What if you don't have the
warmest of feelings for your boss? Your mother-in-law? Your next-door neighbor?
It's easy to come up with a mental catalog of all the ways in which
that person could change to be less annoying,
domineering, passive-aggressive, arrogant, etc.—but the fact is, you
can't change anyone but yourself.
Here are some tips about how to help yourself cultivate more friendly
feelings. It's quite a strain to hide feelings of dislike;
if you can manage to change your feelings, you'll be much happier.
It's hard, but not impossible.
1. Seek contact. This is a bit counter-intuitive. If you don't like
someone, you probably feel like avoiding that person,
but because of the psychological phenomenon known as the mere exposure effect,
we tend to like people better the more we see them.
2. Do nice things for that person. "We prefer to see those to whom we
do good than those
who do good to us," as La Rochefoucauld observed.
3. Give that person a brief touch. Subliminal touching, i.e., touching
a person so unobtrusively that it's not noticed,
increases people's sense of well-being and positive feelings.
4. Lighten up. Joke about whatever annoys you, and if you can manage
it, laugh about it with that person,
or poke fun at your own reaction. Nothing neutralizes bad feelings
like a good laugh.
This can be tough, however.
5. Act friendly. We think we act because of the way we feel, but often
we feel because of the way we act.
So act the way you want to feel. This is uncannily effective—just try it.
6. Resist criticizing that person. When you voice your complaints,
they assume a solidity in your mind that's hard to eliminate.
When your thoughts remain unspoken, they can more easily be changed.
7. Remember happy shared experiences. Recalling good times elevates
mood and will help warm your feelings.
8. Be grateful. Reflecting on reasons to feel grateful, instead of
reasons to be angry or annoyed, will help change your view.
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