Being open-minded involves being receptive to a wide variety of viewpoints, information and ideas. It means being flexible and adaptive.
Cultivating an open mind is another valuable outcome of critical thinking and reasoning.
Now more than ever we live in a world that is constantly changing. In order to keep up, we must be open to new experiences and new ways of looking at things.
If we do not stay current we will miss out on the wonderful technological advancements that are taking place on the Internet, cell phones, digital photography, tablets, etc. Progress in these areas is making our lives easier and more interesting every day.
People who are open-minded are willing to change their views when presented with new facts and evidence. Those who are not, and are resistant to change will find life less rewarding and satisfying, not to mention very dull.
If we limit ourselves to what we knew and were more comfortable with in the past, we will become increasingly frustrated and less able to navigate inevitable, ongoing global changes.
Indeed, even society as a whole has changed dramatically over the last several years. As a whole, we have become more liberal, accepting, and tolerant whereby; circumstances that were not acceptable years ago are now accepted.
If we choose to approach life in the same way day after day, as well as becoming bored and uninspired, we will reduce our intellectual aptitude, become less interesting to others, and put ourselves at risk for mentally degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.
If, on the other hand, we seek new ways of doing and looking at things, we will expand our intellectual capability, find life more exciting, and significantly broaden our experiences.
Being open-minded also helps us improve our problem solving skills. First, it expands our ability to approach a problem in more ways than one; second, it brings to light multiple, more expansive ways to solve the problem.
Undoubtedly, when we have more options and possibilities at our disposal, better solutions and outcomes are the result.
People who are open-minded:
- Are more accepting of others and have fewer prejudices
- Are more optimistic and make the most of life
- Have less stress because they are more open to change
- Have better problem solving skills
- Want to learn more, therefore are more interesting
- Are interested in the opinions of others
- Are not offended when challenged
- Admit when they are wrong and are willing to accept new information
- Are less influenced by arbitrary events and are more resistant to manipulation
The Benefits of Having an Open Mind
⇒You challenge yourself. By challenging yourself you acquire greater insight and knowledge of the world around you.
⇒You become mentally strong. By being open to new experiences and ideas you become a more secure, confident and multi-dimensional person.
⇒You don't fear making mistakes. When you have an open mind you aren't afraid being wrong and are therefore more receptive to learning from your mistakes. Much personal growth takes place when you learn from mistakes.
⇒Creativity flourishes. There is nothing like an open mind to unleash creativity. When you are open to possibilities the sky's the limit.
⇒You improve your relationships and increase emotional intelligence. Open-mindedness makes you more empathetic, understanding and easy to get along with.
⇒You are and have more fun. Open-minded people are more open to humor and are not hampered by artificial constraints.
Ultimately, cultivating an open mind broadens our horizons, keeps our minds sharp, and helps us become more interesting people.
"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function." F. Scott Fitzgerald
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Human awareness is highly limited. What gets your attention also prevents you from seeing the whole picture — unexpected objects go unnoticed when attention is focused elsewhere.
We subconsciously ignore specific facts, data, and knowledge because of what we are conditioned to observe or look out for.
Mounting evidence suggests that our personality traits affect our experience of the world and shape the course of our lives — it determines the information you choose to focus on.
Your reality determines the choices you make in life.
There are two kinds of people in the world — those with a closed mindset and those who are ridiculously open-minded to new experiences.
A psychological study conducted by researchers Anna Antinori, Olivia L. Carter, and Luke D. Smillie revealed that open-minded people may live in a completely different reality. They found that openness and mood can affect how you visually perceive the world, which can affect creativity.
Research shows that your personality traits (patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving) not only change your outlook on life but also change the way you perceive reality at work, and how you relate with family, friends, and romantic partners.
Even your life satisfaction, emotional well-being, physical health, and longevity are largely influenced by your personality and life circumstances.
Thomas Oppong. Courtesy of Thomas Oppong
"Open people appear to have a more flexible gate and let through more information than the average person," said Anna Antinori, lead author of a study where researchers from the University of Melbourne in Australia recruited 123 volunteers and gave them the big five personality test.
As the researchers note in The Conversation, an earlier study shows that those who score high in openness are less likely to experience "inattentional blindness."
In another study that followed couples over time, the researchers found that choosing a spouse who is responsible and emotionally resilient will substantially improve your chances of maintaining a stable and satisfying marriage.
Open-minded people see things differently than people who are closed to new experiences. Openness to experience is characterized by flexible cognition — open people are more curious, creative, and motivated to explore the world and engage with possibilities.
People high in openness are more likely to experience the world differently to the average person as a result of their "breadth, depth, and permeability of consciousness, and … [their] … recurrent need to enlarge and examine experience," according to the Journal of Research in Personality.
People who find it hard to consider other alternative realities in life and work take longer to make a significant improvement in life.
In his book "Principles: Life and Work," Ray Dalio, a self-made billionaire, argues that "Closed-minded people don't want their ideas challenged. They are typically frustrated that they can't get the other person to agree with them instead of curious as to why the other person disagrees."
Dalio encourages us to embrace different perspectives not only at work but in all areas of our lives. He recommends we develop the art of thoughtful disagreement.
He explains, "When two people believe opposite things, chances are that one of them is wrong. It pays to find out if that someone is you. That's why I believe you must appreciate and develop the art of thoughtful disagreement. In thoughtful disagreement, your goal is not to convince the other party that you are right — it is to find out which view is true and decide what to do about it."
People with a narrow perspective are more interested in proving themselves right than in getting the best outcome. They often focus much more on being understood than on understanding others.
When you find yourself exhibiting these behaviours that may be hindering your progress in life and at work, acknowledge what's happening and deliberately make the effort to correct it.
Don't blame yourself. Everyone has blind spots (our way of thinking that prevents us from seeing things accurately). We can only aim to improve our realities and outlook in life.
The good news is, while personality traits are relatively stable over time, there is mounting evidence that personality is malleable — they can and often do gradually change across the life span. If you focus on improving your realities, those changes are usually for the better.
One study has shown that meditation can affect binocular rivalry, and training can make people more open to new experiences.
Openness to new experiences is not impossible. Look for opportunities to improve, broaden, and expand your realities. Enhance your cognitive abilities by raising your level of open-mindedness.
Make time to think about everything you do — are you just doing the same old thing you've always done or could you embrace new experiences, or liven up the way you do things with a slight effort?
F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function."
"You're acting mindfully when you don't simply dismiss activities and thoughts because they seem unappealing or even silly at first," said Ellen Langer, Ph.D., a Harvard psychologist.
Change your perspective by practicing open-mindedness. By learning better ways to make your life awesome, not only do you grow but also encourage your colleagues and loved ones to become better versions of themselves.
Thomas Oppong is the founding editor of Alltopstartups, a resource site for young entrepreneurs, and the curator of Postanly, a weekly digest of the best posts about behavior change that affect wealth, health, and productivity. He has self-published sixteen books on business and personal productivity, and recently launched his first traditionally published book, "Working in the Gig Economy."