THE RESEARCH

      Whether it be stubbornness or laziness or something else, most of us are not quick to "change our minds." Blame the polarization of todays political climate if you like, as it may play a part, but another reason is that the engagements we've had lately are all but personable—we're less inclined to have an effective, engaging discussion on an issue in public settings like social media or during a televised debate (Hobson). Having such discussions in a one-on-one setting combined with an open-minded attitude is what best promotes the comfort to actually listen and discuss and, if the cards align, change your mind.

       Additionally, when it comes to rapid change itself (one that doesn't result from an argument/discussion/etc. Say, a pandemic that results in an immediate shift of social culture) I found that, as the BBC article aptly puts it, we tend to "rationalize the things we feel stuck with" in order to "free up brain space to get on with our lives by deciding it’s not so bad" (Hammond). Its a coping mechanism, in a sense—an attempt at achieving emotional stability even if the situation is promoting the exact opposite.  The problem with this, however, is then we're not properly processing the events happening around us and to us, resulting in increased anxiety, mood swings, and an overall decrease in mental health.

       In a way, this is exactly what I want to combat with my capstone. I've challenged myself to actually verbalize and dictate how I feel about this situation, and how those feelings may have affected how I feel about the physical spaces/things around me. Things have changed, my emotions have changed, and the meaning of the spaces around me have changed. Its a lot to process, but simply attempting to is a good first step.

       This is truly such an extensive topic, and it plays into a bunch of other ideas; I've simply written a general overview, and so I highly recommend reading the attached sources below for yourself if you'd like to learn more.