Honest People: Character Traits And Behavior
Honest people never try to please everyone. They do not like hypocrisy, and therefore do not hesitate to use the only language they know: honesty. They are loyal and firm in their beliefs. In addition, they only know how to create strong and meaningful bonds with people who they feel are worthy of their friendship.
Some people like to say that they always defend and praise the truth. But the moment someone decides to be honest, they more often end up criticizing them than not. Human actions do not always correspond to their thoughts and beliefs. We are often aware of how we feel and still end up communicating the opposite. We do it because of social conditions or fear of hurting others or attracting attention.
This just shows how valuable honest people are. They are brave enough to be consistent with their thoughts and actions. Few social and psychological aspects are as necessary as honesty. It is this dimension that Thomas Jefferson referred to as the first chapter of the Book of Wisdom and Mark Twain defined as a lost art.
There is one aspect of honesty that we must keep in mind: We always demand it of others. Thanks to that, we can build relationships and base them on trust. We need the people we love to be sincere and authentic at all times.
How to identify honest people
Honest people do not wear tabs or shirts with ironing marks that define who they are. It is important that we learn to identify them ourselves. A good way to do this is to listen, observe, connect with those around us and, of course, remember that there is no justification for honesty. Let’s expand on these ideas.
They do not waste time on what they do not like
Bayerische Julius- Maximilians-Universität Würzburg in Germany conducted a study¹ to dig deeper into this dimension. The first aspect they discovered is that honest people often save time in many of their conversations. They do not go around porridge and do not waste time with people they do not like or who do not share their values. They distance themselves from these people confidently and respectfully.
In doing so , they do not provide or expect justifications. They know how counterproductive it is to prolong situations that can have bad consequences in the long run.
They do not lie or tolerate lies
Psychology professor Daniel Ariely dives into this topic in his famous book The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone – Especially Ourselves . According to the author, we all consider ourselves honest people. We like to forget those times when we have lied to others, and instead we maintain an impeccable self-image.
Those who are truly honest do not tolerate lying to themselves or others. They do not like to lie because it creates an unpleasant cognitive dissonance that attacks their identity and self-esteem.
Calm personalities, calm minds
According to Dr. Anita E. Kelly, professor of psychology at the University of Notre Dame in Paris, honest people are happier and healthier. In light of this study², being honest, not lying, and being genuine about yourself and what you say will generate greater well-being. A person’s health directly reflects their inner balance and security.
They know how to build meaningful relationships
Dishonesty and showing little to no integrity is unnatural for these people. These cognitive dissonances make them feel uncomfortable. Therefore, honest people value being able to build relationships based on trust. They always make sure to show their true, authentic selves in a sincere and respectful way. In turn, they demand this from those who are a part of their daily lives.
This may explain why honest people have so many trustworthy people in their lives. The number of friends they have does not matter. They only care about surrounding themselves with people they can trust, real people with whom they can have a mutual relationship.
Finally, we must mention another aspect. Honesty is an ethical principle, a value that contributes to creating a more integrated and healthy society. But this dimension we all think we have is not always used in a real and respectful way. We often tell white lies, those that hide our true feelings.
We cannot always express our true thoughts. It is okay to filter out the information we are going to provide depending on the situation we are in. Nevertheless, honesty is still a very important pillar of respect for ourselves and others.
