Self-Distancing

Self-distancing is one's ability to reflect on past events/emotions as an objective observer.^[1] Over time, self-distancing fosters intellectual humility, open-mindedness, and empathy.^[2] It also promotes greater social intelligence/emotional intelligence when it comes to conflict resolution.^[3][4]

Other benefits of self-distancing are that it gives one: a broader perspective, more appropriate emotional responses to situations and it boosts creativity as it can clear interfering negative emotions and allow one to think more creatively and move from seeing the problem as an insolvable and/or concrete problem to a more abstract problem.^[5]

For people who have experienced traumatic events, seeing events from a self-distanced perspective potentially allows people to work through their difficult experiences and it provides insight as well as closure.

Self-distancing and better decision making[edit]

• Self-Distancing: What It Is and How You Can Use It to Make Better Decisions

• Distanced self-talk increases rational self-interest, Nature, 2022

• Using Self-Distancing in Decision-Making

• Zooming Out: The Impact of Distance on our Decisions, TheDecisionLab.com

Journaling and improvement of self-distancing[edit]

See also: Diary

Journaling improves self-distancing, self-awareness and mindfulness.^[6][7][8][9] Self-distancing is one's ability to reflect on past events/emotions as an objective observer.^[10] This improves one's ability to break away from a nonstop cycle of obsessive thinking and brooding.^[11]

See also[edit]

• Self-awareness
• Objectivity

External links[edit]

• The Art Of Self-Distancing
• Step Back to Move Forward? An Examination of Self-Distancing and Negative Interpersonal Experiences, Duke University
• Self-Distancing: Theory, Research, and Current Directions, Science Direct

References[edit]