“Science is simply common sense at its best.” – Thomas Huxley
Science that applies in the physical world can help us understand personal relationships and interactions as well. In almost everything you do, the act of science can be observed.
For example, due to differences in personalities and beliefs, you can’t help but sometimes have a conflict with people you disagree with. This could create tension and unpleasant conditions amongst your family, friends, or work team which could affect your performance as a whole.
So – how do we apply some science to conflict?
One classic law of science describes the process of temperature change. Newton’s Law of Cooling states that things will heat up or cool down faster or slower depending on the environment’s temperature difference. So if you put a hot object into a freezer, it will cool down faster than if you put it in a room at regular room temperature.
Here are two insights we can take that can apply to conflict:
- In a team, when people are in conflict or are angry, perhaps you might tell each other to pause and cool down. The easiest recipe for disaster is when everyone is hot due to conflict therefore nothing will get resolved. Two hot things in contact remain hot!
- To expedite the process of cooling down and resolving the conflict, you have to create an environment that is conducive to this. It can start with you, and your ability to cool yourself and those around you, which can be almost contagious and help simmer tensions with others.
The end result of this is that you and the people in your team are comfortable enough to be open-minded and find a way to move forward from conflict and misunderstandings.
Change the environment, change the outcome. It’s just science!
See more in the video below!
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