Why We Judge Others And How To Break The Habit
Understand what drives us to react
Growing up, I felt like my worth depended on getting good grades, not going against the grain, and getting into a big corporate.
As a parent, I’ve felt like my worth — whether I’m a ‘good’ parent or a ‘bad’ parent — depends on how much healthy food we give our kid, how much screen time she gets, and whether she’s quiet or loud’.
The judgment comes from others — and myself.
How about you: What do you judge other people about? Why do you beat yourself up?
Don’t feel bad about it: judging is normal.
Judging is normal
We’re bombarded every day with emails, kids, colleagues, noises, problems, schedules, dirty dishes, and more — all crying out for our attention.
We can only focus on so much. And we need quick ways to figure out what’s going on. Thankfully our brain’s reticular formation — a tiny nerve network in the central party of our brains — helps us filter and decide what’s important.
On top of that, another area of our brain, our amygdala instantly decides whether someone is trustworthy from their face—without recognizing their face. When it comes to people, we want to know immediately if this…
