How To Disagree Better From Julia Minson Receptiveness Is Essential Plus More

Disagreements happen everywhere to everyone – in workplaces, in families, and with our countrymates. And these days, the levels of anger and vitriol seem to be skyrocketing. As a result, many of us are either in a constant state of conflict or assiduously avoiding voicing any opinion that might spark debate. Yet, according to Julia Minson, PhD, a psychologist and professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, disagreeing is both inevitable and essential for everything from navigating decisions at home to running innovative and agile companies to governing democratic societies. Through the years, social scientists have often offered well-meaning but unproven (and not very useful) advice on handling conflict, according to Minson. In HOW TO DISAGREE BETTER (Avery; March 24, 2026), she offers evidence-based insights, based on decades of scientific research to help readers understand why we disagree, and how we can do it constructively and without rancor.Minson defines constructive disagreement as any disagreement that increases the parties' willingness to talk again. Her bedrock concept is "receptiveness to opposing views" - a trait she has studied for years, and that can be measured using a simple survey. However, Minson argues that even more important than cultivating a mental habit of receptiveness, is working on showing the other party that we are receptive to their point of view. Unfortunately, most of us are not naturally gifted at this task (indeed, evidence shows we are quite bad at it).

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