Open-mindedness involves being receptive to a wide variety of ideas, arguments, and information.
Being open-minded is generally considered a positive quality.
It is necessary to think critically and rationally.
Verywell / Alex Dos Diaz
Open-mindedness can also involve asking questions and actively searching for information that challenges your beliefs.
Open-Minded vs. Close-Minded
The opposite of being open-minded is being closed-minded or dogmatic.
People who are more closed-minded are usually not receptive to other ideas.
In many cases, they are only willing to consider their own viewpoints.
Having convictions can be great, but strong belief does not negate an open mind.
Of course, open-mindedness has its limits.
Close-mindedness involves much more rigid thinking and a refusal to consider other possibilities.
Factors That Influence Open-Mindedness
Why are some people open-minded while others aren’t?
Many of the qualities associated with open-mindedness can be cultivated with intention.
Personality
According to thefive-factor theory, personality is made up of five broad dimensions.
According to one study, genetics accounts for 21% of the variance across individuals in this specific trait.
Comfort With Ambiguity
We all have varying levels of comfort when dealing with uncertainty.
Too much ambiguity leaves us feeling uncomfortable and even distressed.
Dogmatism is sometimes an attempt to keep things more straightforward and easier to understand.
Benefits of Being Open-Minded
Being more open-minded means embracing new ideas, experiences, and perspectives.
It can widen your worldeven when it sometimes challenges your old ways of thinking and doing things.
In an increasingly polarized world, stepping outside your comfort zone and considering other perspectives and ideas is important.
Being open-minded really can improve your life.
However, it can be a bit of a challenge.
In many ways, our minds are designed to view concepts as wholes.
We develop an idea or a category of knowledge, which the psychologistJean Piagetcalled aschema.
Sometimes, however, the new things we learned dont quite fit in with what we already know.
In this instance, we have to adjust our understanding of the world in a process known asaccommodation.
Essentially, we have to change how we think so that deal with this new information.
Accommodation is more difficult.
You’re not just putting something into an existing file; youre creating a whole new filing system.
Sometimes new information requires rethinking the things you thought you knew.
It requires reevaluating your memories and past experiences in light of what you’ve learned.
That process can be difficult, confusing, and sometimes painful or life-changing.
It takes a lot of mental effort, but you cantrain your brainto be more open-minded.
Mindful Moment
Need a breather?
Overcoming this tendency can be a bit tricky.
Being aware of the confirmation bias is perhaps one of the best ways to combat it.
As you encounter information, take a moment to consider how this bias might affect how you evaluate it.
Findings ways to overcome the confirmation bias can be a great way to cultivate an open mind.
Ask Questions
Most people like to believe in their own sense of intellectual virtue.
Part of being open-minded involves being able to question not just others, but also yourself.
Or it might provide insights that you hadnt considered before.
Its easy to get wrapped up in the emotional response you have to something.
The alternative is to give yourself a brief period to consider the arguments and evaluate the evidence.
Giving yourself time to consider information can help you approach it with a more open mind.
As research has shown, being knowledgeable about something can actually contribute to closed-mindedness.
So if you think you know it all, chances are that you probably don’t.
Without an open mind, youll never have the opportunity to consider those other perspectives and experiences.
You’ll never get to know what others know.
This minimizes the risk that the other person will feel attacked or become defensive.
Being open-minded can be hard.
It doesnt help that our minds are often geared toward conserving cognitive energy by relying on shortcuts and simplification.
There are a few different ways that open-mindedness might be measured.
Another assessment tool that may be used is known as the Actively Open-Minded Thinking scale.
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