been a Minute podcast today. At the time of this recording, the election is just a week away.

Holy shit, I don't know much about politics. But one thing I know is that whoever wins, Americans will still want to rip each other's heads off.

I'm talking about polarization, of course, how we're more divided than ever.

And yes, I know it's a problem that people are disgusted with the other side,

that every issue gets politicized and weaponized,

sometimes to the point of violence. But every time I hear about polarization in the news,

a little part of me rolls my eyes. Because I'm like, well, what are we supposed to do about it?

Like, are you telling us to calm down when the stakes are this high?

Maybe this is me being dumb.

But I feel like polarization is one of those terms the media assumes everybody knows,

and so never slows down to explain it.

So for today's show, we are investigating one emotional dynamic of this current political moment. What exactly does it mean when we say polarization?

Is there anything we can do to get less angry at each other? Is that even what we want?

Hello, hello, hello?

I can't hear you. Damn.

This is so annoying. So messed up.

Jay Van Babel is a social psychologist at New York University, who has really good and surprising answers to all these questions.

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