Falling into stereotypes, deciding through heuristics, putting labels… Human beings are not very fond of trying to get to know people as much as possible before forming an idea about them. We will talk about that today.
Judging others: something common
It is not uncommon to judge others while knowing little about them. Although we don’t like to be judged incorrectly, it is common to judge other people all the time. They judge us and we constantly judge, even many times without realizing the damage we do. The worst thing of all is that we spend so much time judging others, that many times we do not invest the necessary time in looking at ourselves and recognizing our own limitations
to understand the reasons why we judge or criticize others scientists have been investigating for some time which areas of the brain act when we do it.
We are based on prejudices and trivialities
Neuroscientist Rebecca Saxe, a researcher specializing in the analysis of the neural and psychological bases of social cognition at the Massachusetts Institute of Medicine, found that There is a specific area of the brain that is activated when we try to understand why others act the way they do This area is called temporoparietal junction, and is located between the temporal lobe and the parietal lobe of the brain. Apparently, this region plays a fundamental role in the processes of distinction between self and others
On the other hand, a curious study published in Trend in Cognitive Sciencesstates that citizens value a person’s intentions and attribute a certain personality or character to them based largely on the features of his face In this way, they maintain that people tend to make important decisions, from voting for a politician to blaming or judging someone without knowing them, based on elements as arbitrary and subtle as facial features.
10 reasons not to judge others
Since judging others in the wrong way can be harmful, In today’s article we give you some advice on how not to judge others Let’s get started.
1. Think before you act
Many times we let ourselves be carried away by what external appearances tell us and other times we let ourselves be carried away by hunches It is important that we stop for a few seconds and analyze the situation well. If we are going to judge someone, let it be with all the evidence on the table.
2. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a third generation therapy that is based on techniques born from Buddhism. But Mindfulness, far from being a technique, is a philosophy whose premise is: “not judging others or oneself.” It has been proven that adopting an attitude of compassion and “non-judgment” positively affects the well-being of the person who practices this philosophy.
3. Nobody is perfect
Try to be more tolerant of others You may not approve of something someone has done, but unless it is something horrible, live and let live. Everyone makes mistakes, it is not good to judge others because you think you would do it differently.
4. Remember that we are not all the same
Continuing with the previous point, not everyone is the same. Each person is different and deserves respect. The culture, the family, the friends, the education we receive, We all have a different story to tell Just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean it’s wrong. We are equal in the difference, we must respect each other and try to help each other.
5. Look at yourself
If instead of spending more time judging and criticizing others, you spend more time observing yourself You will realize that you are not perfect either If you understand that we all make mistakes, you may be more tolerant of others.
6. Feel good about yourself
When we are able to understand ourselves better and accept both our virtues and our defects, we not only develop greater compassion towards ourselves but also towards others in general. People who are happy do not need to attack others
7. Open up
Being a person with an open and tolerant mind says a lot about you. Showing a positive attitude towards others makes communication much easier In addition, you will surely meet interesting people if you are tolerant and open-minded.
8. Think that appearances are deceiving
Thinking badly or giving an opinion about someone, both good and bad, without knowing absolutely anything about them, without knowing them, without giving them a single chance, is wrong. You have to take time to get to know people well before passing judgment on them
9. Remember that judging can hurt
Nobody likes to be judged incorrectly. If you don’t like it done to you, don’t do it to others It is the golden rule and we should all respect it. Think about times when someone may have hurt you because they prejudged you. Are you going to do the same with other people?
10. You are not always right
When judging others, even if you think you have the absolute truth, that is not true Things happen for many reasons and many times you don’t know even half of the story. For example, you may meet an attractive girl and she has a cold attitude towards you. It is possible that she has had an experience in the past that makes her more cautious when it comes to meeting guys. If you judge her as an inconsiderate person, you may be making a mistake.