How to decide how to vote – a psychologist’s advice

By Smadar Cohen-Chen, Senior Lecturer in Social and Organisational Psychology, University of Sussex

One of the things I often hear as an emotions researcher is that emotions should not “cloud” people’s decisions, that they get in the way, or that they are irrational.

But emotions are a critical part of the human experience, and indeed in making decisions. They help people to process information, form goals and guide behaviour. So if you’re struggling to decide how to vote in the UK general election don’t ignore or discount your emotions. In fact, it’s important to be aware of how politicians may try to tap into voters’ emotional state.

Emotions…

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