In our politically divided world, it might surprise you just how far those political opinions carry in our relationships. Researchers in Sweden say political distancing affects us more deeply than was previously known, even when it is completely irrelevant. Did you ever consider chocolate to be political? In one of their studies, reported to the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, participants first gave scores to eight well-known brands of chocolate and stated their political stance. One group was then told their political opponents liked a particular brand of chocolate best. The result is that brand became significantly less appealing. There is nothing political about chocolate. And, yet, there is.