Key points

Political disagreements are feeding into a mood of anxiety and loneliness

Decades of research suggest working towards common goals increases shared identity and reduces friction

Because many factors separate us, creating spaces where we share common goals must be done intentionally

Talking to my family and my friends, looking at national polls, and feeling the quiet despair within myself, it seems we, as a country, are not in a good place. Adolescent anxiety is at record highs. The Department of Health and Human Services has called ‘ loneliness ’ a national epidemic . The number of people who describe members of the other political party as ‘evil’ or similar terms is rising.

As a researcher who studies adolescents, I am profoundly saddened by the weekly reports of sho

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