Racial Tolerance Can Spread Quickly, Too, Studies Say

In this election, some feared that racial biases could affect the outcome—but tolerance between groups can grow as quickly as distrust, new studies suggest. Researchers have used interviews and competitions to quickly forge close relationships between people of different ethnic backgrounds, and those newfound friendships can ease the subjects’ relations with each others’ racial groups, the New York Times reports.

That tolerance can quickly spread to the subjects’ friends, too. Why does this happen? Some researchers say it’s tied to a human tendency toward shared identity, a need to play a role in the lives of others. “It’s important to remember that implicit biases are out there, absolutely; but I think that that’s only half the story,” says an expert.