It’s easy to think we are right, and someone else’s perceptions and ways of being are wrong. But the tighter we clench our jaws and fists, the more we restrict our ability to connect and expand both our views and our connections.
Indeed, those who recognize that their beliefs or opinions may be fallible or incomplete are often more willing to learn about others’ views. Research shows that taking in new information helps us widen our knowledge base, increases creativity and psychological well-being, enhances professional development, facilitates empathy, improves relationships, and widens social networks.
Even reading this suggestion to consider being more open-minded may increase your anxiety and create tension in your body. But I’m not trying to change your mind per se; you just need to be open to expanding it.
A willingness to consider others’ perspectives can be difficult in general, and particularly hard when the subject at hand is something that is near and dear to our hearts, such as religion and politics. If we are willing and motivated to practice being more open-minded, and if we want to set ourselves up for success, it might be easier to pick topics where we feel less defensive: Are dogs or cats better companions? Is it more enjoyable to watch a newly released film at home or in the cinema? Are you for or against pineapple on pizza? These topics may sound silly, but they invite dialogue and healthy conversation and disagreement. It also helps if we assume that people with alternative views from our own have good intentions. When we vilify people who think differently than we do, we are less able to be tolerant and open to understanding.
I encourage the people I work with to put on their detective caps and determine if what they are thinking is true. This includes their unhelpful thinking about themselves, other people, and the world. It also includes how they interpret situations. I try to model open-mindedness, gathering data, looking at perspectives from different angles, and weighing the information fairly.
Grasso told me that in parenting, open-mindedness is also helpful. “Each of my four children has their own story, needs, values, and aspirations,” he said. “My job is to listen more than I speak and remember that I’m still learning too. I don’t have all the answers, and accepting that makes me both a better psychologist and father.”
So how do we strengthen our ability to be open minded? A comprehensive review of interventions to increase open-mindedness revealed several effective approaches. One can be thought of as awareness training: teaching people about cognitive biases, for example confirmation bias, which is the inclination for people to trust too much in their preferred assumptions and to take in new information that fits their existing beliefs.
These strategies seem to work particularly well when we meet another person and share our perspectives on their thinking. Another powerful tool is perspective-getting, which involves non-confrontationally asking another to share their outlooks. People can also learn to develop skills to navigate difficult conversations, such as engaging face-to-face rather than side by side, asking open-ended, curious questions, and using receptive language, such as expressing uncertainty, acknowledging mistakes, and finding points of agreement.
Imagine our workplaces, home life, and neighborhoods engaged in being more curious, reflective, and respectful. With an open-minded perspective, we could learn and accomplish many things together.
Hence then, the article about how to keep an open mind was published today ( ) and is available on Time ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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