In recent years, researchers have increasingly focused on zero-sum thinking, namely the widespread belief that economic, social, or political gains for one group can only be achieved at the expense of other groups. Shai Davidai and Martino Ongis of Columbia University in New York are among those to have investigated the relationship between zero-sum thinking and political ideologies.

The two researchers conducted six studies involving 3,223 participants to ascertain whether, and on which political issues, conservatives or leftists are more likely to adopt a zero-sum mindset. Their conclusion: “We find that both liberals and conservatives view life as zero sum when it benefits them to do so. Whereas conservatives exhibit zero-sum thinking when the status quo is challenged, liberals do so when the status quo is being upheld.”

The researchers point out that conservatives were significantly less inclined than liberals toward zero-sum thinking on the issue of redistribution, while they were more inclined to zero-sum thinking on the subject of affirmative action. Affirmative action refers to government or institutional measures aimed at promoting certain groups, such as........

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