Exaggeration: why we make a mountain out of a molehill
Curated from: nesslabs.com
Ideas, facts & insights covering these topics:
2 ideas
·884 reads
4
Explore the World's Best Ideas
Join today and uncover 100+ curated journeys from 50+ topics. Unlock access to our mobile app with extensive features.
Three categories of exaggeration
- Cognitive distortions: Distorted thinking patterns can lead to overestimation (exaggerating the likelihood of an event) or catastrophizing (exaggerating the importance of an event). Exaggeration as a form of cognitive distortion is most common in emotionally-charged situations.
- Manipulation: This is tied with attention-seeking. At a young age, children start amplifying achievements and obstacles in order to seek attention. Other forms of manipulation such as bragging and boasting are common at all ages to seek attention. Exaggeration in this case is not necessarily intended to hurt the other party.
- Pathology. Exaggerated all-or-nothing thinking is extremely common in depression. Narcissists display a grandiose sense of self-importance. And catastrophizing is associated with paranoid behaviour.
113
461 reads
How to spot and stop exaggerating
- Be aware of the adverbs and qualifiers you're using such as “incredibly”, “the best” or similar qualifiers. Ask yourself: do these add value to the statement? Are they a true reflection of reality?
- Use realistic synonyms. Are you “exhausted” or just "tired"? Is the challenge you are facing “impossible” or just “difficult”? Instead of “starving”, maybe you're just “hungry”.
- Embrace vulnerability. Instead of trying to impress your interlocutor, focus on building an authentic connection. This will keep you away from game of exaggeration, where each person tries to top what the other said.
- Correct yourself when you catch yourself embellishing a story or bragging about an accomplishment.
- Ponder why you exaggerated. Even if you sometimes exaggerate, it’s good practice to reflect on the reason why you did it.
123
423 reads
IDEAS CURATED BY
Problem solver. Award-winning reader. Devoted food geek. Certified travel evangelist. Incurable explorer.
Thea T.'s ideas are part of this journey:
Learn more about communication with this collection
Understanding the psychological rewards of bad habits
Creating new habits to replace old ones
Developing self-discipline
Related collections
Similar ideas
11 ideas
4 ideas
Read & Learn
20x Faster
without
deepstash
with
deepstash
with
deepstash
Personalized microlearning
—
100+ Learning Journeys
—
Access to 200,000+ ideas
—
Access to the mobile app
—
Unlimited idea saving
—
—
Unlimited history
—
—
Unlimited listening to ideas
—
—
Downloading & offline access
—
—
Supercharge your mind with one idea per day
Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.
I agree to receive email updates