Being in an argument, whether voluntarily or not, is one of the most emotionally draining situations you can get yourself into. It raises your blood pressure, and you may feel trapped by the opponent trying to prove their point no matter what.
It gets even more frustrating when the person you’re arguing with is proving a point that, in your eyes, doesn’t make any sense to begin with. Whether it’s anti-maskers, anti-vaxers, flat-earthers, or conspiracy theorists, anyone can have their own opinion, but as such, everyone can stand up for their own beliefs.
Luckily, there’re some tricks you should know to winning an argument. According to Susan Krauss Whitbourne, a professor emerita of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, you should start by knowing your facts.
“How many times have you made a claim about some piece of trivia only to realize, as soon as you’ve made that claim, that you’re completely wrong?” Such a situation doesn’t lead you anywhere and gives your opponent a straight shot to winning.
Seeing other person’s perspective may also help you in an argument. “You don’t have to agree with a foe in order to see his or her perspective,” says Susan.
“However, if you want to win an argument, you do need to be able to see the world the way your opponent does. Stepping into the mental set of those you argue with allows you to figure out what’s influencing them.”
If you figure out what’s triggering the person you’re arguing with, you can direct your focus there and showing a little empathy never hurt anybody.
And the third thing is to remember that “Becoming defensive is one of the worst ways to win an argument.” Letting your opponent see that you've dug into your position with no other alternatives may lift the argument from bad to ugly. Moreover, if you let the other person realize that you’re open-minded, even if you're pretending to be, the argument may resolve itself.
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