We always trust articles that have science to back them up, right? That means leaning towards those that offer the opinions of "experts."
Well, we're not quite sure how this one works out.
Alexandra Carter is the Meditation Expert who wrote Ask for More: Ten Questions to Negotiate Anything. In the book, Carter suggests that there's a two-word phrase that not only ends arguments in relationships, but with kids and co-workers or other places you might encounter a few tiffs.
I know. You're dying to read what this phrase is...Tell Me. This isn't some version of Dude, Where's My Car, that's actually the answer.
"Tell Me" switches perspective, according to Carter. It's similar to what we've known to end past arguments, "I understand." According to Carter, “It helps us move from a black-and-white (and often biased) view of a situation to what some negotiation experts have called a ‘learning conversation,’ where we grow in our understanding of an issue rather than remain stuck.”
So, in reality, you're trying to understand what the other person is going through by expressing interest in more of an open-ended question. As Yahoo!Life puts it, it's the difference between, "How was your day?" and "Tell me about your day." You're encouraging more than a one word answer.
Interesting. Test it out in your next argument and let us know how it goes!...I'm sorry, tell us how it goes.