A British study confirms the famous adage: it is better to reflect on your values before debating, which allows for a rich and constructive intellectual dialogue.
We all have in mind those good old proverbs, which invite us to turn our tongues seven times in our mouths before speaking, or which emphasize that it is better to lose a good word than a good friend. This popular common sense has been scientifically backed up by work from the University of Bath and Cardiff in Great Britain.
>> Why looking at the stars or a rainbow is good for the brain
By involving 300 volunteers, these researchers from both the fields of psychology and linguistics were able to prove that taking the time to think before launching into a discussion improves intellectual honesty in debates. They asked these 300 volunteers to participate in 116 group discussions on social issues.
ATBefore debating, they asked certain participants to take the time to reflect on the values that were important to them, for example: freedom of expression, justice, general interest, security, etc. Then the debates were audio and video recorded. They were deciphered by linguists who analyzed the discourse, vocabulary and attitude of the participants to establish an intellectual honesty score for each.
Social media exaggerates our thoughts
And it is clear that those who have taken stock upstream of the values that matter to them, allow for a more constructive discussion. Two-thirds of the participants who had reflected showed more intellectual honesty, openness to the ideas of others, and politeness in the debates.
Social networks value the reactive mode more, so rather the dazzling repartee and the disagreements, more than the constructive arguments. But it is a prism that does not reflect the sociological reality believe these researchers from the University of Bath. In 2019, they studied the beliefs and moral attitudes of 140,000 people in 60 countries and their conclusion is that social media and networks tend to overestimate the differences in thought between social groups or of different nationalities. Clearly, we share more points of view and values than it appears on the Internet. These British researchers hope that their work will make it possible to rethink the way of creating social cohesion.