“Cancel culture” has become a defining force in online life as a digital courtroom where people and brands are publicly shamed or boycotted for perceived wrongdoings. But what drives someone to join in?
A recent study in Acta Psychologica digs into the psychology behind the urge to cancel, finding that it often comes down to how deeply politics shapes a person’s sense of self. The stronger one’s political identity, the more likely they are to engage in canceling behavior, which means that cancel culture may be as much about belonging and belief as it is about morality.
As a matter of fact, understanding why we 'cancel' might reveal more about ourselves than the people we judge. Click on to explore the study’s most important insights.