We are social beings. We need to have people in our lives. There are various ways we interact with people. For example, our family relationships, our friend relationships, our work / study relationships, our romantic relationships and casual acquaintances at the gym or other social clubs etc. These are our “interpersonal relationships.” In this blog you will learn how you can improve your interpersonal relationships of all kinds.
All of these various relationships make up the social strands of our lives. They are extremely important.
How can you make any relationship more positive?
The building block of any relationship is our ability to listen to the other person. Listening without judgement and communicating clearly and with kindness are vital. Too often when someone else speaks we tend to turn it back to ourselves. We try and think about other experiences we have had that are similar.
This is a bad habit. It is more important to actively listen and to find out what the person is trying to say and why it is important to them.
The world doesn’t all revolve around us. We need to stop interacting as if it does. The aim should always be to get to know the other person better. Talking about yourself is secondary and not something you should do unless you are asked.
Later and it may take many interactions, the person will come to trust you and even if they are very self-centered (although often that’s because they are insecure inside), their natural curiosity should kick in and they will ask you about yourself. But don’t rush to turn the conversation to you. Focus on the other person.
Why are small relationships important not just the romantic ones?
We are part of a community. If we rely too much on one other person for all our social interaction, they will start to feel trapped. We should make sure we maintain friendships even when we are in a romantic relationship. If we exclude our friends for too long, they may drift away and feel they are no longer our friends.
Even our casual interactions are important. If we ignore everyone around us, we are missing out on opportunities to share a smile and a warmth of exchange. These small interactions can bring us a lot of joy. It won’t cost you anything to smile at the person next to you at the gym. And it will make them feel like it is a more friendly and enjoyable place to be.
What does the research show about how to improve your interpersonal relationships?
Studies have shown that all our relationships affect us to some degree. For example, one study1 on middle school students showed that they were affected. not only by their peers but also by there relationships with their father, their mother and their teacher.
Conclusion
Because of movies and so on, people often have unrealistic expectations about relationships. They don’t give them the time they need to mature, develop and grow. So it is important to use the techniques mentioned in this blog to listen and to properly develop interpersonal relationships of all kinds.
References:
1 <a hrefs=”https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1053341/full”> “Association between interpersonal relations and anxiety, depression symptoms, and suicidal ideation among middle school students”</a>