Maturity isn’t about age, it’s about how you treat others.
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Psychology + Self Improvement
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The Science of Honesty: Lying Less Improves Health and Relationships
Lying less may be associated with significant benefits to both our physical and mental health, according to a recent study presented at the American Psychological Association’s 120th Annual Conference.
During the conference, researchers from the University of Notre Dame presented an “honesty experiment” which measured whether or not telling lies could have adverse effects on our health. The study lasted 10 weeks and included 110 participants. Half of the group was instructed to avoid telling any major or white lies throughout the 10 week time frame. The other half of the group received no special instructions.
Each participant came in every week to complete health and relationship measurements, as well as use a polygraph to assess how many lies were told throughout the week.
It was discovered in both groups that individuals who reported less lying showed fewer mental health complaints (such as anxiety or sadness) and also fewer physical health complaints (such as sore throats or headaches).
The Unconscious Influence of Mirroring
Mirroring is a social phenomenon where people mimic another person’s posture, gestures, and words.
It’s often an unconscious behavior – we are rarely aware of it when we do it – but it’s a sign that people are attuned and in sync to one another.
When two people are mirroring each other, it shows that there is comfort, trust, and rapport among them.
Long-term friends and romantic couples are particularly attuned to one another. If you ever go to a populated public area, like a park, mall, or busy street, you’ll often notice that couples are mirroring each other as they interact. It’s a part of our fundamental nature as social beings.
Minimize Your Use of the Word “Hate”
When it comes to how I speak I’m not usually someone who exercises a lot of self-censorship. I like to believe that I have the freedom to say whatever I want to say.
At the same time, and despite my often rebellious attitude toward my speech, I’ve come to realize over the years that words have real consequences.
They affect how people perceive us, they affect how people respond to us, and they ultimately affect the kinds of relationships we build with others on a daily basis.
How to Become a Master of Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal communication is the process of sending and receiving messages between two or more people without the use of words.
We can communicate in a variety of nonverbal ways including through our posture, gestures, facial expressions, touch, eye contact, and vocal intonation.
Research suggests that nonverbal communication makes up over 60-70% of all that we communicate. In other words, how we say something is often more important than what we say.
Do you talk too much, too little, or just enough? 
Words Have Consequences
The way we talk and the words we use have both positive and negative consequences on the people we interact with on a daily basis.
It’s therefore important that we remain mindful of our speech and choose our words carefully whenever possible.
Different people can speak the same exact message, but depending on how they frame it and how they present it can make all the difference in how the listener responds to you.
Whenever communicating with someone else, the most important thing is to speak using their terms and from their perspective.
Pro-tip about communication and persuasion: Explain things from the other person’s perspective. You can’t get them to swim from one island to another if you don’t build a bridge in-between. Start from where they are, then guide them forward.
