An important determinant of your ability to navigate disagreement is your level of receptiveness to opposing views. Receptiveness is defined as your willingness to be objective and even-handed in terms of what information you seek out, how deeply you consider it, and how critically you evaluate it. Importantly, notice that the definition of receptiveness does not mention changing your mind or compromising with the other side. Receptiveness is about listening to and thinking hard about your patient's views, not about being persuaded by them. So what can your receptiveness score tell you about yourself? Our research has found that people who get higher scores on this questionnaire are, in general, better at engaging with views and opinions they disagree with. They're more willing to talk to people with whom they disagree. They're better at paying attention when they're hearing arguments for an opposing view. And they're more fair-minded in how they evaluate those arguments. Importantly, other people also recognize that receptiveness is a strength. People are more eager to collaborate with more receptive colleagues, want to have them on their teams, and tend to seek out their advice more often. So thinking back to Michael and Dr. Hagen, had Dr. Hagen been very receptive, she might have listened very carefully to Michael's concerns about the booster, and maybe turned them over in her mind before beginning to argue with him. But I have to say, Julia, that sounds tough. It's unusual for people to be that objective and open to different perspectives. But in this situation, it's extra difficult, because first, you're constantly pressed for time, and second, you are very confident in your recommendations. Yes, I absolutely agree. In fact, people who are very receptive are rare. For most of us, it's a habit of mind that takes years to cultivate. It turns out, receptiveness is made up of four different components. Thinking about which components of receptiveness are the most natural versus the most challenging for you can be helpful in figuring out what prevents you from thoughtfully engaging with disagreement. First, receptiveness requires emotional balance. People who are more receptive feel fewer negative emotions when they disagree with someone. This was definitely not the case for Michael and Dr. Hagen, who quickly got frustrated with each other. The second component of receptiveness is curiosity. Receptive people are curious about why someone believes what they do, and they find such knowledge valuable, even when they completely disagree with what the other person is saying, as Dr. Hagen was about the value of COVID boosters. The third component of receptiveness is respect towards people who disagree with us. More receptive people recognize that there are benign reasons why someone might want to disagree with them, beyond being uninformed or having an ulterior motive. Had Michael been more receptive, he might have considered why Dr. Hagen disagreed with him, rather than assuming that she was trying to sell him vaccines. The final component of receptiveness is tolerance towards taboo topics. Everyone has some topics that they simply refuse to discuss. For many folks in healthcare, a woman's right to reproductive care or the value of childhood immunizations are simply not up for debate. In contrast, very receptive people can have a conversation about a broader array of topics, recognizing that talking with someone doesn't actually mean that you are willing to compromise your beliefs. It's important to consider your strengths and weaknesses to gradually build your receptiveness muscle, but you won't get there overnight. In the meantime, you still have to deal with disagreement every day. In the next module, we'll talk to you about how to make your disagreements more constructive even before you modify your mental habits. ♪♪♪

opposing views

receptiveness

disagreements

collaboration

constructive