Want to End an Argument? State Your Views Clearly

The more clearly people express their views, the more likely they are to prompt others to change and bring arguments to a quicker end, according to findings.

People engage in many different conversations every day. When a conversation becomes heated, they often try to gloss over the subject and move on to something else. Research suggests, however, that it is precisely in these situations that people should voice their thoughts clearly.

Rutgers University psychologists Dr. Kimberly Chaney and Dr. Siena Sanchez reported these findings in their research published in Personality and Social Psychology. The study involved 100 students, who were shown pictures accompanied by sentences. Dr. Chaney said, “When someone responds to another person's views, especially when this is related to discrimination, that person may change their behavior.”

When students' responses appeared stereotypical, a researcher pointed out, “That is a stereotype.” By contrast, another researcher said nothing. Across repeated experiments, the students who received the researcher's comment changed their behavior in response to the situation, while those who heard no comment showed no change in behavior.

Citing the findings, Dr. Sanchez said, “We found that expressing oneself clearly made students feel bad about their behavior and reflect on it, and showed that they sought to reduce their prejudice.”

Even if you fear an argument, you sometimes need to state clearly what you think. Ignoring what others say or remaining silent may only help perpetuate their stereotypes and discriminatory attitudes.