Episode Details

Politics used to feel like opinions. Now it can feel like a full-body threat and if you question the script, you risk getting exiled. We sit down with Anthony Rispo, who studied psychology, neuroscience, and political behavior at Columbia University. An expert in how we measure human cognition, emotion, and behavior. We talk about what happens when you leave a political side, stop fitting neatly into a label, and realize you're politically homeless in a culture that demands total certainty.

We go deep into the psychology behind the temperature of the country right now. Binary thinking, hostile attribution bias, cognitive dissonance, and why social media turns disagreement into dehumanization. Anthony shares how old wounds and identity-based hypervigilance can shape how we read the world, and how 2020 pushed many people into anger that didn’t match who they wanted to be. We also talk about maturity as emotional regulation, why parenthood and responsibility narrow your priorities, and what it looks like to protect your home (and heart) by logging off.

From there, we unpack big ideas with real-world stakes: critical theory in higher education, the Overton window shifting under our feet, and how 'sacred values' plus identity fusion can make people feel justified in bullying a small business or screaming labels at someone instead of having a conversation. We also wrestle with the uncomfortable tradeoffs people avoid when they only see victims and villains.

If you’re craving nuance, intellectual humility, and a way to think for yourself again, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who feels stuck in the middle, and leave a review with the mindset shift that helped you lower your own temperature.

You can find Anthony here: https://linktr.ee/anthonyrispo

 and here: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyrispo/

The Myth of Left and Right: https://a.co/d/00A7MDBx

Microdosify 
10% OFF our trusted microdose supply!

1:1 Discovery Calls 
Are psychedelics right for you on your healing journey? Book a discovery call to ask us anything.

Support the show

Join our Patreon for exclusive content:
https://www.patreon.com/seeyouontheotherside

Our Website:
https://linktr.ee/seeyouontheothersidepodcast