How to be a better person: keys to achieving it on a daily basis

Being a better person is an art in which to invest time and will every day. In this process of human growth, disciplines such as psychology, philosophy and anthropology will be very useful. They are areas that integrate valuable knowledge in which we can all become qualified. Since, as Plato rightly pointed out, “by seeking the well-being of our fellow men, we also find our own.”

This last idea is, without a doubt, very true. Because exercises such as kindness, or altruism itself, as pointed out in a study published in the journal PNAS, they even reduce the physical pain itself. Becoming nobler beings is a journey in which we will find new discoveries and notable benefits. In the following text we offer you some keys to start this interesting process.

Keys on how to be a better person

When it comes to delving deeper into how to be a better person, we can base ourselves on different areas. Anthropology, philosophy and psychology are those disciplines that have been most concerned with defining this dimension. Adopting a multidisciplinary perspective can, therefore, enrich this learning much more.

Thus, from the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology They highlight how the concept of human kindness is something that transcends all cultures. Although positive psychology is a field that has always been interested in this subject, we cannot ignore other disciplines. Only in this way will we have a much broader and more exciting vision when it comes to enabling ourselves to achieve this high goal.

Let us now analyze how these three perspectives can guide us.

Be a better person according to philosophy

Moral philosophy or ethics is the best perspective to guide us in this learning. From these branches we find inspiring guides with which to better understand human actions. The origin of good and evil, duties, what is noble, right or wrong, find in this framework an ideal guideline from which to start in the matter we are addressing.

In this same sense, Aristotle pointed out that all people have the capacity to be good and virtuous. This is something he reminded us of in what is one of his most interesting books: About the soul. In this work, although its central theme was the analysis of the soul, it emerged as the first psychology manual from a biological perspective.

Also his ethical works, such as Nicomachean Ethics, are very interesting references to work on the goal of being a little better every day. Let’s see its keys.

1. Be cautious

Prudence is related to the ability to be reflective, to meditate before making a decision, to learn to treat others with respect and appreciation.. It is a competition that requires a constant exercise of analysis, mental calm and good judgment in which we can all improve ourselves a little more.

The strategies to work on it can be the following:

Meditate on your actions before carrying them out.Control your impulses.Practice reflection and introspection.Make use of active listening.Analyze what surrounds you, use critical thinking.

2. Temperance

Temperance will allow you to be a better person because it is a very valuable exercise in emotional control and regulation.. Thanks to this virtue, you will better master internal realities such as anger, rage, ego or impulsivity. Likewise, works such as those published in Frontiers in Psychology, indicate that this dimension is made up of the following areas:

Ability to forgive.The ability to be patient.The competence of humility.

3. Justice

Being a better person also implies knowing how to be fair with others and with ourselves.. This behavioral and attitudinal area is the reflection of someone who knows what is right and what is wrong, being able, in turn, to defend good ethical values. To be fair is to be wise and in this exercise, kindness is also integrated.

4. The fortress

Fortitude, according to philosophy, is that noble virtue that allows us to face obstacles. Thanks to that impulse we can also help others, be that transforming and protective figure. Aristotle, in Nicomachean Ethics, He also defines it as “self-control”, which makes it easier to deal with the adversities of destiny through determination and good moral resistance.

How to be a better person according to anthropology

Oliver Scott Curry is an anthropologist at the University of Oxford and a member of the Institute of Evolutionary and Cognitive Anthropology. In 2019 he published in the magazine Current Anthropology an interesting work on cooperation and in it, he reflected seven moral rules. These are concepts that can help us be a better person. They are the following:

5. Caring about people

Caring for others is a valuable exercise full of intentionality. Only from empathy and interest in the well-being of others do we initiate prosocial behaviors for the good of all. To be a better person, it is essential that we feel the concern to know what those around us feel and what they need.

6. Help our community

Altruism and behaviors aimed at helping others are a nuclear component in that goal of being better. This is how we build more ethical, more cohesive and respectful societies. They are, in turn, very simple actions that we can carry out every day. It is enough just to look up and detect what needs exist in our community.

7. Be able to appreciate favors

We know that doing favors for others defines our nobility and is a positive exercise. However, It is essential that we also learn to value what other people do for us. And this is something that we don’t always see. Sometimes, we get used to taking for granted what our family, partner or friends do for our well-being.

Let’s try not to fall into that emotional and relational passivity. Valuing favors, understanding them as gifts full of affection and intentionality, makes us a better person.

8. Courage to defend values

The strongest and noblest societies are built when people are capable of defending the most enriching values. This is a collective exercise in which we should reflect. Because sometimes, we can lead to disinterest and getting carried away by what the vast majority says and defends.

To be a better person, we need to be brave to defend what is ethical, valuable and good for everyone.

9. Respect people

The exercise of respect for others may seem obvious to us in our goal to be a better person. However, sometimes, we can neglect it. The University of Groningen, in the Netherlands, reminds us that it is a factor of great relevance in our social scenarios. It is an exercise that integrates the moral and the ethical, without neglecting the emotional.

Respect for others is an exercise of great value that should be carried out in any circumstance: when communicating, when working, with acquaintances and also with strangers.

10. Share our resources

For anthropology, the action of sharing our resources makes us stronger social groups with greater capacities to advance. From an individual point of view, we will all become better people if we follow this same trail, this same pattern.

11. Do not envy what others have

Envy is that vitriolic element that destroys us as humanity. No one gains anything by longing for what the other is or has. Let’s attend to and regulate this emotion to be better people.

How to be a better person according to psychology

Psychology has addressed the study of how to be a better person in many ways. The humanistic perspective and positive psychology are those two undoubted frames of reference in this matter. Abraham Maslow left us in his book The Self-Actualized Man (1973) very interesting guidelines on this matter.

The psychologist, Martin Seligman, for his part. addressed this topic in an interesting, practical and useful way. His work Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classificationprepared together with Christopher Peterson, is a reference to inspire us from.

Let’s get to know those areas in which we should focus according to psychology.

12. Self-knowledge

Knowing ourselves is that existential threshold that should guide us at all times. Knowing ourselves, making contact with our authentic self, is the rudder that will guide us on our journey to be better every day.

13. Practice acceptance

Accepting things as they are is not a form of surrender or passivity. This practice reduces our suffering and allows us to better navigate our relationships with others. By accepting those around us for who they are, we respect them much more. We also avoid holding on to impossible expectations.

14. Control of emotions

What relationship does emotional regulation have with being a better person? For psychology it is an indisputable pillar. We analyze the benefits of this decisive competition.

Controlling emotions prevents us from devolving into acts dominated by anger. We act and respond with greater calm and balance. Good emotional regulation allows us to relate much better. Facilitates better communication. Reduces impulsivity.

15. Forgive to be better

Knowing how to forgive (and forgive ourselves) is not only a well-being exercise. We all improve as human beings by being able to excuse certain actions in others. It is a way to strengthen ties, appease hatred and shorten distances.

16. Empathy

Few dimensions improve our coexistence like that social glue that is empathy.. This psychological construct has allowed us to advance as a species. Only those who connect with those in front of them understand what they need to act in harmony. That bridge between us is drawn through that empathic exercise that makes us better.

17. Be compassionate and self-compassionate

Compassion is a double bind dimension; It must act on us and also on others. Thanks to it, we develop proactive behaviors aimed at improving the lives of those around us. Likewise, nothing is as important for well-being as compassionate dialogue with oneself.

Conclusion

To conclude, it does not matter which approach we choose, the philosophical, the anthropological or the psychological. Each discipline backbones dimensions…