MyNDTALK - Do You Really Get Me? Finding Value in Yourself and Others

Do You Really Get Me? Finding Value In Yourself and Others

Through empathy and connection psychologists use the term "Theory of Mind" to describe our natural tendency to make assumptions about what others think and how they feel about us based on the tone of their voice, facial expressions, and body language. These cues either signal us to open up further and make a connection or to put up a wall to protect ourselves from rejection. But it is also easy to misinterpret these cues and become unnecessarily guarded, such as when someone appears to be angry with us and we later learn they were just having a bad day and the negative signs we were picking up really had nothing to do with us.

The more emotional baggage we bring to our interactions, the more likely we are to negatively misinterpret other people's feelings and the more disconnected from them we become. In this groundbreaking conversation, Joseph Shrand, MD, instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and Leigh Devine talks about how to set aside self-doubt and assume the best about ourselves and others, and thus make more meaningful connections based on mutual respect and value.