Polarization and Emotional Response to Threats: The Case of Covid-19

In this paper, we ask how polarization is related to innate responses to threats. Through an online survey, we study the relationship between polarization about Covid-19 mitigation measures and psychopathy, a condition characterized by a reduced emotional response to perceived threats. We find that polarization is significantly lower for individuals with high psychopathy traits. This suggests that polarization over emotionally-charged political issues may be related to a biological mechanism that operates in high-risk environments: the fight or flight response.