The 5 Psychological Benefits Of Cultivating Humility
Few concepts used in Psychology give rise to as many misunderstandings as “humility.” Some people believe that being humble is being shy; others believe that it consists of having a low level of self-esteem; and there are those who even believe that it has to do with living with few material resources, bordering on poverty.
In reality, true humility is more nuanced and varies greatly from one individual to another, as it is based on complex psychological processes related to abstract thinking and self-concept (that is, what we know about ourselves). In this article we will see what it consists of, reviewing the benefits of being humble
Cultivating humility is one of the most important processes of personal development. Consists in adopt a certain mentality when valuing one’s own qualities, achievements and mistakes taking into account both the factors in our environment that help us achieve our goals and the role that luck plays in what happens to us.
In this way, humble people have a more complete vision of the factors behind the results they achieve when working, when relating to others, and ultimately, when promoting their own personal development. This predisposes them not to become obsessed with trying to be something they are not, nor to try to give the image that they are someone else. And that It has implications both in the management of emotions and in the way of maintaining personal relationships
These are the main benefits of cultivating friendship on a daily basis.
1. Helps create more symmetrical and equitable relationships
Humble people do not tend to seek a dominant role in relationships, since they assume that equanimity is a positive value in practically all contexts and personal relationships. This means that they do not make decisions unilaterally in a poorly justified manner, both within the couple and in friendships, in teamwork, etc.
2. Helps connect better with people
Some people confuse humility with low self-esteem, but in reality, the two have little to do with each other. In fact, if something characterizes humble people, it is that they generally They don’t feel the need to prove anything to anyone something that does not usually occur in those who do not have a good opinion of themselves and therefore need to “compensate” for this when interacting with others.
Since humility leads us to let go of the need to offer an idealized side of ourselves, the personal relationships that arise from it are more authentic, because they are based on honesty.
3. It prevents us from falling into the trap of ego struggles
Many of the conflicts that people experience are more fictional than real clashes of interests Sometimes, two people begin to get defensive simply because of misunderstandings, because they believe that they should compete without having reasons to do so, because of jokes that are taken too seriously… In short, it gives rise to a fight of egos that is reinforced over time. itself as a vicious circle in which, in reality, neither person wants to be.
Humility helps to keep a cool head in these kinds of situations and not to assume right off the bat that at the slightest sign of provocation or questioning you have to get into a fight.
4. Predisposes you to learn and improve
Humility It helps to be very aware of one’s own limitations and imperfections, but not from a pessimistic or dramatic point of view
Therefore, humble people are good at noticing their own progress when learning or improving at something.
You may be interested: “The 9 most important learning theories”
5. Protects from stress problems due to excessive perfectionism
Humility involves assuming that one cannot constantly expose oneself to extraordinary goals, which is why it protects against frustration and psychological exhaustion due to stress. Paradoxical as it may seem, this allows you to achieve impressive long-term results since the learning curve can go up consistently and without interruptions.
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