Monday night's TV audience is expected to be the largest ever for a presidential debate. But this election cycle, most American's will be watching out of fear. More than 70 percent of voters asked said a Trump presidency made them uneasy, more than 50 percent said the same thing about Clinton. As satirist Andy Borowitz posted today,"More Americans expected to self medicate than for any other debate in history." So why is there so much anxiety about this election, And how is this weighing on our collective psyche? Harvard Kennedy School's Jennifer Lernerand William James College's Jodie Klimanjoined Jim to discuss "Voter Stress Disorder."
They discussed this election as an uncertain election, where the outcome looks different either way. Kliman said that the American people are polarized. She noted that the higher the stakes in the election, the more people tend to entrench themselves in their own political camp. Lerner said that anything that represents change leads to uncertainty.
They discussed voter stress, and the symptoms of the stress. Stress activates a flight or fight response in the body. Lerner said that when stressed, our survival mindset kicks in. Kliman described various reactions to stress. She said that while some people want to know as much as they can about a topic that stresses them out, others need to check out from it. Lerner said that when people are stressed, there's a reduction in clear memory. She said that stress is not meant to be a prolonged state.
Lerner suggested deep breathing as a technique to combat stress.
