That said, I do wonder to what extent things are in some way "worse" than at a previous point. Just listened to this podcast this morning so I haven't really had time to let my thoughts coagulate yet but it touches on both of these points so I thought I would share the link: https://youarenotsosmart.com/2018/02/26/yanss-122-how-our-unchecked-tribal-psychology-pollutes-politics-science-and-just-about-everything-else/Absolutely not. To an extent, societies are at their core about dividing ourselves into groups. The problem is that it's become so much easier to do, and once you are in a group, you have far less contact with others.
Interesting. But this jives with my own limited understanding of the research. Still, I liked the analogy to fast food, and especially the idea that we "figured it out." As I increasingly think of this current presidency as an emetic, that seems to fit.