Support us on Patreon! Can a German town be socially divided by sneakers? Or the Canadian landmass united by a beer commercial? And is US individualism more a group identity than its individualistic citizens would ever admit? Tune into the third and final episode in our Holiday Survival Kit, Identity with All the Trimmings, featuring Psychology Professor Dominic Packer of Lehigh University for answers to these and other important questions around the topic of social identity. Dr. Packer is the co-author, along with Jay Van Bavel of NYU, of the new book, The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Social Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation and Promote Social Harmony. We kick off the interview with Packer’s retelling of the book’s opening tale: how tensions (and odors) created by Van Bavel’s hockey bag were erased by a life-saving intervention at an academic reception. We’ll also hear Dr. Packer’s thoughts on why COVID became more politically polarized in the US than any other nation. Finally, we’ll test Dr. Packer’s ability to implement his research in an all-too-common (if fictionalized) role play with TPP host Rob Pease playing Dominic’s anti-vax Cousin Rob. Can Dominic sway Cousin Rob toward vaccination prior to the family holiday gathering? Join us for an informative and entertaining discussion with Dr. Dominic Packer. And be prepared to discover a few things about your own identity in the process. SHOW NOTES Our Guest Dominic Packer: Twitter, Faculty Page, Google Scholar Buy his book, co-authored with Jay van Bavel: The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony Additional Resources Shifting attention to accuracy can reduce misinformation online (Nature) Emotion shapes the diffusion of moralized content in social networks (PNAS) Who voted for the People’s Party of Canada? Anti-vaxxers and those opposed to vaccine mandates (The Conversation) I Am Not American: What can beer ads tell us about our national identity? (National Post) Where Puma and Adidas Were Like Hatfields and McCoys (Wall Street Journal) The Herd of Independent Minds: Has the Avant-Garde Its Own Mass Culture? (Commentary Magazine) WT.Social DiscussIt Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja