Lectures on Tap-"Why Outrage Goes Viral: Influence, Identity, Polarization"

📍 Location: Exact address given in confirmation email

🧠 Lecture: "Why Outrage Goes Viral: Influence, Identity, Polarization"

🎤 Speaker: Professor Jay Van Bavel (Dr. Jay)

Join us for a fascinating evening with Professor Jay Van Bavel (known to his students as Dr. Jay) as he explores why outrage spreads so rapidly in our hyper-connected world. Human cooperation has enabled us to build teams, communities, and nations—yet the same psychological forces that bring us together can also fuel toxic division and polarization.

Dr. Jay will unpack how influencers and algorithms amplify identity-based conflict, rewarding divisive content and spreading misinformation. He will also share cutting-edge research on how shared identities, healthier social norms, and better-designed technologies can reduce intergroup animosity and support collective well-being.

Professor Van Bavel is a Professor of Psychology & Neural Science at NYU, Director of the Center for Conflict & Cooperation, and co-author of The Power of Us, winner of the APA William James Book Award. His research, cited in venues from the US Supreme Court to the United Nations, reveals how our group identities shape the way we think, feel, and behave.

Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌

Agenda

6:30 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key.

6:55 PM – Host introduction

7:00 PM – Lecture begins

7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

8:00 PM – Have 1:1 time with the speaker, mingle with fellow guests, and order another round

8:30 PM – Wrap up.