"A glaring irony of the information age is that people seem less curious, locked in their own opinions and viewpoints, with little desire to learn about alternatives, not to mention facts. With so much information at our fingertips, judgmentalism has become a primary way to limit what our inundated brains need to process. Think of people you've known who were judgmental of others or had strong opinions about complex issues. They were intolerant of disagreement and dismissive of alternative viewpoints."
"Curiosity makes life interesting and helps to maintain interest in love relationships. Curiosity is as good for life and relationships as judgmentalism is bad for them. In verbal exchanges, judgments sound like declarations; curiosity sounds like questions. Judgment: "You're untrustworthy." Curiosity: "Would you please tell me more about your feelings and thoughts about this? I haven't listened as well as I should have.""
In the Information Age people often become less curious and remain locked in narrow opinions and viewpoints. Judgmentalism operates as a cognitive shortcut to delimit information overload. Judgmental individuals tend to be intolerant of disagreement, dismissive of alternative perspectives, and defensive, often supporting views with cherry-picked, outdated, or no evidence. Curiosity enhances life and relationships by sustaining interest, encouraging questions, and increasing understanding. Verbal curiosity invites disclosure; declarative judgments shut down dialogue. Replacing negative judgments with genuine curiosity and caring questions fosters listening, reduces defensiveness, and promotes clearer understanding and stronger connections.
Read at Psychology Today
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