Evolution, Fear, Bias, Wellness and the Built Environment’s Impact on Social Cohesion
Originally published on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/evolution-fear-bias-wellness-built-environments-impact-marcel-harmon/
NPR’s Hidden Brain series recently reported on research from the University of Maryland looking at the impacts of unconscious biases and fear on the support of voter ID laws. I haven’t had a chance to review the original research itself, but I found the impact of fear on Democrats in this study particularly interesting. In essence, regardless of one’s political worldview, fear is a strong motivator to be exclusionary, to circle the wagons or draw a boundary around you and those you see as the most “similar” to you in some regards (and to exclude those you may have an unconscious bias against, even if small).
On a general level (recognizing there is variation among individuals), the contemporary U.S. Democratic worldview is arguably more inclusive than the U.S. Republican worldview. Yet this study suggests fear is the great equalizer, driving Democrats to be as exclusionary as Republicans on average, likely influenced by the presence and strength of unconscious (racial) biases, at least with regards to voter ID laws.
Let’s assume for the moment that this finding applies to the social realm in general and not just voter ID laws (and other research would suggest that). From an evolutionary perspective, this individual level psychological phenomena, which could be argued to have individual/gene level selective advantages in certain circumstances (particularly in our evolutionary past), has group level implications.
Two key attributes of successful, cohesive groups from an evolutionary perspective are a) uniformity among group members and b) high levels of cooperation. The above described psychological phenomena, in addition to offering potential selective advantages at an individual/gene level, likely acts as a group level mechanism for both strengthening and weakening the bonds among members of various hierarchical levels or intersecting circles of groups.
In the case of the parameters examined in this voter ID law study, fear plays on the subconscious biases of Democrats (even if small and rooted only in easily discernible differences). It weakens the bond or uniformity relative to their “inclusive” world view and strengthens the bond or uniformity drawn along racial lines (driven by unconscious biases) – whites vs. non-whites in the case of this study.
One could argue that we’ve seen this play out at a national level after 9/11, with fear helping to strengthen divisions built on biases related to non-naturalized citizens, race, ethnicity and religion. It could also be argued that fear and biases are key factors in both the strengthening of and chipping away at institutionalized racism, which in effect strengthens the social cohesion of the race with the most power, whites in this case, while weakening the cohesion of a) other racial/ethnic groups and b) the overall group composed of multiple races/ethnicities.
So how do we decrease fearful overreactions and the perpetuation of biases detrimental to minorities, as well as the larger group? In my opinion, significant progress can be made through education and increased interactions. Education (focused on equity) provides awareness of unconscious biases, their contributions to institutionalized racism and other forms of discrimination, and the overblown nature of our fears of the “other.” Interactions with people of other racial, ethnic, religious and national backgrounds provide opportunities to see them as human beings, with similar hopes, dreams and desires as yourself. It becomes more difficult to view them as the “other.”
As designers of the built environment, we have a role to play in increasing this needed education and interaction. One way is through the promotion and design of socially/culturally relevant “public” spaces at multiple levels of human interaction. Individual building communities, whether residential, commercial/office, industrial or government, require common spaces to facilitate interactions (and informal education). Campuses, neighborhoods and the larger city require them as well.
To be successful, these spaces need to have relevancy and be welcoming of the various demographic groups being served. Break rooms, cafes, lounges, collaboration spaces and the like incorporating images of sports team mascots of Native American origin can be offensive and unwelcoming to Native American occupants. If the clothing insulation values of women wearing certain traditional Arab styles of clothing, such as the Daraa, Abaya, Hijab or Burqa, haven’t been accounted for in the design of these spaces’ indoor environmental control systems, the women may be uncomfortable and avoid these spaces.
Public spaces without Wi-Fi access will likely be avoided to some degree by people wanting to access their devices for work or recreation (Pokémon GO comes to mind), potentially alienating younger generations more so than older generations. Such spaces can also partially meet the needs of individuals of a lower socio-economic status who don’t have internet access at home, also providing an avenue for interactions across socio-economic boundaries.
Through the creation of common or public spaces that meet the needs of the occupants served, that are welcoming and avoid being offensive to various groups, often minorities, we have the power to help minimize unconscious biases and reduce fear, increasing uniformity and strengthening our organizations, communities and cities in the process. We can help chip away at institutional racism and other forms of discrimination, and increase overall social cohesion.
It's really already a component of the industry's more recent focus on occupant health and well-being. Feature 98, Occupational Transparency, of the new WELL Building Standard addresses this to some degree through it's recognition that "[o]rganizations that espouse fair, equitable and just treatment toward their workforce help create a culture of reduced stress and greater employee satisfaction, as well as a heightened sense of loyalty."
Other features also address the need for healthy public and collaborative spaces. However my hope is that more deliberate and focused efforts at incorporating equity focused education, increasing interactions and incorporating cultural relevancy will be built into the WELL Building Standard. This should be through the addition of new features where relevant and weaving them throughout the existing features, referencing research from a variety of disciplines and theoretical frameworks, including evolutionary theory. I will certainly continue to advocate for that. As a mission for the building/construction industry, this ranks on the same level as sustainability in my opinion.
For more information on evolutionary theory’s relevance to our modern world, I recommend exploring the following web pages: This View of Life, the Social Evolution Forum and the Evolution Institute.