Shutdown Psychology Made Simple

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- The best explanation of the U.S.government shutdown points to two factors. The first involvesinformation, or what people think they know. The second involvesincentives, or what motivates our elected representatives.

From decades of empirical research, we know that when like-minded people speak with one another, they tend to become moreextreme, more confident and more unified -- the phenomenon knownas group polarization. One reason involves the spread ofinformation within echo chambers.