In order to stop being offended—or really alter nearly anything about your mental state—the first step is to increase your awareness of when you are becoming offended and what that process looks like in as early a stage as possible. As in the case of ugh fields, being mindful of your reactions and “watching for the flinch” is an important early step.
Something else to be on the watch for is that getting seriously indignant about an offense feels really good. There is something intensely satisfying about telling someone off and feeling justified about it, even if circumstances dictate that we can only do it inside our own head. We are psychologically rewarded for not stepping back and thinking about whether we are really feeling rational, and declining that reward is often difficult.
The topic of “Things You Should Know About Your Brain” probably merits a post of its own...[footnote] If anyone wants to take the helm and write this post, they have my blessing
I would love to see a post on this subject, too. I’ve always found the epistemic-rationality content here more compelling than the instrumental-rationality content. Working out truths about how your own brain works—developing a correct map of your self—is a cripplingly difficult but immensely valuable thing.
I might take on the subject if no one better-qualified does. I’ve been chasing that rainbow for a while.
Something else to be on the watch for is that getting seriously indignant about an offense feels really good. There is something intensely satisfying about telling someone off and feeling justified about it, even if circumstances dictate that we can only do it inside our own head. We are psychologically rewarded for not stepping back and thinking about whether we are really feeling rational, and declining that reward is often difficult.
I would love to see a post on this subject, too. I’ve always found the epistemic-rationality content here more compelling than the instrumental-rationality content. Working out truths about how your own brain works—developing a correct map of your self—is a cripplingly difficult but immensely valuable thing.
I might take on the subject if no one better-qualified does. I’ve been chasing that rainbow for a while.