Claim We can usually learn much more from people whose views we share than from those whose views contradict our own Reason Disagreement can cause stress and inhibit learning

According to a TED-Ed video on the science of attraction, we are more attracted to people who resemble us. This attraction pertains not only to outward appearances but also point of views. It would come as no surprise then that we feel more eager to connect with people who share the same opinions. However, do we learn more from people we agree with? For some, the answer is affirmative, for undue stress arises in the face of opposing arguments. Look no further than a political debate. It’s hard enough to control your temper, let alone maintain an intellectual conversation! However, I would still beg to differ. We all have the capacity to learn from those who are different, and only from different people can we actually learn anything worthy.

Having the same thoughts is convenient. There are no disputes over what is right or wrong. You simply smile and nod and have a pleasant time supporting each other for their intelligent viewpoints (which just so happen to be just like your own). It also means that you cease to hear opposing views. This can lead to ignorance, such as the survivorship bias, where one becomes excessively optimistic about an endeavor because he or she is surrounded by those who have the same optimistic view. Business startups make for one example. Many believe that they will succeed based on the same amount of grit and intuition they must have, just like any successful business. They fail to realize the overpowering factor of coincidence, for data shown in news and research focus too often on the winning cases, while failures are seldom recorded as a subject of concern. The fact that one doesn’t see an opposing view does not take out the possibility of its existence. Failure to recognize another side would be blinding, not edifying.

Nonetheless, it is true that emotions hinder some of our capacity to take in other people’s suggestions. This is why arguments even among family members become detrimental; when faced with an opposing view, we easily erupt into anger and go beyond the issue at hand. There is hardly anything you can learn from another person in such a tense and often hurtful situation. However, this disregards human beings’ potential to think rationally as well. The countless disagreements people have with one another does not take away the thoughtful introspections afterwards, as time alone along with the human psyche allows us to reflect on past actions and opposing views. It is for this that we encourage the freedom to debate—to show that humankind is capable of maintaining enlightening conversations despite our many differences. Being exposed to contradicting viewpoints is what helps us grow and go beyond the limits of our perspectives.

No matter the issue, things will always go smoother when there are no objections. That being said, it does not mean that we tend to learn more from the lack of disparate opinions. There is undoubtedly more stress amidst the process of learning from people we disagree with, yet it is one worth going through, and to improve will only require the rational side of the mind inherent in all of us.