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The article examines political issues in the U.S. as of January 2016, particularly whether the language used by members of the Democratic and Republican parties differs significantly as a function of polarization during congressional voting. Also cited are the four models of value differences like the Lakoff's model of Parenting Styles, the Moral Foundations Theory, and the Basic Personal Values, and a brief history of the American system of government.

In the article, the author examines the effects of the variation in future tense use in language and environmental policy. Also cited are the views of behavioral economics and psychology on the topic on intertemporal choice, the literature on cognitive linguistics, and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis or the principle of linguistic relativity.

One out of three voters in the 2012 U.S. elections voted at home rather than at traditional polling places yet little is known about the physiological and psychological consequences of distinct voting modalities. One potential difference is the amount of stress involved and, in order to determine the level of stress associated with different voting procedures, we conducted a novel field experiment within the context of the 2012 election. Participants were randomly assigned either to vote at the polls, to vote at home, or (as a control) to go to a convenience store. Stress levels were then measured via survey self-report and also via levels of cortisol, a glucocorticoid known to be relevant to stress. The results indicate a significant elevation in cortisol when voting took place at traditional polling places and therefore have implications for reformers pondering the value of expanding opportunities for at-home voting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]