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How Does Being Judgmental Affect Your Intelligence?

Derek Strike
5 min readDec 16, 2024

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Getty Images — Daniel Lozano Gonzalez

Were you able to look at that picture without forming an opinion?

Were you able to simply observe?

“When you judge another, you do not define them; you define yourself”
Wayne Dyer.

Have you ever formed an opinion about someone only to realise later how wrong you were? How does your judgment affect your intelligence? We all make judgments, often without realising it.

These judgments originate from our biases, conditioning, and blind spots, impairing our ability to observe situations neutrally. This can lead to poor decisions and strained relationships.

I recently wrote about the accuracy of our first impressions. Today, I thought I’d take a look at how our judgments impact our intelligence, the negative results of biased thinking, and practical strategies to see life as it is.

Understanding the connection between judgment, bias, and intelligence can help us make more informed decisions and encourage personal growth.

The Nature of Judgment and Bias

Our judgments are mental shortcuts that help us quickly assess situations or people.

They’re often influenced by cognitive biases — mental tendencies that distort our perception.

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Derek Strike
Derek Strike

Written by Derek Strike

Writing is about becoming conscious. Nothing in life is of any value unless it is shared with others. Love to learn and be challenged.

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