Experimental Payphones Foster Cross-Party Conversations Between San Francisco and Texas
A unique neuroscience initiative has installed two experimental payphones in politically contrasting American cities, creating direct communication channels between liberal San Francisco and conservative Abilene, Texas. The project, developed by Boulder-based biotech company Matter Neuroscience, aims to bridge the deep political divides in contemporary American society through simple, person-to-person conversations.
Connecting Ideological Opposites Through Retro Technology
The project utilises refurbished payphones purchased through Facebook Marketplace, positioning one outside Black Serum Tattoo parlour in San Francisco's Mission District and another in downtown Abilene near Seven and One Books. Each telephone features clear signage explaining that callers will be connected with someone from the opposite end of the political spectrum, creating unexpected opportunities for dialogue between Democrats and Republicans.
"The goal for this project is for people from different places to have a meaningful conversation and enjoy common humanity," states the explanatory sign on the San Francisco payphone. "Research shows that the core molecules associated with happiness are the same in all human brains, regardless of political identity."
Neuroscience Behind the Conversation Initiative
Matter Neuroscience's approach combines social psychology with biological understanding, suggesting that political disagreements naturally increase cortisol levels while suppressing happiness neurotransmitters. The project's signage explains that positive conversations have the opposite effect, lowering stress hormones while boosting feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and cannabinoids.
Ben Goldhirsh, co-founder of Matter Neuroscience, told ABC7 San Francisco that the initiative tests whether providing simple opportunities for cross-political dialogue can increase mutual understanding. "I think our thesis is that humans are pretty awesome and – if given the opportunity – will really look to find common ground because biologically that actually gives us a lot more happiness," Goldhirsh explained.
Real Conversations Across the Political Spectrum
ABC7 monitored several conversations between the two locations, capturing exchanges that ranged from casual observations to political identification. Berkeley resident Milo Duhamel initiated one conversation by asking about a passing Cybertruck, Tesla's electric vehicle that has become associated with Elon Musk's role as business adviser to the second Trump administration.
Duhamel reported that while the conversation didn't delve deeply into politics, it provided interesting insight into daily life in Texas. Meanwhile, his father Sai directly asked his Abilene counterpart about political affiliation, discovering the respondent identified with neither major party but rather the Green party, with considerations of switching to the Peace and Freedom party.
Community Response and Project Significance
Arlene Kasselman, owner of Seven and One Books in Abilene, observed enthusiastic community response to the initiative. "People are excited. I think the opportunity to have civil discourse in a time where there's so much polarization is important for people," Kasselman noted. "I think people want to experience a unifying thing and these conversations can be unifying."
The project represents a creative approach to addressing political polarization through neuroscience principles and simple technology. Matter Neuroscience has confirmed that conversations are being recorded, with plans to share selected exchanges online around late January, potentially providing further insight into cross-political communication dynamics.
