We tend to think of political unrest as something that happens in headlines, courtrooms, streets, speeches. But the deeper impact happens quietly, internally, and often invisibly. It happens in bodies.

What we’re living through right now isn’t just disagreement or polarization. It’s prolonged exposure to unresolved conflict, contradictory authority, and repeated harm without repair. From a behavioral science perspective, that combination is uniquely destabilizing not because people are fragile, but because human nervous systems depend on coherence to function.

And coherence is exactly what’s breaking down.

A reflection on how avoiding discomfort, misunderstanding, and emotional friction is quietly eroding intimacy, belonging, and human connection.