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When I first heard the latest behavioral buzzword “Boomerasking,” I bristled at the notion that my generation might be the target of yet another odious potshot. Happily, not the case…this time!
“Like the looping arc of a boomerang, boomeraskers ask a question, let their counterpart answer and then immediately bring the focus of the conversation back to themselves,” writes author and Harvard Business School Professor, Alison Wood Brooks, in her article for the Wall Street Journal.
Right Up there with its agenda-based buddy, Predatory Curiosity, Boomerasking shines a light on how we, as humans “focus persistently on our own perspective, a trait that helps us survive but also undermines our dealings with others.”
Brooks points out that, “Between 40% and 60% of conversational utterances are ego-related, focusing on our own feelings, opinions, and personal experiences. This self-centered conversational tendency is even more pronounced on social media, where some 80% of communication focuses on the self.” WOW!
Which begs the question, have we, as a society, become more self-centered? I turned to Google for answers and the AI Overview response that came up…”According to many experts and social observations, there is a growing perception that society has become more self-centered, with trends like increased individualism, the influence of social media, and a focus on personal achievement contributing to a "me-first" attitude, potentially leading to less concern for the needs of others.
In a truly informative article for Verywell Mind, health writer and editor, Sanjana Gupta, shares the six signs of a self-centered person:
They Dominate Conversations
They Lack Empathy
They Take More Than They Give
They Want Things Done Their Way
They’re Quick to Blame Others and Avoid Responsibility
They Always Want to Be the Center of Attention
Hmmmmm…sound familiar?
From reasons why someone might be self-centered, and coping with someone who is self-centered, to how you can tell if you are too self-centered, Gupta’s article is well worth a read…offering up valuable insights and strategies to help navigate a world where self-centeredness can get you elected President of the United States.
Boomeranging back to Brooks’ article, “Asking sincere questions, listening to others’ answers and following up on those answers may be the easiest and most powerful pathway to shared understanding and interpersonal connection. Boomerasking ruins the magic.” And these days, we need as much magic as we can get!
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