Happy people are more likely to see others as happy

Researchers discovered that the way people judge others says as much about their own mental wellbeing as it does about the person they are describing.

The more likely people are to see others as happy, kind-hearted and emotionally stable is often a reflection on how happy, kind hearted and emotionally stable they feel.

“Your perceptions of others reveal so much about your own personality,” says Professor Dustin Wood, a psychologist at Wake Forest University, North Carolina, and lead author of the study.

By asking study participants to each rate positive and negative characteristics of just three people, the researchers were able to find out important information about the rater’s wellbeing, mental health, social attitudes and how they were judged by others.

The study, in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, found a person’s tendency to describe others in positive terms is an important indicator of the positivity of the person’s own personality traits.

They discovered particularly strong associations between positively judging others and how enthusiastic, happy, kind-hearted, courteous, emotionally stable and capable the person describes oneself and is described by others.

“Seeing others positively reveals our own positive traits,” Prof Wood says.

The study also found that how positively you see other people shows how satisfied you are with your own life, and how much you are liked by others.

In contrast, negative perceptions of others are linked to higher levels of narcissism and anti-social behaviour.

“A huge suite of negative personality traits are associated with viewing others negatively,” Prof Wood said.

“The simple tendency to see people negatively indicates a greater likelihood of depression and various personality disorders.”

Given that negative perceptions of others may underlie several personality disorders, finding techniques to get people to see others more positively could promote the cessation of behaviour patterns associated with several different personality disorders simultaneously, Prof Wood said.

I love this study/article (and you can see the original HERE)…find happiness in yourself by finding happiness in others!