Generational Strengths Help Bridge Political Divides: An Analysis of Cross-Partisan Conversations
Mary Rose Bell, Anna Pot, Laura Carstensen

TL;DR
Older and younger people talking politics use more polite and positive language than same-age groups, suggesting intergenerational conversations can help reduce political divides.
Contribution
This study reveals how combining generational strengths fosters respectful political dialogue through intergenerational conversations.
Findings
Intergenerational dyads used more polite and prosocial words than same-age groups.
Old-young pairs showed higher positivity and tentativeness in political conversations.
Social norms and combined generational strengths may explain improved dialogue quality.
Abstract
Older adults’ socioemotional strengths, such as emotional stability and positivity, could be a valuable resource for navigating political discussions. When combined with younger adults’ curiosity and open-mindedness, these intergenerational strengths have the potential to foster respectful dialogue across political divides. We analyzed conversations from StoryCorps’ One Small Step initiative, which pairs individuals with different political views for 50-minute conversations. The sample included 105 conversations with young-young, old-old, and young-old dyads (N = 210 participants; M_young = 29 years, M_old = 71 years). Transcripts were analyzed using LIWC to measure the frequency of prosocial, polite, tentative, and positive words. Results showed that intergenerational (young-old) dyads used more polite words than young-young (b = 0.144, p < 0.001) and old-old dyads (b = 0.090, p =…
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Taxonomy
TopicsSocial and Intergroup Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Power and Status Dynamics
