Dealing with another person’s Outrage

Here is a peculiar thing. People don’t like it when you try to correct them when they are expressing outrage on social media. Say, over an event which you know is fake news. They especially don’t like it when you provide evidence to support your view.

Why is this? People should be able to see that the truth benefits them, and should calm down, but I have observed the opposite — any attempt to change their perspective leads to more outrage.

I had a hunch that I may be barking up the wrong tree here. What if this has nothing to do with rationality in a conversation. Emotion beats rationality with both hands tied behind its back, so what if this is a chemical thing?

So I looked up the role of the neurotransmitter Dopamine, and it’s role in aggression. It seems that the social aspects of outrage reward us with dopamine hits. You read something that causes outrage, and you also see the outrage of other people. You feel validated, triggered and excited, and are rewarded with dopamine.

Essentially, when I correct people, I am taking away their precious dopamine hits. I’m being a wet blanket, a damper, a downer, a party pooper. I’m diminishing their arousal.

So maybe the first step in divesting someone of a mistaken viewpoint, is to isolate them from the social group.

Then first agree with them, and ask them nicely to help you understand their viewpoint, until they arrive at the juncture where their erroneous view falls apart from all the holes in it, at which point you may offer up your own viewpoint with the appropriate evidence to back it up.

So much work.