IP-PAD DC Olaf Borghi Featured on British Red Cross Podcast "Bridging Divides"

Olaf Borghi, IP-PAD Doctoral Candidate, appeared as a guest expert to discuss his research on Bridging Divides, a new initiative and podcast series from the British Red Cross.

Bridging Divides is a three-episode series that seeks to understand why we feel so divided, and how we can have difficult conversations and grow together as a society in challenging times. Each episode is dedicated to a single researcher or practitioner.

As the guest in Episode 2, Olaf had the chance to discuss belief updating in politics and beyond, drawing on his doctoral research within IP-PAD. Together with podcast host Sonali Shah, he explored how beliefs develop across the lifespan, the purposes they can serve beyond tracking reality, and what a growing body of research tells us about how facts can and often do change people's minds. The conversation connects closely to Olaf's work within IP-PAD, which investigates how young people develop their political beliefs and how this is inter-related with other cognitive and emotional processes.

Asked about Bridging Divides, Olaf said: "Sometimes if we feel very divided, we might not want to engage with the 'other side.' But often, we might actually feel more divided than we really are. By bringing together experts and evidence, Bridging Divides shows how we can grow together as a society."

You can listen to the full Episode on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRmexgvjphU and find out more about Bridging Divides on https://www.bridgingdivides.org.uk.

Image Source: British Red Cross