Every time you meet someone you judge them, and this happens whether you realize it or not. Unfortunately, it is difficult to accurately read someone solely based on first glance, because when you meet someone they are portraying the most positive version of themselves.
How exactly can we tell if the person is worth wasting our time on or not?
A recent study claims that by asking one question you can get enough insight into a person’s personality to determine just that. Ask them what they think about someone else.
According to Dustin Wood, a professor of psychology at Wake Forest University, “Your perceptions of others reveal so much about your personality. Seeing others positively reveals our positive traits.”
How positively you view someone can be a sign of how happy and content they are with their own lives and how much others like them. People who are unsatisfied with their lives will be more likely to give a negative view of others.
Also, people with higher levels of narcissism and those prone to anti-social behavior will be more critical and negative of others.
Wood also said, “A huge suite of negative personality traits is associated with viewing others negatively. The simple tendency to see people negatively indicates a greater likelihood of depression and various personality disorders.”
So, next time you’re put in that kind of situation try asking the person what they think of the person who introduced you or something along those lines, it may be enough to tell you exactly what you need to know. People usually tend to pick up on traits that they recognize in themselves so it is worth remembering that when someone describes another person they could also be describing themselves.
Who knew asking how someone viewed another person could secretly give you insight on how they view themselves? To take a look at the actual study please click here. How do you view other people and yourself and will you be using this next time you’re out and about?
