Freakonomics Radio

Episode: "How Can We Break Our Addiction to Contempt? (Update)"

Host: Stephen J. Dubner
Guest: Arthur Brooks
Released: October 15, 2025

Brief Overview

This episode explores America's growing "addiction to contempt"—the tendency for political polarization and bitterness to become self-reinforcing and pervasive. Drawing on updated data and a previously recorded in-depth interview, Stephen Dubner and guest Arthur Brooks (Harvard professor, economist, former president of the American Enterprise Institute) delve into the roots of contempt, its destructive effects on society, and whether "love"—or at least "warm-heartedness"—is truly a practical antidote. Brooks, known for advocating civility and cross-partisan kindness, lays out not only the psychological science behind contempt but also the steps citizens and leaders alike might take to break free from it.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Contempt Crisis in America

[03:24]

• Brooks describes his role as a "public persuader" trying to promote decency and kindness, even as polarization appears to worsen.
• He compares his efforts to a "latent demand strategy"—creating a product (civility) people don't yet know they need, akin to entrepreneurial innovation:

  "I think it's right. I think it's morally right, I think it can be popular, and I think that it just might work. But you gotta keep trying." (Arthur Brooks, 04:14)

• Both parties are referenced as being caught in habits and incentives that reward outrage over understanding.

2. The Addiction Analogy

[05:35]

• According to Brooks, we are "addicted to contempt."

• This addiction is compared to a cycle that rewards the brain with dopamine, reinforced by media and political industries.

  "The actual demand curve [the market for outrage] is firing up dopamine in people's brains again and again and again." (Arthur Brooks, 05:20)

• Contempt, Brooks argues, is systematically fueled by market incentives in politics and media.

3. Anatomy and Science of Contempt

[13:25]

• Brooks distinguishes contempt from anger:

  • Anger: A hot emotion; signals caring and a desire for change.
  • Contempt: A cold, complex emotion mixing anger and disgust; dehumanizes and dismisses others as beneath regard.

    "Contempt is this nasty cocktail of anger plus disgust, which is not a hot emotion anymore. It's a cold emotion. It says you are worthless and what you said is worthless. You are beneath my regard." (Arthur Brooks, 13:54)

• Recognizing this distinction, Brooks says, is key to treating contempt as a bad habit rather than an inevitable response.

4. Causes of Modern Polarization

[10:25]

• Economic shocks, notably major financial crises (e.g., 2008), historically result in surges in populism and political division:

  "On average, [a financial crisis] causes a 30% bump in voter share for populist parties and candidates. This is Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump by the numbers." (Arthur Brooks, 10:50)

• The media and political leaders then react to this surge in demand for outrage, creating a vicious cycle.

5. The Media's Role in Perpetuating Contempt

[16:06]

• Polarization does not break down cleanly along lines of race, gender, or even party; rather, it tracks closely with consumption of political news, especially social media and cable news.

  "The likelihood of you saying [the biggest threat to the United States is] a person of the other party is directly related to how much political news that you consume." (Arthur Brooks, 16:23)

• Brooks notes that media acts as an amplifier, creating “straight great hits, off the bottle for people who just can’t handle it.”

6. Effects of Contempt and Its Psychological Costs

[16:58]

• Media-induced outrage gives an initial dopamine hit, but rapidly neutralizes itself, leading to escalating consumption and worsening moods.

  "The pleasure you get from that almost immediately [is] neutralized, leading you to have to take the drug again...These are the...neurochemical predictors of falling happiness." (Arthur Brooks, 17:15)

• Cites the Harvard Study of Adult Development:

  "Happiness is love, full stop." (Arthur Brooks, 17:53)

7. Contempt vs. Love, and Their Economics

[18:58]

• Brooks offers a faux-equation:

  "Your vice, the opposite of your virtue, is your contempt divided by your love. ... The real way to [reduce contempt] ... is that you should have a denominator management strategy. And the more that you increase the denominator [love], the more that vicious impulse will just magically decrease." (Arthur Brooks, 18:58)

• Love is proactive—a choice and an act ("to will the good of the other as other")—whereas contempt is reactive and habitual.

8. The Limits and Power of Individual Action

[34:09]

• While acknowledging that big institutional changes are needed, Brooks emphasizes the agency of individuals to start movements, referencing Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.:

  "Every movement actually starts with a few people ... Everything actually starts with a few individuals." (Arthur Brooks, 34:09)

9. Missed Opportunity During COVID-19

[37:35]

• Contrary to the theory that crises bring people together, Brooks says poor leadership during the pandemic used COVID as a tool for division.

  "The President of the United States used Covid to divide as opposed to using Covid to unite." (Arthur Brooks, 37:44)

10. Why Politicians Can't Break the Cycle

[38:36]

• Most politicians, Brooks argues, dislike the contempt culture but are trapped by the system and collective action dilemmas:

  "Most that I've met, they're smart, they're interested in what's going on, they want to make things better, and they don't know how. And just like the rest of Us, they feel a lot of fear." (Arthur Brooks, 38:49)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On love as a political remedy:

  "I will not let the press, the media, politicians tell me I've got to hate my brother-in-law. I'm just not going to put up with it anymore." (Arthur Brooks, 06:22)

• On the emotional cost of media-driven contempt:

  "If you're a media addict and you're watching six hours a day of Fox News or MSNBC, your brain is lighting up like a Christmas tree." (Arthur Brooks, 16:58)

• On practical psychological tricks:

  "If you put a pencil in your mouth and bite down... that signals to your brain that you're doing a Duchenne smile... and you will literally feel happier." (Arthur Brooks, 32:53)

• On practical steps for listeners:

  "Number one, stand up to the man...the media that is telling you that you have to hate. Number two is start running toward contempt because this is your opportunity to show love...Number three... a five-to-one list. If you want to say something hateful or sarcastic, you write it down but then have to say five loving, caring things first. You won't get to the sixth thing." (Arthur Brooks, 41:20)

Important Timestamps

• Failed persuasion and latent demand strategy: 03:24
• Contempt as an addictive, learned habit: 05:35, 13:25
• Science and definition of contempt: 13:35
• Economic roots of polarization: 10:25
• Media’s amplifying effect: 16:06
• Harvard study, happiness and love: 17:53
• How to actually increase love/reduce contempt: 18:58
• Institutional vs. individual change: 34:09
• COVID-19 as a missed unifying moment: 37:35
• Why politicians are stuck: 38:36
• Specific, actionable advice: 41:20

Advice and Takeaways

Brooks offers a series of concrete suggestions for listeners wishing to "opt out of the contempt industry":

1. Be aware of being emotionally manipulated by media—stand up to "the man." (41:20)
2. Run toward contempt, treating it as an opportunity to show love.
3. Practice the “five-to-one rule”—for every critical or sarcastic comment, force yourself to generate five positive comments first.
4. Practice gratitude and perspective—appreciate the freedoms afforded even in a polarized society.

   "If you're a Republican and you actually think that the biggest threat to America is Democrats, man, you're out of your tree...and God bless America for that." (Arthur Brooks, 42:45)

Final Reflection

While recognizing the formidable scale of the "contempt industry" in politics and media, Brooks remains insistent that bottom-up movements—rooted in choosing love, kindness, and gratitude—can turn the tide. The problem, he suggests, is not primarily with "the other side," but with reflexive habits and market incentives that can, with persistence, be overcome.

To consider:
Does love and warm-heartedness stand a chance against the forces of outrage—especially when those forces are so lucrative for media and politicians? Brooks would argue it's a fool's errand not to try.