Fear does definitely divide, yes.

And somehow, people seem more drawn to information that simply confirms something already in their heads, as opposed to being open to simply examining the information to determine what is useful and true, and what is not.

People get very upset when you try to "break" the narratives. For example, ask an anti-masker if they are OK with the surgeons doing their brain surgery (and who happen to have seasonal allergies) NOT wearing masks in the operating theater for their operation...

"THAT'S NOT THE SAME THING!!!"

Actually, it's exactly the same thing...