Regardless of your view of Trump and how he has split his country, his recent, brash, decisions to impose a travel ban, launch missile strikes and antagonise North Korea is making an impact. Many of his supporters, and doubters, see Trump as a man who takes action rather than the usual breed of politicians who only talk a good game.

 

Is this how Trump will Make America Great Again? Less procrastination; more action – regardless of the consequences. Are these Trump traits changing the way we think and act?

 

Apparently the answer to this is yes.

 

Researchers at Wharton University have concluded that the election of Trump has altered social behaviour for the worse. The findings come from a project regarding negotiation techniques in relation to the gender of the person to whom participants were interacting with. Following the election, there was a significant change amongst participants with a lack of cooperation, use of adversarial tactics and failure to reach an agreement on issues. The conclusion: men are acting more aggressively towards women.

 

The researchers asked saw men and women to play a game where they had they had to divide $20 with a partner through a series of negotiations, some of which had them aware of their gender, and others where a instant message tool was used to hide any details. Each stage allowed for a couple of options – a 15/5 split, or both walking away with nothing if no compromise was reached. Prior to the election, men were more likely to display a degree of good manners and respect when negotiating with a woman, whereas afterwards “we could see a turning of the tide, and suddenly men are more aggressive.”

 

Despite the current approach to the UK leaving the EU and the prime minster’s remarks about no deal is better than a bad deal, this type of negotiating is not efficient. The research shows that participants were less likely to strike a deal. Individual behaviours changed to reach less productive outcomes.

 

 

Being able to negotiate around different viewpoints, global and cultural differences are an essential skill for the discerning gent. However, even the UK political system is encouraging the opposite without consideration of the impact on society. “It appears that whatever Trump represents – that rhetorical style, that presence – seems to have consequences for other people’s behaviours”. The research confirm that there is evidence that words matter.

 

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