People are very open-minded about new things - as long as they’re exactly like the old ones. – Charles F. Kettering
I hate admitting it, but I’m not always open-minded when I talk with others. If someone expresses an idea to me that vaguely threatens my beliefs, I interrupt with a counter-argument without considering his idea. I come across as an arrogant jerk, but I can’t withstand my feelings of cognitive dissonance for a moment.
I want to become more open-minded with others. Do you?
Before we can become more open-minded, we must agree on a definition for open-mindedness. The Mirriam-Webster Dictionary defines open-mindedness as “receptive to arguments or ideas.” Ben Dean better defines open-mindedness as “the willingness to search actively for evidence against one’s favored beliefs, plans, or goals, and to weigh such evidence fairly when it is available.” Notice the definitions say nothing about agreeing with new ideas. Rather, you just need to be willing to objectively evaluate the ideas and come to your own conclusions. In the end, you may still reject them.
By all means let’s be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out. – Richard Dawkins
Some people believe if you reject certain non-scientific concepts, you’re close-minded. For instance, I don’t believe in ghosts. You may believe in ghosts and argue that I’m close-minded for not believing also. But I didn’t say ghosts don’t exist; I just said that I don’t believe in them. If you present conclusive evidence to the contrary, I’ll believe in ghosts too. Here’s a thought-provoking youtube video that discusses this topic further:
Advantages of Open-Mindedness
Most people agree that open-mindedness with others is a Good Thing, but we can define more concrete advantages. For instance, research shows that open-minded people are
- More resistant to manipulation: Because open-minded people consider all arguments, they’re less likely to be swayed by single events or suggestions.
- Better able to predict behavior: Open-minded people understand other people better and, as a result, are more likely to predict others’ behavior.
- Score better on tests: Open-minded people generally score better on standardized tests like the SAT and IQ test. We, however, don’t know that open-mindedness is the cause of the better score.
I also believe that open-minded people are
- Learning new things: Open-minded people are likely to learn new things because they’re constantly considering new ideas.
- More humble: Open-minded people are more humble because they don’t always assume they’re correct.
- More empathetic: Open-minded people are more empathetic because they understand and consider another person’s ideas or arguments.
- More tolerant: Open-minded people are more tolerant because they realize they don’t know everything. They know that their ideas may not be the best ideas for everybody.
- Better liked: Because of points 2, 3, and 4, open-minded people are generally more pleasant to talk to and, as a consequence, better liked.
How to Stay Open-Minded
There are things you can do to stay open-minded when you interact with other people.
- Learn to listen: Stop worrying about how you’re going to respond and listen to the other person’s ideas. Ask relevant questions until you fully understand. State the ideas back to the person to make certain there’s clear communication.
- Respect the source: Respect the person you’re talking with. He has different knowledge and life experiences than you. He has new information that may be useful to you.
- Embrace a desire to learn: You only learn by considering new ideas. If you have a strong desire to learn, then open-mindedness is a natural state.
- Contemplate new ideas slowly: Be willing to contemplate new ideas for hours, days, or months. You don’t have to embrace or discard an idea immediately. I’ve often thought a new idea was initially wrong, but after letting the idea slowly percolate I realized it made sense. In fact, research shows that you’re more likely to be open-minded if you can reduce the time pressure to respond to new ideas.
Try This
Here are a few exercises that you can try to help you become more open-minded:
- Pick a topic you strongly believe in and argue the opposite position.
- Recall a recent argument with somebody and think of three reasons why his point of view is valid.
- During your next meaningful discussion, force yourself to pause for 30 seconds and consider what you’ve heard before you respond.
Without an open-minded mind, you can never be a great success. – Martha Stewart
Are you open-minded with others? What helps you stay open-minded? Are you open-minded enough to consider the ideas in this post? 
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Tags: Habits, Open-mindedness, Psychology
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Being open minded is so important, if all you can experience is what you know that you can never grow an experience something new. You are doomed to a life of mediocrity.
Cody,
So true! And yet it’s easy to gradually become close-minded without ever realizing it.
Hi Roger,
That was a good video, making difficult concepts easy to understand. I’ve heard it said that the sign of a great mind is the ability to hold two opposing ideas at the same time, and I try very hard to do this.
Daphne,
I hadn’t heard the idea about two opposing ideas at the same time, but that makes sense to me. Thanks for the great suggestion!
Great topic, Roger.
Being open-minded is something I have not really struggled with because I grew up in a house where the concept was really valued and taught. When I was 6, my dad told me that each religion is beautiful in its own way and that it was up to me to pick which one I wanted to follow. Racism or discrimination was not tolerated at home either. My father refused to have such discussions so I just figured that everything and everyone was the same.
When I got older, I was shocked that not everyone was raised with the same level of tolerance. It was weird for me. It still is weird for me because my mind just does not operate that way. I guess, in my mind, being open minded means being tolerant.
I have to admit it…I’m not as open-minded as I would like to be. I’m open-minded about the big things in life, but sometimes I’m closed when it comes to the little things, the things that impact my life and the lives of others on a daily basis. You have some GREAT advice here. Thanks so much for the tips. I’m definitely going to put them to work immediately.
http://positivelypresent.typepad.com
@Nadia: Wow! You had great parents! I think tolerance is closely related to open-mindedness, but not exactly the same. According to my dictionary, being tolerant means you accept the beliefs of others. However, I’m willing to be open-minded about the whole thing.
@Postively Present: Thanks for being honest! That is always first step of change for all of us. I’m using my own tips also!
Roger,
Great post. I liked the video and your suggestions about how to stay open-minded. My belief is that it’s very important to be open-minded and receptive to new ideas or different perspectives. I also believe we should test ideas and be able to see both sides of an issue.
Therefore, I could argue that having strong faith-based beliefs about something that can’t be proved and also being extremely committed to those beliefs, makes it harder for someone to be open-minded. Just something to think about:~)
Oh, thank you for telling about the picture…I’m mentioning it here because WordPress decided not to show your comment and I can’t seem to convince it to do so! Thanks for the info:~)
Sara,
“Therefore, I could argue that having strong faith-based beliefs about something that can’t be proved and also being extremely committed to those beliefs, makes it harder for someone to be open-minded.”
Good point, and I think you’re correct unfortunately. Any non-evidence based, rigid belief system makes it difficult to be open-minded.
When we have an open mind, we are willing to listen. We can disagree without being disagreable.
jun bullan,
Welcome!
I think you’ve identified another advantage. Open-minded people can discuss ideas calmly. Thank you.
Great post!
I’m not quite sure who coined this saying, but I love it and live by it:
“I like having an open mind, but not so open that my brain falls out!”
Mary,
I believe the quote is from Richard Dawkins, but I don’t know if really was the first person to say it.
This is a really great post! Like Nadia, I was raised to be open-minded, so it’s one of the things that I never really ’struggled” with. However, there’s always room for improvement!
Jay,
I agree that there’s always room for improvement. In fact, I suspect most of us have “blind spots” where we are being close-minded but don’t realize it.
Roger that video was FANTASTIC. It said in a very clear and concise way, exactly the way I feel about open-mindedness and science. I can’t believe how much I enjoyed that. It was one of the best things I’ve watched in quite some time. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m spreading this as much as I can.
Health = Freedom, the more you have of one the more you have of the other.
The moment of negation of freedom is the moment one insists that their subjective opinion is fact & must be followed.
Our world doesn’t lack morals but lacks the development of personal responsibility which is very much about being open-minded, being accountable (own your choices) being response-able (ability to respond to your choices) and making each choice at no cost to others without their consent.
Pass the formula through any event in your life, any interaction and it will reveal the nature of closed-mindedness, subjectivity imposed and negation of individual freedom.
I’ve seen the video on youtube and enjoyed it. I enjoyed your blog post just as much. Your section of Advantages of being open minded is beautiful.
@Stephen: You’re welcome! That was my reaction when I saw the video also. I just thought I had to find a way to work it into the post.
@Iconic Freedom: Thanks for stopping by and I’m glad you enjoyed the video and post!
What a great exercise you recommend to become more open-minded. It never occurred to me to take such a conscious and active approach to understand the ‘other side.’ I’m going to try this. Thanks!
Laurie,
I hope the exercises help! I’m going to try them myself.
Loved the post, loved the video (the English accent made me feel quite at home!).
I’m now asking myself if I’m really as open-minded as I like to think I am. Definitely food for thought!
Ian,
I like the English accent too! It’s definitely worth thinking about whether we’re as open-minded as we think we are.
This is a great topic, something I’m always working on.
There is a great video on openmindedness featuring Robert Anton Wilson, that you might enjoy. It’s called “The Universe Contains a Maybe:
http://video.google.com/videop.....6242742229
David,
Thanks for the link! I haven’t watch the entire 1 hour video yet, but I will.
Hey Roger,
I loved that video! Thank you. I like to think I’m fairly open-minded when it comes to others but there’s still a lot of room for improvement. I like the 5 points you have listed of what you think an open-minded person is. If I think of open-minded people that I know, your points are exactly right. If I think of close-minded people I know I typically find them to be arrogant and are a lot more difficult for me to get along with.
Sherri,
You’re welcome!
I know I have plenty of room for improvement. It’s probably a bad sign if you want to be open-minded and you think you have no room for improvement.
Thanks for this Roger. One change that’s happened in me in recent years is that I have become much less interested in my beliefs, others’ beliefs, or how they mesh or conflict. I tend to focus on what the other person is feeling or wanting in the moment, which is so much more interesting to me, and my sense is that the belief is really just a rationalization of an emotion anyway. I guess you could call this one way of staying open-minded.
Chris,
Very interesting! I would say that’s is an extremely mindful way to deal with others. It’s also open-minded.
It’s funny you should mention the rationalization of an emotion. I have a friend who purchased some clothes when she really could not afford it and she knew it. She rationalized it by saying she could always use more work clothes when in fact it was a form of emotional “shopping therapy”. I think you’ve hit on another good blog post topic.
Thanks for the post Roger. The 4 tips on how to stay open minded are excellent pointers.
Terry,
Welcome! I’m glad you found the tips useful.
Great topic. Have enjoyed reading this. Considering the possibility of taking on a suggestion without whipping the messenger with your I know it all attitude and I don’t want nor need your advice or help is very important.
Salwa,
Thanks for stopping by! Whipping the messenger is definitely the opposite of open-mindedness. And while your whipping the messenger, you know longer listen and learn from the messenger.