Don’t Assume Malice

Do not assume malice. Humans are hardwired to search for meaning, so when something happens, we assume someone is intentionally causing it.

When the boss assigns you a crummy task, it is not because he hates you. He just has a task that needs to be done, and it happened to be assigned to you. When your friend doesn’t text you back right away, that might be because she is watching a play or has her phone on silent to spend time with loved ones. She is not deliberately ghosting you.

Robert J. Hanlon summed this up in what is known as “Hanlon’s Razor:” Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity. Or indifference, I might add.

Assuming that everyone is out to get you puts you in an unproductive frame of mind. Do not assume evil intent.

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