Why Judging Others is Harmful to your Health

Judge and Scales

Did you know that judging others is harmful to your health? Maybe that’s why your mother always told you never to judge someone until you’d walked in their shoes.

We are social creatures and our natural instinct is to judge those around us. We judge people on their driving skills…or lack of. We judge them on their parenting, their clothes, their décor, their political views, their choice of words…the list is endless. But now the jury is out…judging others is harmful to your health. The question is why?

Judgement makes you Self-Critical

The more you judge others, the more you judge yourself. By constantly seeing the bad in others, we train our minds to find the bad. This can lead to increase in stress. Stress can weaken the immune system and cause high blood pressure, fatigue, depression, anxiety and even stroke. In fact, 43% of all American adults suffer adverse health effects from stress. Stress can lead to health problems like It’s easy to see the faults, but it takes effort to see the good in others and in ourselves. The more we learn to be accepting of the faults of others, the more we learn to love ourselves.

It Makes People Shy Away

When people know you’re judgmental, they automatically take a step back. They become wary of you and think twice before sharing anything meaningful. If you want to have relationships that aren’t’ superficial, you need to learn to accept people as they are. Distancing people will lead to you missing out making a connection with friends and family. Social isolation can increase risk of death anywhere from 50-90%. If you are lonely, you also increase your risk of developing high blood pressure or inflammation. To top it all, loneliness makes people more aggressive.

It Stunts Personal Development

When you point your finger at someone, you are actually pointing back at yourself. Many people turn to criticism of others instead of focusing on how they can improve. It’s much easier to blame your partner for being touchy than to accept responsibility for your hurtful words. And there’s another factor too: some people find fault in others because that makes them feel okay with themselves. If you cannot see where you need to improve, you can never move beyond your present state.

It’s Just Not That Interesting

People instinctively like to be around positive people. Positive people put out positive energy and are fun to be around. The more negative a person is, the more likely he is to drive away friends. No one likes listening to a constant barrage of complaints. It’s If you’ve spent much time with a constantly critical person, you know how tiresome it can get.

(Adapted from A Mindful Year.)