Person Over Position
Unpacking the Impacts of Experience-Sharing on Social Evaluations, Emotions, and Engagement in Opinionated Discourse
Research
This research examines how sharing personal experiences, rather than opinions, improves social discourse across ideological divides. Across three studies with nearly 2,000 American adults, we found that statements of experience (SoEs) significantly improved social evaluations of speakers compared to statements of opinion (SoOs), with listeners perceiving experience-sharers as more authentic, trustworthy, and emotionally resonant. We found that even when we disagree with another’s stance, hearing their personal experiences creates empathetic connections that bypass defensive reactions to opposing views. Our work challenges traditional deliberative models that emphasize rational debate as the primary pathway to mutual understanding, suggesting that to address increasing social polarization, we must instead create spaces where people can safely share and hear the lived experiences that shape their diverse perspectives.
More Research
Dialogue to Decision
An LLM-Powered Framework for Analyzing Collective Idea Evolution and Voting Dynamics in Deliberative Assemblies
Research
Voice to Vision
Supporting decision makers in effective and efficient constituency-informed, AI-supported decision-making. Communicating how constituen...
Research
DisCourse
A curated social experience that transforms dinner between strangers into an opportunity to reimagine how we listen, speak, and share
Research
FRONTLINE Social Dialogue Network
Archived
Over 40 young people participated in a social listening experiment exploring how personal experiences build bridges to better understanding current events and creating mo
Pilots & Programs
realtalk@Boston
A new civic infrastructure in Boston grounded in dialogue as a way to building “civic muscle” of democracy
Pilots & Programs
Crossroads
An exploration of playful listening through a co-creative AI game
Research
