| “These days, it can feel as if the entire country has been given over to a vast psychological experiment being run either by no one or by Steve Bannon,” the New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert once wrote. That was back in 2017—not exactly a time of innocence, but before real news was dismissed quite so often as “fake”; before science and medicine became public enemies; and before baseless attacks on election integrity gained popular acceptance in a major American political party. Why do we so often reject ideas and opinions even when they’re grounded in evidence? Kolbert’s article explores the psychological phenomena that help drive such behaviors, tracing their roots to human evolution and to the nature of our social relationships. Drawing on research by cognitive scientists, she also sketches techniques for persuading misinformed people—that is, everyone—to recognize gaps in their knowledge and perception, and to adopt new ways of thinking. It won’t be easy. As millions of Americans head to the polls on Tuesday, we wish you open-mindedness, accurate information, and intellectual integrity. You’ll find them in Kolbert’s article—and, we hope, in some of the candidates. | 
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