Admitting when you’re wrong

“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.”

— Bruce Lee

Everyone gets things wrong, a lot. But few people like to admit when they’re wrong. Friends, family members, and acquaintances love to tell us about the things they got right — whether it’s a stock pick, a political prediction, or a sports bet. For this essay, I’ll explore two topics: first, why is it so hard for people to admit when they’re wrong, and second, why it’s always worth it.

Why do so few people like to admit when they’re wrong?

Humans are social creatures who by nature crave high status. This study from 2015 by the University of California proved this. The author wrote straightforwardly, “status is something that all people crave and covet — even if they don’t realize it.” This is the way we are hardwired. Consequentially, we avoid things at all costs that make us look bad that could lower our status. This includes admitting when we’re wrong. Either subconsciously or consciously, we are terrified of what people will think of us when we admit we’re wrong. We are protecting ourselves from looking stupid because we crave high status.

Why is it’s worth it to admit when you’re wrong

Now that we’ve established why it’s so hard to admit you’re wrong, let’s discuss why it’s worth it. When you admit you’re wrong to a person or group of people, you’re building trust with them. It’s hard to trust people who never admit when they’re wrong because we’re repeatedly only getting one side of the story and of course, no one is perfect. Have you ever noticed politicians rarely admit mistakes or when they get something wrong? Perhaps this why only 20% of U.S adults trust the government as of 2020 (source here).

Admitting when you’re wrong also builds emotional bonds with people. When you admit you’re wrong, you’re allowing yourself for a brief moment to become vulnerable. This allows you to connect to people on a deeper and more emotional level.

Lastly, admitting you’re wrong both with yourself and with others is the beginning to start improving. Step 1 of Alcoholics Anonymous is admitting you have a problem. Admitting you’re wrong is a similar concept — we can’t grow and we can’t fix our mistakes if we can’t even admit we were wrong in the first place.

Next time you get something wrong, mess up or fail, I hope you can remember these benefits and just admit it! I know it’s hard, but it’s worth it.