Human psychology, the referendum and the aftermath

[sorenofthejnaii]

It's fascinating. I wonder what the human psychologists are making of this.
How decisions were made and what influenced them. How much we justified them and then searched for data to justify them.

The role of soundbites to appeal to our view.
Looking at the same information but interpreting it relative to the views you hold.
Hindsight bias.
How people are reacting afterwards.

There must be a lot of people analysing the referendum and observing human behaviour afterwards. Social media must give a fascinating insight.

The Human zoo on R4 was fascinating in the run up to the referendum on how we humans behave.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b036tbly

caitlin the referendum was never binding, so it did not have to offer a choice between two guaranteed outcomes. Indeed, even as it was framed, it didn't: we're only just starting to come to terms that "leaving" will be politically and legally complex, and may not look much like "leaving at all". At least a vote between (say) EU membership vs EEA membership would have offered two realistic and, probably, achievable outcomes.

I'm not surprised that more people don't regret their decision at all! Everyone expected a short term economic impact, everyone. Plus, i don't think all this "but it's so complicated!" Stuff from civil servants will wash. People assume that working through complicated situations is what they get paid so handsomely for. People are quite rightly thinking "and? so get on with it!" Ordinary people cannot do anything now to affect how this plays out, they are being asked to justify their actions and explain how they think this or that can be achieved and as far as the latter goes, they are quite understandably saying "how the fuck should I know?! You go and do your jobs!"

A bit wordy, but this is what the BPS (British Pychological Society) has said so far:

thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/brexit-poll

And

thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/brexit-poll-part-two

I'm sure it'll provide inspiration for research for years to come - so interesting!

OP, I agree with you, it's absolutely fascinating from a psychological perspective.

Two of my Facebook friends posted a LOT of pro Leave memes in the run up to the vote, while the Remain voters were much quieter. Since the vote, one of the two has posted one thing related to the result, while my Remain friends are suddenly very vocal! Why? Would it have been the same if the result had gone the other way?

oneart I don't blame them, it's scary out there!

The aspect I hadn't really considered before is the whole psychology of "dogwhistle politics" and the use of slogans which have a very broad, vague interpretation but are emotive and designed to engage with large numbers of people.

On another thread there was a discussion about "I want my country back" and there was a feeling among remainers, even despite acknowledging what the slogan was originally designed to do, that they now wanted their pre-Brexit country back.

When rationally we all know it doesn't make sense.

caitlinohara so you think it's because they're worried that they'll be ripped to shreds if they do? Honestly, I don't think that would happen. My Facebook friends are very polite! (Not like on here at all!)

OP, excellent thread - if I was observing all this from the outside (preferably another planet) it would be really fascinating.

I was disappointed by the result, angry and bereft at what has been taken from me and my children. But at the same time, because it’s not all about me: I hope with all my heart that my fears for the future are wrong and the Leave voters are right, with their easy optimism for a bright future for (whatever is left of) the UK.

But there are some things that I think I will never get over, and that is what this referendum has exposed of the craven ugliness that I must conclude lurks in the depths of perhaps all people . Do I exaggerate? I don’t know.

On these boards, I have seen people being vehemently ageist, people who directly accusing expert academics who disagree with them of corruption (then scuttling away), people shouting at others to shut up because Democracy then demanding the same to provide their ideas and efforts to move forward, people on both sides wishing others ill-luck with such bitterness, people who accuse those who have lost their jobs of making it all up, people who accuse those who have reported racism of lying (or making an excessive fuss because, hey, they weren't murdered ), people who believe that being even indirectly associated with racism is exactly as hurtful as actually experiencing racism, people who have told those who are feeling sad and unwelcome and whose lives are directly affected to get a fucking grip, people who have told those who are thinking of leaving because of the previous to fuck off to and don’t let the door hit them… there are plenty more examples which posters on either side of the debate can fill in. That’s without the real horrible things going on in real life because of this referendum - job losses, racial abuse, families and friends at each other’s throats, an MP murdered for god’s sake.

And the saddest thing? People so entrenched in their positions that they fail to call out others for doing any of the above however despicable, either cheering them on or mysteriously all disappearing from a thread at the same time . I tell myself that the vast majority of humans are good, decent and kind. But my faith in humanity has been really shaken these past few weeks.

I’m trained as a scientist, and part of that is trying to be aware of one’s own bias. So in reading the debates on here (and elsewhere), I have tried (however badly) to get what the “other side” are talking about. But in all honesty I’m finding some of the post hoc justifications of Leavers baffling, contradictory and frankly, just plain deluded. Shoot me.

TheElements, great post. I agree with you. I'm a Remain voter, but I'm much more depressed about the result now than I was a week ago, because of what has emerged since then

As a leave voter I have been dismayed at the total lack of coherent leadership on all fronts. I think the result has highlighted what a shower of shite we have supposedly running the country and our membership of the EU simply masked that, and spread the responsibility around so that no one took charge.

Listening to a R4 feedback programme yesterday it was said that before the referendum they struggled to find any Remain voters to voice their opinions to maintain a balance. It's a bit different now.

Also the change in mood on here. At one time posters criticising another for spelling or grammar were jumped on, but I have seen some pretty vile behaviour towards leave voters.

www.marketingsociety.com/the-library/why-we-left-behavioural-science-view
this has some very interesting observations

I'm sure it'll provide inspiration for research for years to come - so interesting

This sort of stuff should be discussed at school. Even a basic understanding of how we make decisions, justify them - the threads make fascinating studying.

Brexit that's interesting what you say about the R4 programme. Did they offer any insight into why this was?

Does anyone else find themselves constantly looking at people and wondering how they voted? I mean, at complete strangers and celebrities etc. I don't think I ever did that after a GE!!

I have seen some pretty vile behaviour towards leave voters.

I completely agree Brexit, if you're meaning posts talking about people being too old or dumb to vote. However, I (confirmation bias alert) believe there have also been plenty of vile posts towards Remain voters.

There was an interesting programme on BBC4 this week - related to one of those articles. Again, all about how we make decisions.

Our system 1 brain and system 2 brain.

I think it's interesting too.

The people I know all seem to fall in a middle ground camp of seeing the benefits/downfalls of remaining/leaving the same way.

What's actually made the difference has been the weighting each of has put on these different aspects.

This has meant that despite feeling the same way on individual aspects, we have all voted the same way. It's also meant there's not been hatred or panic and no accusation of xenophobia or stupidity etc.

What will be more interesting (and scares the crap out of me) will be the coming months where we as a nation (remain and leavers both) get to thrash out what comes next. This isn't a simple yes or no and it'll be every person for themselves and far more potential for raised hackles as people disagree on what we want to negiatiate towards and what we are prepared to compromise on to get it. That's where the best case study material will come from.

I didn't hear all the programme. And it was more about perceived bias than the reasons. I deduced it was because Remainers never thought for one minute that leave would win. neither did a lot of leave voters

And the behaviour I refer to is posters belittling other posters for spelling, grammar and command of English simply because they admitted to voting leave. As if their perceived lack of intelligence could be linked to the way they voted.

As if their perceived lack of intelligence could be linked to the way they voted.

Indeed belittling posters in those ways is wrong. I'm glad we agree on that. Can we agree that belittling posters who are facing job loss, xenophobic abuse (or even fear of such) is also Not On?

TheElements - I agree with your post of 09:24 (and I was an out voter - the negativity of the campaign on both sides dismayed me, and the shittiness of the responsefrom some people on both sides has horrified me), and with Brexit's subsequent comment about failure of leadership.

I totally agree that it is not the place of leave voters to tell people affected by this - whether through racist attacks (I hope the perpetrators are caught and given custodial sentences), job losses, or the threat of job losses/right to remain in the UK - that their fears are made up. We all need to listen and to take these concerns very, very seriously, and think about what we can do about it. (One of the first things I did, having been assured prior to the vote by the trade union I belong to, that EU citizens here would probably be protected by the Vienna Convention, was to write to the branch council of my trade union asking for union funds to be set aside to fight legal cases on this issue if it turned out to be necessary).

The thing that is massively up-for-grabs, hence my despair at the apparent suicide urge in the Labour party, are the voters who voted out because they saw strains on public services (which are genuinely there) and (I think mistakenly) attributed them to immigration - if Labour don't get their act together and present a unified front to protect the NHS, stop Osborne's knee jerk reaction to the drop in the pound of "more public sector cuts", and talk seriously about how we can protect the poor and vulnerable, they'll drive some (not all) of those voters into the arms of far right nationalists.

It has been fascinating reading the twists and turns of the Daily Mail. They are obviously Brexit and have been completely banjaxed by the Tory leadership race. The comments sections resembles a shoal of fish swarming from one candidate to the other. From Boris to Gove to Leadsom
We are now looking for a mummy figure to kiss us and make it all better.
I think it will take me a long time to erase the idea that Brexiters are closet racists.

It has been fascinating reading the twists and turns of the Daily Mail

The psychology of the Daily Mail and its response to the Brexit vote. I think that's a PhD thesis.

I think one of the reasons we are all feeling so pole-axed is that the referendum (and the immediate political fall-out in Tory and Labour party thereafter) have shown up the utter incompetence and hubris of our political leaders. (We kind of knew this already but after the past few days we can no longer be in denial about it.)

LurcioAgain I agree entirely.

The problem we, who broadly fall into the centre ground have but on balance voted to leave, is that we outnumber those extreme leavers but don't tend to be very vocal compared to their voices. This is why they are seen as representative of the leaver mentality.

The sooner the middle ground can find their voices, the better.