Do You Have Mean Friends? A Study Shows That They’re Good for You


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Last Updated on 2023-04-16 , 10:39 am

Do you have mean friends who always seem to try and put you down? Or, do you have family members who have always said mean things to you to try and make you feel worse about yourself and you always hate them to the core?

Well, a study shows that they might be good for you.

They are pushing you to your best potential

In a finding by the journal of the Association for Psychological Science, study shows that people may sometimes seek to induce negative emotions in others for altruistic reasons, not simply for their own pleasure or benefit.

Meaning, these people might be mean to you not because they are horrible human beings, but because they are trying to push you to your best potential.

“We have shown that people can be ‘cruel to be kind’—that is, they may decide to make someone feel worse if this emotion is beneficial for that other person, even if this does not entail any personal benefit for them”

So, if your friends or loved ones make you ‘feel bad’ about not studying or say ‘mean things’ to you because you haven’t been living up to your potential, they might just be trying to help you to achieve your best in life.

Still, this doesn’t mean we should condone to such acts 

However, that doesn’t mean that we should all condone to such acts. In fact, I still do believe that the best way to be there for someone and to help them is by giving them motivation and encouragement to do better. Because sometimes, such negativity only breeds more negativity.

In fact, you might even allow the person to start feeling bad about themselves and bring their self-esteem down.

Still, different people have different methods of coaching someone to their potential. It really depends on how each person adapt to it.

What do you think? How would you have done it?

Featured Image: airdone / Shutterstock.com