Oscar Wilde wrote, “Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about it.” He was right on the money in at least one sense–unwarranted self-importance is an aggravating distraction that poisons our personal interactions. Here are ten reasons to avoid taking yourself too seriously.
- Taking yourself too seriously means you’re dwelling on fear and potential disappointment. As a result, you overlook the good things you already have. This is a really bad idea. It ruins your impression of each fleeting moment.
- This leads to a loss of interest in normally enjoyable activities. From here, temporary depression can degenerate into a long-term emotional disorder that could even require treatment.
- Taking yourself too seriously prevents you from seeing the world as it really is. Worry often stems from imaginary, not real, concerns. These delusional impressions can prevent you from understanding actual circumstances. This can be dangerous to yourself and others.
- People often dislike or avoid you when you take yourself too seriously. Presumptuous behavior is a social insult. Amiable people avoid self-righteous buzzkills like the plague.
- Those who take themselves too seriously tend to be bad listeners. It’s better to understand before being understood. Active listeners who find others interesting are the ones who make life worthwhile. Missing out on sharing time with them is a lost opportunity that can never be recovered.
- Unwarranted self-importance can keep you from sharing close connections with others. It can ruin the lives of the people around you. Children especially shouldn’t have to put up with this. Childhood is the closest approximation to bliss they’ll ever know, so why ruin that?
- Taking yourself too seriously means you might also take competitive situations too seriously. This results in spending untold hours comparing yourself to others, which breeds envy and resentment.
- Excessive worry ruins your health and appearance. Grim and depressing sentiments translate to a poor diet, lack of exercise, and worry lines. Take a good look in the mirror to see who you are.
- Being too serious makes you less humane and altruistic. When you fail to activate the brain’s reward center (through releases of the neurotransmitter dopamine) due to an unwillingness to enjoy pleasure, you’re also less likely to perform kind acts for others.
- Finally, egotists have been most responsible for inflicting the worst misery on humanity throughout recorded history. Shakespeare described it as “folly, doctor-like, controlling skill.” We can do better than that. We should contribute to a different cultural identity, starting with ourselves.
