Peter T Coleman
@petertcoleman1.bsky.social
Columbia Prof, Dad, Psychologist, Dog-friend. Applying leading science and tech to advance peace, constructive conflict and social justice. Latest Book: The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization.
Peter Thomas Coleman is a social psychologist and researcher in the field of conflict resolution and sustainable peace. Coleman is best known for his work on intractable conflicts and applying complexity science. .. more
Political science
24%
Sociology
21%
My thanks to Making Peace Visible for working tirelessly to fight back against the media outrage industrial complex and speak about peacefulness.
NEW EPISODE | U.S. polarization is deepening—but @columbiauniversity.bsky.social scholar @petertcoleman1.bsky.social says a “radical new science of peace” offers hope. His lab analyzed 700k news stories from 18 countries, uncovering patterns shaping peace and division.
LISTEN👉 tinyurl.com/msburn6r
LISTEN👉 tinyurl.com/msburn6r
Our formula is simple. When positive intergroup reciprocity outweighs negative intergroup reciprocity by about 3:1 - communities sustain peace. Try it for the holidays!!
NEW EPISODE | U.S. polarization is deepening—but @columbiauniversity.bsky.social scholar @petertcoleman1.bsky.social says a “radical new science of peace” offers hope. His lab analyzed 700k news stories from 18 countries, uncovering patterns shaping peace and division.
LISTEN👉 tinyurl.com/msburn6r
LISTEN👉 tinyurl.com/msburn6r
My thanks to Making Peace Visible for working tirelessly to fight back against the media outrage industrial complex and speak about peacefulness.
My thanks to Making Peace Visible for working tirelessly to fight back against the media outrage industrial complex and speak about peacefulness. www.makingpeacevisible.org/peter-colema...
Reposted by Peter T. Coleman
NEW EPISODE | U.S. polarization is deepening—but @columbiauniversity.bsky.social scholar @petertcoleman1.bsky.social says a “radical new science of peace” offers hope. His lab analyzed 700k news stories from 18 countries, uncovering patterns shaping peace and division.
LISTEN👉 tinyurl.com/msburn6r
LISTEN👉 tinyurl.com/msburn6r
Thanks to NY1 for having me on again this year to offer some simple (research-backed) advice on how to navigate tensions between family and friends at Thanksgiving.
ny1.com/nyc/all-boro...
ny1.com/nyc/all-boro...
Excited to see this research come out in print - especially at a time when organizational activists feel back on their heals. A veritable "how to" on shepherding org reform.
www.emerald.com/edi/article-...
www.emerald.com/edi/article-...
Teaming Up With ICE
ICE has new partners at Florida International University: the campus police.
collegewatch.substack.com
This is a chilling story about a university takeover by the State.
In the U.S.
Please share widely.
collegewatch.substack.com/p/teaming-up...
In the U.S.
Please share widely.
collegewatch.substack.com/p/teaming-up...
Such an honor to work with this brilliant group of Columbia graduate students on making this world more just and peaceful.
I have a solid rec. This book, organized around 43 songs, is a brilliant, moving exploration of the creative genius that emerged from the alchemy that was John & Paul's relationship. I read a chapter a day, then listened to the focal song, often hearing it anew. It was a tremendous ride.
Death of a rainmaker: When drought means murder in South Sudan
For a group of people whose job means life, climate change can spell death.
aje.io
A gripping story about tradition, climate change, and murder in South Sudan. An excellent piece of investigative journalism.
aje.io/uv5bso
aje.io/uv5bso
It is such a treat to work with this crazy talented group of colleagues from Columbia and Toyota Research Institute to build a useful app to leverage the findings from our research on optimal ratios of peace speech to conflict speech in the media. This is good tech.
Opinion | War and Memory (Published 2001)
www.nytimes.com
What are the consequences of omitting pieces of our past from the memory of our nation? A vital reflection for today.
www.nytimes.com/2001/04/28/o...
www.nytimes.com/2001/04/28/o...
The Hidden Keys to Building Bridges in an Exhausted America
America’s divides won’t heal with one-size-fits-all appeals. Recent research reveals the hidden keys—hope, action, and fit—that truly mobilize people to build bridges.
www.psychologytoday.com
For all my colleagues trying to tone down the partisan divide in our country - here's a few evidence-based tips for bringing opposing groups together...
The Hidden Keys to Building Bridges in an Exhausted America | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-...
The Hidden Keys to Building Bridges in an Exhausted America | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-...
Officially out in the MIT Negotiation Journal direct.mit.edu/ngtn/article...
Opinion | How We Brought Respectful Debate Back to The Harvard Crimson’s Editorial Board
www.nytimes.com
"To us, the solution is deceptively simple. Universities should create environments where students with different views must talk to one another routinely and establish ground rules that ensure they do so without distractions or prejudgment."
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/o...
Why Embracing Conflict Now Can Prevent Catastrophe Later
It's tempting to avoid or suppress conflict in our relationships, workplaces, and society. But that often leads to bigger problems in the future.
greatergood.berkeley.edu
Learn to lean into conflict.
Why Embracing Conflict Now Can Prevent Catastrophe Later greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
Why Embracing Conflict Now Can Prevent Catastrophe Later greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
Just in time for your next leadership crisis!
The science (Negotiation Journal) and practice (Greater Good Science) of navigating multi-front conflicts effectively.
greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
direct.mit.edu/ngtn/article...
The science (Negotiation Journal) and practice (Greater Good Science) of navigating multi-front conflicts effectively.
greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
direct.mit.edu/ngtn/article...
My latest installment on CIQ Leadership - how to respond to multi-front crises - is just out (Early Online) in MIT's Negotiation Journal. direct.mit.edu/ngtn/article...
My son Adlai Coleman had his first story (on South Sudanese exiles from Sudan) published in the AP this week - and his photo was chosen as one of the top AP photos of the week. Full story: apnews.com/article/sout...
Excited to see my article from the current Harvard Business Review on The Conflict-Intelligent Leader published in the German edition of Harvard Business Manager. Lernen und genießen!
A high honor to join Sara Blanchard, William J. Doherty, Jennifer Freyd, Lilliana Mason, and Fathali M. Moghaddam on the Main Stage at the APA 2025 conference to discuss Burned Bridges and Broken Trust: Psychology’s Solutions for a Troubled Time.
Fareed Zakaria on X: "President Trump and the MAGA movement have manufactured an image of a struggling America, held back by globalization and free trade. The reality is that most Americans are doing far better than they were decades ago. My take: https://t.co/2UKIIYa9g0" / X
President Trump and the MAGA movement have manufactured an image of a struggling America, held back by globalization and free trade. The reality is that most Americans are doing far better than they were decades ago. My take: https://t.co/2UKIIYa9g0
x.com
Here is a basic economics primer for us all - especially those buying into the Trump Tariff Tale. Ignore this at your peril.
x.com/FareedZakari...
x.com/FareedZakari...
It was a genuine honor to be featured as a keynote speaker today - as part of a most prestigious group - to discuss toxic polarization in our country and how to find the way out. It was a packed house of highly attentive colleagues. Together we will find a way forward. @APA
I am excited to be offering a Main Stage Keynote talk on escaping the trap of toxic polarization at the APA Conference in Denver next on August 8 - part of the session on Burned Bridges and Broken Trust. Colorado Convention Center, Four Seasons Ballroom 2-4. See you there!
A Conflict at Columbia University - The Five Percent problem
YouTube video by Peter Coleman
youtu.be
This video - WHICH I RECORDED 15 YEARS AGO - speaks to why the conflict in Israel-Gaza so readily became a source of deep division at Columbia and other universities today.
youtu.be/QN6YtawdPc8?...
youtu.be/QN6YtawdPc8?...
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote: “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless yet be determined to make them otherwise.”