Science Shows Humility Makes You Smarter and More Successful. Here Are the 8 Types to Cultivate
A psychiatrist explains the different types of humility we need to be the most grounded, decent, and accomplished version of ourselves.
EXPERT OPINION BY JESSICA STILLMAN, CONTRIBUTOR, INC.COM @ENTRYLEVELREBEL
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Think of the qualities you need to be successful, and you’ll probably focus first on things like brainpower, a persuasive personality, grit, or emotional intelligence. These are admirable qualities all, but both science and top business minds insist another, quieter trait can be just as important — humility.
Jeff Bezos has claimed humility is a marker of intelligence, and one of the top characteristics he looks for when he hires. Science backs him up. Studies show those with more humility are better at assessing evidence, better at understanding those with differing viewpoints, and more curious. In short, they tend to end up smarter and more successful, according to a bunch of experts (beyond Bezos), including star Wharton professor Adam Grant and Harvard’s Steven Pinker.
All of which makes a pretty strong case for why entrepreneurs might want to cultivate more humility. But to do that you first have to understand exactly what “humility” covers. For that I point you to a fascinating recent Psychology Today article by psychiatrist Ravi Chandra. In it, Chandra outlines eight components of true humility, providing those looking to increase theirs with a useful roadmap to follow.
Cultural humility. “We all have biases based on our cultural experiences and identities. Our experiences might give us only partial understandings of people from other cultures, and, all too often, we might carry stereotyped assumptions about other cultures that will inevitably cause harm,” explains Chandra. Extended travel or living abroad is one way to start cultivating this type of humility.
Familial (or intergenerational) humility. “It would do the world a lot of good if parents (and older people generally) would be humble in the face of their children’s perspectives in life. They are literally seeing a whole new ballgame. Similarly, older folks have often accumulated wisdom and experience, and younger people could afford to be humble as well when hearing them out,” Chandra suggests.
Intellectual humility. Perhaps the most well recognized form of humility in business circles, it involves not only questioning your beliefs and assumptions, but also examining whether you truly understand the beliefs and assumptions of others.
Humility of knowledge. “As much as any of us might have known or learned, there’s always more to learn and understand,” Chandra reminds us. And this doesn’t just apply to book knowledge.”It’s important for those in the dominant culture to be humble when trying to relate to those with lived experience and close-to-the-ground knowledge in the areas in question,” he adds.
Humility of skill. Expert blindness happens when skilled practitioners blind themselves to fresh ideas and major pitfalls because they are overconfident in their own abilities. Humility of skill can be an antidote. “No matter how skillful we might be, it’s good to stay humble in the face of new situations, the potential for errors, and the inevitability of change,” says Chandra.
Humility of wisdom. “I think we’d all like to eventually be respected and appreciated for our wisdom, accomplishments, skill, talent, or knowledge accumulated through life experience and lifelong learning and growth. However, as Socrates said, ‘the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing,'” Chandra reminds readers.
Humility of awe. This is the feeling of being insignificant in the face of our huge, grand universe, and it’s been shown to be a key contributor to mental health by a boatload of science. Research has also found simple ways to cultivate the feeling of awe in your everyday life.
Humility in the face of suffering. “Research has shown that we are often pulled to help others, but we can become overwhelmed and shut down when faced with large-scale suffering and catastrophe. How do we keep an open heart? I believe the answer lies in cultivating presence, humility, and humor in the face of suffering and potential suffering,” concludes Chandra.
By breaking down the different types of humility, Chandra makes it easier to see where you might be strong or where you might be lacking. And if you’re aware where you’re falling short in terms of humility, you’re in a much better place to fix the problem and increase your chances of happiness and success.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
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