I believe many of the problems of polarization are caused by cognitive dissonance [1] in particular &quot;confirmation bias&quot; (the article is sort of light on references to academic social psychology and cognitive behavior).<p>Confirmation bias is often exarcebated with greater choices (as the number of choices brings greater discomfort). An example would be the GOP primaries (ie sheer number of candidates).<p>I also think certain personality types (ie myers briggs&#x2F;jung) have a tendency to behave in a polarized manner. I don&#x27;t think being polarized = stupid as another commenter posted albeit probably being ignorant does have an affect.<p>[1]: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Cognitive_dissonance" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Cognitive_dissonance</a>