Dr. Dominik Mischkowski
Dr. Dominik Mischkowski, Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology at Ohio University, had a study quoted in a Marie Claire story headlined “How to Argue (Respectfully).”
The study “Flies on the Wall Are Less Aggressive,” by visiting assistant professor of psychology at Ohio University Dominik Mischkowski, et al., offers a simple strategy to cool these hot emotions. When someone upsets you, try to pretend you are a fly on the wall and viewing the situation from a distance. This is known as self-distancing. The process of mentally stepping back from an experience and viewing it as separate from the self and through the eyes of an outside observer can help you stay in control. In one study, college students were paired with a partner who intentionally provoked and berated them with comments like “Look, this is the third time I have to say this! Can’t you follow directions?” in an impatient and obnoxious tone. The students who had been told to adopt a self-distanced perspective were less quick to get angry and responded less aggressively than those who immersed themselves in their feelings.
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