Why being wrong feels so right

You have good reasons for believing what you do, right?

But so does the other person you’re butting heads with.

Here, we talk a lot about how difficult it can be to see the other person's perspective.

And because you can't see it, you end up digging in your heels in a difficult situation, attributing intentions to them that may be wildly off the mark and stoking your own emotional fire.

Check out this fascinating TED talk by author Kathryn Schultz.

She wrote, "Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error."

"The miracle of your mind isn’t that you can see the world as it is. It’s that you can see the world as it isn’t."

Being wrong is so uncomfortable that we will contort ourselves like Cirque du Soleil gymnasts to convince ourselves that our position is the best one, when sometimes — but not always — we're making decisions based on only half the facts.

And even though we may secretly suspect on some level that we're missing something, we'll plow ahead, counting on the intensity of our feelings to let us know we're on track.

Schulz takes us on an entertaining trip into the funhouse of our mind.

Here’s another ironic truth from her TED talk:

Being wrong feels just as bad as realizing you actually WERE wrong.

So do yourself a favor.

The next time you feel ready to launch into a big bout of intense self-justification when you’re battling with your ex, stepkids or the mom or stepmom, take a one-second pause.

What hopeful possibilities might you discover if you didn’t have to back yourself into a self-righteous corner?