Those who want to understand how human mental processes subconsciously affect our actions - and to think about how this can impact political perspectives - may want to read this article at the Scientific American website. No doubt, big money interests are already at work seeing how to use this kind of research to influence public opinion.
The basic concept is this: Our minds have associations, some of these are not literally accurate but do influence our choices. By activating some kinds of associations (such as drawing attention to a person's heart which is commonly spoken of as dealing with emotions), you can make that person more likely to make choices based on emotion.
Consider this from the article:
In a similar vein, freeing yourself from perceived constraints may indeed facilitate “thinking outside the box.” [...] scientists tested participants' creative thinking while they literally sat inside or outside a cardboard box. Other participants either walked freely or along the path of a rectangle. Subjects who were outside the box in either sense scored higher on standard measures of creative thinking. Might it be possible to activate some similar association while talking to people who usually think inside the box of tradition and existing patterns? If we could make their minds more comfortable seeing over the wall of tradition, they may be less resistant to what we say.In any case, it seems an area worth exploring to see how social change advocates could utilize it, and to get a better idea how the corporate forces will be taking advantage of it.