Sublime

Your task is to look past the distractions and become aware of those signs that leak out automatically, revealing something of the true emotion beneath the mask. The three categories of the most important cues to observe and identify are dislike/like, dominance/submission, and deception.

I’ve studied how “soft” factors*—such as personality, the extent to which you are seen as trustworthy, passionate, or committed, and the way you interact with people—rather than objective data, drive the decisions and outcomes of individuals and firms.

Being chosen is the greatest gift you can give to another human being.

Studies show that teaching traits like kindness, compassion, and empathy, in an explicit and intentional way at a young age, can make a difference. A 2011 meta-analysis of social-emotional learning, which many US curricula have embraced in recent decades, suggested that it led to higher graduation rates and safer sex, even eighteen years later.

“High agreeableness means a desire to get along with others, to help them, to be sympathetic with them, and to cooperate. An individual low in agreeableness is more likely to be competitive and also contrarian.”

Psychology revealed a neglected advantage of being an introvert and a loner[11]. It turns out that introverts who are prone to melancholy are natural social psychologists!

These are the people who want to make sure that everyone in the group is feeling included and happy. They are very attuned to the feeling states and needs of others and very generous in filling those needs. They are good at listening and are kind, supportive, and helpful.

provision of eight social benefits

All social animals, including people, live under constant pressure from two competing interests: protecting themselves from others and aligning themselves with others. When these two interests are balanced, the result is dynamic social homeostasis.