Calling all my chatty-cathy’s and oversharers–you’re welcome here!! Self-disclosure is actually super beneficial. Believe it or not, we tend to talk about ourselves 40% of the time. It’s not a bad thing though, that’s just how normal, casual conversations go. Disclosing information about yourself has been found to alleviate moods and lighten our stress-load. But self-disclosure can be beneficial to more than just you. Let’s talk about it.
Self-Disclosure
- Strengthens your bond with others. When you are able to share parts of yourself with others, it can allow both of you to feel comfortable sharing more. This leads you to learn about each other. The relationship will probably be more meaningful as well–especially when it’s built on communication, trust, and vulnerability.
- Elicits feedback from others. This is a great way to get new information, new perspectives, and viewpoints. It’s easy to believe or think one way when you’ve never heard a different perspective. For example, let’s say you’re talking to your friend about a conflict with your coworker. They’re able to give an outside perspective and could offer a different way to deal with the issue than you were originally thinking.
- Feeling better overall. When you are able to talk about what you’re feeling and thinking, you’re able to clear your head and work through your thoughts. This helps us not bottle up emotions (and we’ve definitely all seen what happens when people do bottle up). When you’re able to work through your emotions and thoughts, you’re much more likely to be able to walk away from the conversation with a more “logical” state of mind.
So although we grew up being called chatterboxes, it’s not a black and white term! Don’t get me wrong, there’s always a time and a place, but being able to disclose information about yourself in a self-aware way is a great skill to have.
Written by GUADS staff member Toni with contributions from www.doctoroz.com
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