I think whether it’s inexpensive isn’t that obvious. I think it’s a skill/habit, and it depends a lot on whether you’ve cultivated the habit, and on your mental architecture.
Active listening at a low level is fairly mechanical, and can still acrue quite a few benefits. Its not as dependent on mental architecture as something like empathic listening. It does require some mindfulness to create the habit, but for most people I’d put it on only a slightly higher level of difficulty to acquire than e.g. brushing your teeth.
Empathy isn’t like brushing your teeth. It’s more like berry picking. Evolution built you to do it, you get better with practice, and it gives immediate positive feedback. Nevertheless, due to a variety of factors, it is a sorely neglected practice, even when the bushes are growing in the alley behind your house.
I think whether it’s inexpensive isn’t that obvious. I think it’s a skill/habit, and it depends a lot on whether you’ve cultivated the habit, and on your mental architecture.
Active listening at a low level is fairly mechanical, and can still acrue quite a few benefits. Its not as dependent on mental architecture as something like empathic listening. It does require some mindfulness to create the habit, but for most people I’d put it on only a slightly higher level of difficulty to acquire than e.g. brushing your teeth.
Fair, but I think gaining a new habit like brushing your teeth is actually pretty expensive.
Empathy isn’t like brushing your teeth. It’s more like berry picking. Evolution built you to do it, you get better with practice, and it gives immediate positive feedback. Nevertheless, due to a variety of factors, it is a sorely neglected practice, even when the bushes are growing in the alley behind your house.