Kevin Smith, Olson Professor of Political Science, was interviewed for a Nov. 3 San Francisco Chronicle opinion piece on the difficulty of unsubscribing from political texts. “Political stimuli — news, campaign ads, texts, social media posts, etc. — effectively serve as a chronic stressor,” he said. “They are a constant and ever-present part of our environment that primarily evokes negative emotions.” Smith said there is evidence that anxiety increases as Election Day draws closer, with studies showing that alcohol use rises as does the likelihood of a heart attack.
Smith was also quoted in a Nov. 8 Wall Street Journal article on many Americans deciding to pivot quickly to the holiday season after the election. Throwing yourself into the holidays is a “healthy response” to election stress, he said. “It sure beats sitting there saying, ‘Oh my god, this is an existential threat to the world, and I’m going to enter a doom and gloom loop,” he said. The quote was also used in a Nov. 16 Vox article.
Elizabeth Theiss-Morse, political science, was quoted in a Nov. 3 USA Today article on the U.S. Senate race in Nebraska between incumbent Deb Fischer, a Republican, and challenger Dan Osborn, an independent. “We take pride in being different from other folks, but also independent,” Theiss-Morse said regarding Osborn’s references to former Sen. George Norris, the last independent to represent Nebraska who also helped found the state’s nonpartisan Unicameral.
John Hibbing, political science, was interviewed for a Nov. 4 Associated Press article on the Senate race. Hibbing said besides Osborn’s working-class roots, he was helped by Fischer’s relatively limited legislative record for having served 12 years and her decision to seek a third term despite supporting a bill early in her tenure that would have limited senators to two terms. The article was picked up by several news outlets. Fischer won re-election with about 53% of the vote.
Ber Anena, a doctoral student in English, recently received a six-figure book deal from Flatiron Books for her second novel, “The Lies We Tell for America!” Brittle Paper published a Nov. 4 article on the deal.
A team from the university’s Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior is launching a first-of-its-kind study to explore potential links between beef consumption and brain health, Rural Radio Network and Beef magazine reported. Utilizing brain imaging, blood biomarkers and surveys over a 12-week study, researchers led by Aron Barbey, the center’s director, will explore how beef consumption impacts brain health in young adults.
