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Hello, this is 6 Minute English
from BBC Learning English.
I'm Neil.
And I'm Beth.
Neil, when you're chatting
with friends, do you usually have
the same or different opinion
on things going on in the world?
Ooh... well, that's interesting.
I think I probably have quite
similar opinions
and that's, kind of,
why we're friends.
Ah! Well, we might like to believe
that we're accepting
and tolerant of others' beliefs,
but for many people
it can be difficult to communicate
with people who have
very different opinions to our own.
And this lack of acceptance could be
increasing with our use of social media.
For example, algorithms tend to show us
what we already like and agree with.
Of course, we can't always agree
with everyone else.
We all have personal opinions
and beliefs
on topics like religion and politics.
But some worry that it's becoming
more and more common to react
with violence when they disagree,
than to solve disagreements together
peacefully.
So, are we becoming
a more divided society?
Divided means in disagreement with
and separated from others –
to not be together.
And how can we be more accepting
and open to the opinions of others?
That's what we'll be discussing
in this programme
and, as usual, we'll be learning
some useful new words and phrases.
Remember, you can find all
the vocabulary from this programme
on our website,
bbclearningenglish.com.
But first I have a question
for you, Beth.
According to a recent Ipsos poll,
what percentage of the British
population believes society is divided?
Is it: a) 20%, b) 50%,
or c) 80%?
Ooh... I'm going to say 50%.
Well, we'll find out the answer later
in the programme.
Paul Dolan,
professor of behavioural science
at the London School of Economics,
thinks we should learn
how to control our emotions
and be open to discussions
when we disagree.
Here, he explains more
about how to do this
on BBC World Service programme
All in the Mind:
Generally, we're going
to be making better decisions,
and more respectfully,
if we calm down.
It takes 15 minutes when you're proper
aroused for the amygdala to calm down,
but within a few seconds
it can start calming down, right?
You take a deep breath
and you start feeling calmer.
It's not to say
that always being calm is good.
Anger can be motivational
and positive emotions
actually can be very good for us.
Generally,
people make better decisions
and are more engaging and more open
when they're happier,
but much of the time it will be
just a case of calming down to try
and take some of the heat
out of the environment.
Paul thinks we should take time
to calm down when we feel aroused,
which here means to feel anger
or strong disagreement.
He said it takes 15 minutes
for the amygdala,
the part of
the brain that experiences emotions,
to calm down when we're aroused.
While anger can be
motivational –
make us more determined
and enthusiastic –
Paul says people can speak
more openly when they're happier,
when heat is taken
out of the environment.
Heat in this context
means an intense feeling like anger.
Now, one recent dating experiment
looked into what people say they want
in an ideal partner
according to their dating profile.
Researchers found that
many single people included details
on things like what they want
their partner to look like,
their height,
the political party they vote for,
but many also say
they want a partner who is
open-minded and tolerant
of different views.
If you are open-minded, you're willing
to listen to and consider new ideas.
However, the researchers concluded
that while people want a partner
to be open-minded and tolerant,
they don't want to be
very open-minded themselves.
So, how can we be more open
to getting to know people
that we might disagree with?
Here's Paul Dolan again, talking
to presenter Claudia Hammond of
BBC World Service's All in the Mind.
So, I guess one very obvious answer
is to get offline.
I mean, to actually just get out more
and meet people
because it's what political
scientists think is the silver bullet.
You know, the more you're
around people that are different,
the more you realise that
actually they're not that different,
and you become more tolerant
and open-minded.
So, being around people
that are different – I think
that's probably the way that
we're going to tackle that problem.
Paul says political scientists think
the silver bullet is to get offline
and meet people.
A silver bullet means a simple
solution to a complicated problem.
By meeting people who have different
opinions and beliefs to you,
the more you'll realise they're not
that different to you at all.
And that could make
you more accepting and lead
to a society that is less divided.
And speaking of divided,
isn't it time you revealed
the answer to your question, Neil?
Yes, I asked:
What percentage
of the British population
believes society is divided,
according to a recent poll
by the organisation Ipsos?
I said 50%. Was that correct?
It was not correct.
It is in fact 80%.
Wow, that's a lot!
OK. Let's recap the vocabulary
we've learned in this programme,
starting with divided, which means
in disagreement – not together.
Aroused means feel a strong emotion
like anger.
If something is motivational, it
makes us determined and enthusiastic.
Heat means an intense feeling,
like anger.
If you are open-minded, you are willing
to listen to and consider new ideas.
And finally, a silver bullet means
a simple solution
to a complicated problem.
Once again, our six minutes are up.
If you've enjoyed this programme, why
not try practising the new vocabulary
you've learnt with our worksheet?
It's available to download now from
our website, bbclearningenglish.com,
and you could also try out the quiz
while you're there.
Goodbye for now.
Goodbye!
Vocabulary
Word 1 of 14tolerant
word
0:33
"willing to accept beliefs or behaviour different from your own."
More Listening Practice
About this lesson
Discuss the importance of healthy disagreement and how to handle differing opinions respectfully in this 6 Minute English episode.