10 unwritten rules for healthy social relationships
Make your social life and interactions easier with these tips.
Striking a balance between being yourself and allowing others to be themselves is tricky. Even the written rules are tough to follow on a bad day. But it is the ones we choose to willingly follow that make everyone’s life easier and happier.
These 10 common courtesy practices apply to anyone anywhere and you will appreciate how much stress they take away from your life.
1. Empathise with the person giving you bad news
If you know the person giving you bad news, acknowledge that it might be a difficult position for them. Handle the news with dignity and don’t make it worse for yourself or them.
2. Compliment looks
If a woman looks younger than her age in your opinion, tell her. And when you tell someone they look like someone else, make sure the person you are comparing them to is unquestionably good-looking.
3. Never order expensively on someone else’s bill
If someone is treating you to lunch or dinner, order something of less value than what they ordered or ask them to order their meal of choice for you. If someone buys you a drink, buy them one back.
4. Return money/property before the expected time or on time
Repay or return money or property before the other person remembers lending it to you. Whether you are returning 1,000shs or 1 million. You will earn their respect and appreciation.
5. Avoid awkward questions
If the answer to a question is likely to make someone feel awkward or uncomfortable, avoid it. You most likely don’t need to know, they will tell you if they want or if it is not your problem. Silence is a far less harmful and awkward experience.
6. Avoid making failure worse
If someone loses their money or makes a bad investment, don’t give them the ‘I told you so’ or remind them how they should have listened to you. Resist this devil in order to not make another person’s failure worse.
7. Always open the door for someone behind you
Whether female or male, always open or hold the door open for someone coming behind you.
8. Don’t swipe when you are given the phone
When you are given the phone to see a picture, don’t swipe or scroll through their gallery, messages or call log.
9. Never leave the phone face up on the table
If you’re on a date, hanging out with friends or in a meeting, leave your phone out of sight. Put it in silence and away.
10. Do not stare
If a colleague, teammate or classmate is shouted at, don’t stare. If someone drops their food on the floor, or doesn’t know how to use a fork/knife, don’t stare. If someone sneezes, coughs or has any other uncontrollable/involuntary reaction, do not stare.
Bonus
Learn to greet and thank people in 10 languages.