Daily Exercises

Focus On You

First things first: take this short survey (5 minutes) to see how polarization may be affecting your life - we'll use this as a starting point to help measure how far you've come at the end of The Challenge. At its core, toxic polarization is a highly addictive individual experience, and it is making us all increasingly sick.

Benefits

Building Block One will focus on increasing your awareness of toxic polarization and its effects on your health and relationships, offering steps to reduce it in your life - for your own sake, for those close to you, and to better equip you to constructively engage with others across the divide.

Focus On Us
Constructive disagreement and dissent are vital to well-functioning groups and societies. However, today, we are seeing historically high spikes in levels of affective polarization  (in-group love and out-group hate), partisan ideological consistency, and rigidity of political in-group norms. The national decline in courageous critical thinking is a core driver of our nation's extraordinary political mess.

In this climate, more moderate Americans - those who might push back within their camps on extreme positions - often disengage from politics entirely. Meanwhile, decades of research  point to the dangerous effects of the resulting groupthink - or lack of in-group dissent on decision-making - and how it typically feeds more severe group attitudes and out-group blame.

Benefits

Building Block Two will focus on reducing groupthink within our political groups. For this purpose, please identify and choose a specific group - your family, friend group, place of worship, or workplace, for example - with whom you currently discuss politics.

Crossing The Divide!

One of the worst consequences of our current political climate is the spike in feelings of alienation many of us are experiencing in our relationships with family members, neighbors, former friends, and co-workers. Today, over half of us struggle with tense family divisions due to political differences.

Benefits

Building Block Three's focus is on how to approach these divisions in your relationships effectively. For this, please identify and choose one specific relationship with someone you are currently struggling with over political or moral differences - even if that person shares your partisan affiliation.

Taking on the System, Together!

Today, Americans stand together at an inflection point. Our tribalism is potentially catastrophic, and bad actors are working harder and smarter than ever to divide us in a way that could trigger the decline of our nation.

This week, we ask that you choose one community or national issue that you feel is critical to take on and commit to doing what you can - with well-intentioned others from across the aisle - to promote positive change.

Benefits

The good news is that millions of us have the power and will to overcome these forces and help prevent the biggest disaster of the modern political era. It is up to all of us in the 87% to push ourselves, stem the tide of rage and blame, and shift our culture towards finding cooperative solutions to our toughest shared challenges.

By completing the Polarization Detox Challenge, you've gained new skills and insights that will make you a more critical thinker and effective problem solver in your personal, professional, and civic life!

But what now? There are plenty of ways you can take action to overcome toxic polarization, help yourself and our country ease divisions, prevent violence, and solve problems!

Measure your progress. Take our Post-Challenge survey in just a few minutes and see how far you've come!

Join the Movement! Starts With Us is equipping millions of Americans just like you all over the country, to overcome toxic polarization and solve our toughest problems. Sign up to get content, news, tools, and events delivered to your inbox!

Share the Polarization Detox Challenge with five people you know who'd benefit from it now and consider posting a brief video testimonial on social media of any of your highlights (or struggles!) from the experience. There's strength in our numbers - so let's grow!

Take it offline. There are many ways to bring these ideas into your real-life communities. From organizing a peace walk (you know the research on the value of moving together by now!) to toolkits and programs you can bring into your work, place of worship, neighborhood schools, or your living room - let's get off our phones and shift our culture in person!

Taking the Challenge has been a curious, compassionate, and courageous act of self-reflection, self-improvement, and patriotic service on your part. We hope you are as proud and energized as we are. Now let's go shift our culture for the better!

- Starts With Us & Dr. Peter T. Coleman