The 5 psychological benefits of cultivating humility

Few concepts used in Psychology give rise to as many misunderstandings as "humility". Some people believe that to be humble is to be 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 conforming to 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 processes complex psychological issues, related to abstract thinking and self-concept (that is, what we know about ourselves themselves). In this article we will see what it consists of, giving a review of the benefits of being humble.

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What is it like to cultivate humility?

Cultivating humility is one of the most important processes of the Personal development. Consists in adopt a certain mindset by 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 view of the factors behind the results. they achieve by working, interacting with others, and ultimately, by promoting their own development personal. This predisposes them not to become obsessed with trying to be something they are not, nor to pretend to give the image that they are someone else. And that has implications both in the management of emotions and in the way of maintaining personal relationships.

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The benefits of enhancing humility

These are the main benefits of cultivating friendship on a day-to-day basis.

1. Helps create more symmetrical and equitable relationships

Humble people do not tend to seek a dominating 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 an unjustified way both in the sphere of the couple and in friendships, in teamwork, etc.

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2. Helps to better connect with people

Some people confuse humility with low self-esteem, but in reality, the two have little to do with it. In fact, if anything characterizes humble people, it is that they generally they don't feel the need to prove anything to anyone, something that does not usually happen in those who do not have a good opinion of themselves and therefore need to "compensate" for this by interacting with others.

How humility leads us to detach ourselves from the need to offer an idealized facet of ourselves The personal relationships that arise from it are more authentic, because they are based on the honesty.

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3. It prevents us from falling into the trap of ego struggles

A good part of the conflicts that people experience are more fictional than a real clash of interests. Sometimes two people start to get defensive simply because of misunderstandings, because of believing that they should compete for no reason, because of jokes that are taken. too seriously… Ultimately, it leads to a self-reinforcing struggle of egos as a vicious circle in which, in reality, neither person wants to 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.

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4. It predisposes to learn and improve

Humility helps to be very aware of your own limitations and imperfections, but not from a pessimistic or dramatic point of view.

For this reason, humble people are good at noticing their own progress by learning or improving at something.

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5. Protects from stress problems due to excessive perfectionism

Humility involves assuming that oneself cannot be constantly exposing oneself to extraordinary goals, which is why it protects from frustration and psychological stress due to stress. As paradoxical as it may sound, this enables impressive long-term results, since the learning curve can go up consistently and without interruptions.

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