There is hardly any dearth of stupid people around. Your friend might not have appeared stupid when you befriended him or her, yet with time the personâs true nature came to the fore. Hence, if you have a friend who can ask thousand stupid questions at a stretch, goes on and on and on about things you are not really interested in, then here are some tips that might just help you deal with the person.
Empathize
While empathizing we essentially make an attempt to feel and think from somebody elseâs perspective. Hence, when it comes to diminishing intolerance and hostility towards others, empathy is probably the best approach. Dealing with stupid friends is no different either.
There is no denying the fact that we are limited by our own thoughts and beliefs. In dealing with stupid friends, you need to step out of that confinement and look at things through the perspective of the friend. You may actually be able to see some rationality in the way they think and behave. The person who appeared stupid might just as well come across looking more practical than you thought he would be. Stepping into the shoes of another person of whom we think rather low, gives us the ability to judge and understand their points better.
The moral of the story is, more we start developing an understanding of a personâs thought processes, the easier it gets to accept and mitigate the differences we have with them. Who knows, you may even start admiring the very same person dubbed stupid by others.
Walk away if the friend appears excessively intolerable
The world is packed with stupid individuals. You are likely to cross paths with such people at least once in your lifetime. However, it is not always necessary that you go out of the way to tolerate the stupid friendâs insensitive behavior. All of us are different from one another in our own little ways. We differ in terms of background, thinking, goals and interests. Therefore, it is quite possible that certain people around you may never see your point, no matter how hard you try.
Keeping such considerations in mind, donât even think of getting along well with every person you meet and befriend. If the person appears excessively intolerable to you, start avoiding him or her. However, be sure not to indulge in conflicts with the stupid friends. Harsh as it may sound, yet try your best not to contact them. The best thing to do is simply walk away. It may appear a bit difficult at the outset, but with time you will be able to achieve the target.
Practice calmness
In dealing with stupid friends, the most important strategy is to remain calm. There is no point getting flustered or emotional when the person you are dealing with is excessively stupid. One thing that needs to be borne in mind time and again is that no matter how hard you try, the stupid and irrational friend will never change his ways. A majority of conversations you have with the friend, if you come to think of it, are woven around winning agreements. Hence, try your best to reduce the pace of the conversation. In order to have your way with the stupid person, practice calmness. In fact, try and get others to follow suit. A stupid friend irritates everyone in the group. Hence, this needs to be a collective effort or a unified battle against the stupid friend, whichever way you look at it. Once the person starts hijacking the conversation and moving into emotional territory, half your battle is won.
Ignore the stupid friend
Ignorance is the biggest fear stupid people have. The friend you are trying to deal with is not an exception either. Ignorance is something that he or she loathes. If the friend in question makes you feel panicky, then the last thing you would need is for him to understand the fear and uneasiness. The uneasy words trickling out of your mouth, the loathing and angry looks you shoot at them, the fright and fear that their words trigger in you are things that turn them on.
Deep down, the stupid friend is the most insecure of souls around. Keeping such considerations in mind, do your best to ignore the person. Show that nothing they say matters to you in any manner whatsoever. Ignore their nonsense and insecurities. Appear to be preoccupied with things more important than them. The moment you start practicing the above strategies, it automatically makes the stupid friend crumble.
Find humor in your friend’s stupid comments
âStupidâ as it may sound yet finding humor in the stupid friendâs comments and words is one of the best strategies of dealing with them. If the friend in question keeps asking irrational questions, be sure to note them down. Bring the topic up when you are around with a set of logical and practical-minded people. Laugh at the comments and questions made by the stupid friend. Well, to some this may appear a bit petty, considering that you will be speaking behind somebodyâs back. In that case you need to decide which to you sounds better-laughing at the stupid friendâs behavior when he is not around and finding relief in it or tolerating the same old nonsense the way you have so far.
