ABSTRACT
Political life is emotional. In order to use emotion wisely, we must first drop the misconception that purely rational politics is ideal. The nation’s founders puzzled over the institutional arrangements that would best constrain a passionate mass public. More recent appeals to reason in the United States and beyond echo this concern. But the idea of emotionless politics is both impossible and undesirable. We need to have some emotional connection to politics in order to participate. Emotions such as anger, anxiety, and enthusiasm are political resources that motivate people to learn about candidates, show up for protests, and vote on election day, for instance. As we acknowledge that emotion is a political resource, we should also recognize how identities such as race and gender shape people’s reactions to emotional displays and their ability to translate emotion into political action. Finally, using emotion wisely means connecting emotional appeals to concrete actions people can take to improve their lives and their communities.
