psychology - It is official, rudeness makes people more stupid and aggressive

This study, reported in "All in the Mind" (BBC) excited me, is a good-news for people who believe the rude and aggressive nature aspects of our culture needs to be challenged. Over my lifetime, I have seen the our traditional morality of good-manners and mutual respect ("treat other like you would like to be treated" now seems a bit old-fashioned and over idealistic); has been replaced by a more competitive dynamic culture where cut-throat bankers are our rulers and that we need this edge to stimulate lazy workers.

Witnessing Rudeness Stunts Creativity, Harms Memory and Makes You More Aggressive

Every week on TV we can watch Sir Alan Sugar on The Apprentice, chewing out his would-be new assistants. Many believe that being rude to staff is part of the cut and thrust of business and that it motivates people to do well, but new research completely contradicts this view. As well as showing that rudeness stunted the creativity of the victim, this new study by Dr Amir Erez at the University of Florida goes one step further, and shows that even witnessing incivility and rudeness makes you less creative, more aggressive, less helpful and harms your memory.

This extensive study, incorporated different degrees or rudeness and different contexts. Firstly was the person being rude perceived to be doing their best under pressure or was the rude behaviour attributable to a general bad attitude and mean spirited-ness. While the effect of naked, bloody minded rudeness is more powerful, the researchers found that low-level rudeness, common to our modern hectic lifestyles had a significant impact. The researchers were keen to point out that management would do well to focus more on good respectful behaviour at the workplace.

I think helps explains why I loved Liverpool but find London a hard city to live in. Looking back on my two years in Liverpool I am struck but the relaxed friendly air of the city, yes there are enormous problems of crime and poverty, but on a day-to-day level everyone is warm, friendly and polite. Unfortunately London can not claim to be a "chilled-out city", people are hard, aggressive and will blindly walk right over you without flinching. Yes London as a "cultural centre" has the very best of arts, theatre, restuarats and other forms of entertainment, but it is a city I will always have mixed feelings about.

Another interesting aspect of the study was it didn't matter if a peer or a supervisor who was rude. Just being in the presence of someone rude made people were irritated, angry and distracted...

I think this fascinating, the problem is not a power play and dominance, it is just we don't do have to deal with the awkwardness, stress and general unpleasantness of a rude person. This is really draining, hence the drop in productivity, becoming more aggressive, lowering retention and creativity.

bigot |ˈbigət|

noun: a person who is bigoted : religious bigots. See note at zealot .

ORIGIN late 16th cent. (denoting a superstitious religious hypocrite): from French, of unknown origin.