Improving Metal Health & Behaviour?

This is my personal theory about improving someone’s behaviour and mental health. Including: increasing their positive emotions, which in turn makes them more social, and generally psychologically healthier.

If you make someone more comfortable, it will increase their levels of positive emotion, and their behaviour will change based on this increased positive emotion. If you make someone uncomfortable, their negative emotions are likely to increase, and their behaviour is likely to decline.

In the above example, achieving comfort is the foundation, and then behaviour change is the outcome. For instance, they may become more social. Extroversion is the positive emotion trait. Increased positive emotion results in increased social desire.

How to make someone more comfortable?

You have to understand their personality. Their personality will determine what is most important to them, and what they prioritise. For example, if you stick a strong introvert into a large noisy group of people, they will likely feel uncomfortable and be over-stimulated. This will cause them to shut down and become even less social than they naturally are. In general, their mental health will decline.

Many people don’t understand this. They think they can stick a reserved introverted person in a busy social environment and the introvert will become more outgoing. It’s actually the complete opposite.

You also have to understand personality disorders, such as social anxiety disorders. If you don’t understand the disorder, you won’t be able to make someone feel comfortable. For example, those with social anxiety have a fear of being negatively judged. So, giving them attention, like asking ”are you okay?” may play right into their fear, and exacerbate their anxiety and intrusive thoughts. It reinforces the belief that they are being judged, and that intervention is needed. Sometimes the correct thing to do is nothing, and to ignore.

Don’t confuse movement with progress. If you don’t understand something fully, you are likely to make a situation worse. The trouble is, most people overestimate their knowledge.  

Blunt Force Approach

This rarely, perhaps never works, yet it’s a main strategy for many. Forcing someone to change is a bad idea. Most people will do the opposite of the intended pressure, simply out of disapproval and an act of rebellion.  

More Personality Examples & Comfort:

Someone who is high in trait openness is more comfortable with space, relative freedom and variety. However, they may be more content with less variety if they are able to engage their minds in deep thought and imagination. It would depend on how much mental effort would be needed to do a certain role.

Highly agreeableness people would be more comfortable working with and cooperating with others. They will likely be highly uncomfortable with confrontation or competitive situations.

High conscientious people need something to do due to them having a strong work ethic. Working and being useful is high on the priority list.

Those high in neuroticism will really be uncomfortable with high pressure and high-risk situations. They may also be more sensitive to rejection, so, sales jobs would likely be out of the question. It also wouldn’t be a good idea to stick them on a plane, due to a likely fear of flying.

Final Comment

The key to improving behaviour is to understand personality traits and how they affect our preferences and motivations. These traits are the foundations of who we are, which influences everything else.