The 10 reasons to stop judging others

Fall into stereotypes, decide through heuristics, put labels... Human beings are not very fond of trying to get to know people as much as possible before getting an idea about them. We will talk about that today.

Judging others: something common

It is not uncommon to judge others knowing little about them. Although we do not 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. Worst of all, we spend so much time judging others that we often don't spend the necessary time looking at ourselves and acknowledging our own limitations.

To understand the causes of why we judge or criticize othersScientists have long been investigating which areas of the brain act when we do so.

We rely on prejudice and trivia

The neuroscientist Rebecca Saxe, a researcher specializing in the analysis of the neuronal 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 Cognitives Sciences, he affirms that citizens value a person's intentions and attribute a certain personality or character to him based largely on the features of his face. In this way, they argue 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 traits facials.

10 reasons not to judge others

Since judging others wrongly can hurt, In today's article we give you some tips on how not to judge others. Let's get started.

1. Think before acting

Many times we get carried away by what external appearances tell us and other times we get 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

The Mindfulness is a third generation therapy that is based on techniques born of buddhism. But Mindfulness, far from being a technique, is a philosophy whose premise is: "do not judge others or yourself." Adopting a compassionate and non-judgmental attitude has been shown to positively affect 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 is wrong, it is not good to judge others because you think that 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 each other better and accept both our strengths and weaknesses, we do not We only develop a greater compassion towards ourselves but also towards others in general. the rest. 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. Also, you are sure to meet interesting people if you are tolerant and have open-mindedness.

8. Think that appearances can be deceiving

Thinking badly or giving an opinion about someone, both for good and bad, without knowing absolutely nothing about him, without knowing him, without giving him a single opportunity, is wrong. Take time to get to know people well before making judgments about them.

9. Remember that judging can hurt

Nobody likes to be misjudged. If you don't like it to be done to you, don't do it to others. It is the golden rule and we should all respect it. Think of times when someone may have hurt you for prejudging 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 the story. For example, it may be that you meet an attractive girl and she has a cold attitude towards you. You may have had an experience in the past that made you more cautious when meeting boys. If you judge her as an inconsiderate person, you may be wrong.