7 Ways To Identify A Closed-Mind and 5 Healthy Steps Towards An Open One 🧠

Do you or someone you love suffer from Closed-Mindedness?

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Peace and light my beloved Cupsters ✨️🪔 Thank you for your interest in yet another "Mental / Emotional" Health & Wellbeing topic from the desk of La Siren 🫖📖

What is "Closed-Mindedness"? 🧐

"Closed-Mindedness" can be defined as the inability or difficulty to evaluate various ideas or perspectives. This is usually rooted in fear: fear of being wrong, fear of the unknown, fear of change, fear of failure etc.

Closed-Mindedness comes in many forms, including homophobia, xenophobia, misogyny, and even racism.

Ray Dalio, author of "Principles: Life and Work" highlights 7 key points to identifying Closed-Mindedness.

Reflection: Do you catch yourself exhibiting these behaviors below? If so, which topics or situations trigger these behaviors within you?


1) You don’t want your ideas challenged. You may feel guilty or uncomfortable when you make mistakes and get frustrated when you can't persuade others to agree with you. People with closed minds are more concerned with being right than they are with understanding other people's viewpoints and raising inquiries.

2) You are more likely to make statements than to ask questions. This is usually unintentional, and is considered a form of avoidance which again can be rooted in fear. Fear of being wrong, fear of the unknown, fear of change, fear of failure etc.

3) You focus more on being understood than on understanding others. Close-minded people frequently assume they aren't being understood when others disagree with them, rather than questioning whether it might be they themselves who don't grasp the other person's viewpoint. This usually leads to many misunderstandings and break downs in communication.

4) You say “I could be wrong, but…” Author Ray Dalio calls this “a perfunctory gesture that allows people to hold their own opinion while convincing themselves that they are being open-minded.”

5) You prevent others from speaking. Closed-minded people encounter the problem of not being able to provide enough space in the conversation for other individuals to engage and voice their thoughts. This results in the close-minded individual minimizing, dismissing or effectively blocking the other person’s feelings or perspective.

6) You have trouble holding two thoughts simultaneously in your mind. People with an open mind typically find it easier to hold multiple opposing ideas in their head and switch between them. This does not mean they are unable to "pick a side". An open-mind helps us understand and respect all sides.

7) You lack a deep sense of humility. Sometimes ego gets in the way of our thinking. Closed-minded people frequently avoid perceived "failure" by sticking to what they already believe to be true. Humility, however, comes from experiencing "failures".



Benefits of Open-Mindedness 🔍

1) Psychological research shows us that open-mindedness may be linked to higher cognitive abilities.

2) Another study suggests that your mood and level of creativity are shaped by having an open mind.

3) Having an open-mind fosters something called Metacognition , which creates greater room for introspection and thought-provoking queries.

4) Open-mindedness helps us to be less driven by fear. Before achieving a desired outcome, the creative process entails learning through "failure" and trial-and-error.

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5 Healthy Steps Towards An Open Mind

One of my favorite authors, Anne-Laure Le Cunff helps us structure 5 ways to foster open-mindedness in close correlation to the 7 key signs of closed-mindedness as highlighted in "Principles: Life and Work" by Ray Dalio :


1) Manage your emotions. It's ok for someone to disagree with you. There are times when we ourselves disagree with others. It's worth it to take into account the viewpoint of the other person to ensure that you are not overlooking anything.

2) Ask lots of questions. One of the best methods to learn is to pose thoughtful questions. Keep them as open-ended as you can to allow the other person some leeway in your questions. Here are Five Practical Ways To Ask Questions.

3) Use the two-minute rule. Before offering your own opinion, author Ray Dalio advises giving the other person at least two minutes (or more) to clarify their viewpoint.

4) Focus on listening. Active Listening skills would come in handy with this step 😊 Listen intently to the other person when you are having a conversation. Refrain from formulating an answer in your mind before they have finished speaking.

5) Diversify your content diet. Your "mental garden's" composition is primarily determined by the seeds you sow there. Be sure to read articles from a variety of sources so you may compare other viewpoints rather than staying with your usual ones.


Is someone you love having challenges that relate to Closed-Mindedness? I'd like the opportunity to share an article titled "A Quick Reminder for Those With Closed-Minded Relatives". Although it is titled specifically towards dealing with relatives, there are several helpful reminders that will help you remain open-minded when interacting with someone you care about that may be closed-minded.

Interested in a weekly group discussion on Anxiety Support and various ways of getting support for your anxiety? I invite you to join me Wednesdays at 7pm Eastern Time Zone in the Support Sessions room where I will be hosting Anxiety Support Sessions, typically runs an hour long ✨️


Interested in an overall boost of motivation or encouragement towards living a Healthy lifestyle? Join me Sundays at 6pm Eastern Time Zone in the Healthy Living Room ✨️

Photo credits to Brittani Burns @ unsplash.com

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