We’ve all been through it. Telling a friend something they may not want to hear. Maybe a friend is dating someone who treats them poorly, or they did something that upset you. Or maybe it’s something smaller, like an outfit that just doesn’t fit. Should you be honest all the time, or are there times when brutal honesty is mean-spirited? It’s not always so easy to tell.
Brutal honesty prioritizes truth over the feelings and sensitivity of the person who may be on the receiving end of it, according to Sabrina Romanoff, a clinical psychologist in New York.
“It means being more rooted in sharing how you genuinely perceive a situation than being a caretaker to the person who may feel hurt by your message,” she says. “It’s honesty without tact, consideration, or discretion — as no editing or filters to soften the message are attached to it.”
Some of ...
