Characteristics Of Honest People: How Do They Behave?

What are the characteristics of honest people? Honest people never try to please everyone. They don’t like hypocrisy. That’s why they don’t hesitate to use the only language they know: honesty. These people are faithful and firm in their beliefs.

Plus, they know exactly how to create strong and meaningful bonds with people they believe are worthy of their friendship.

Some people like to say that they always defend and praise the truth. Yet more often than not, the moment someone decides to be honest, they end up criticizing them anyway. People’s actions are not always in accordance with their thoughts and beliefs.

We are often aware of how we feel. Yet in the end we still communicate the opposite. We do this because of social circumstances or out of fear of hurting or drawing attention to others.

This shows how valuable honest people really are. They are brave enough to be consistent in their thoughts and actions. Few social and psychological aspects are as necessary as honesty. Thomas Jefferson regarded that dimension as the first chapter of wisdom. Mark Twain described it as a lost art.

There is one aspect of fairness that we must consider. We always ask of others. Honesty allows us to build relationships and build them on trust. We need the people we love to be genuine and authentic at all times.

What are the characteristics of honest people? How do we recognize them?

Honest people don’t wear banners or shirts with hashtags that define who they are. It is important that we learn how to recognize them ourselves. Listening, observing and connecting with the people around us are good ways to do this.

Of course, we must also remember that there are no motivations for honesty. Now let’s develop these ideas further and see what are the characteristics of honest people.

They don’t waste time on things they don’t like

The Julius Maximilian University in Würzburg in Germany conducted a study. The intent was to dig deeper into this dimension. The first aspect they discovered is that honest people save time in many of their conversations.

They don’t revolve around it. They just don’t waste time on people who don’t like them or who don’t share their values. One of the characteristics of honest people is that they distance themselves from those people in an assertive and respectful way.

They do this and do not give or expect justifications. Honest people know how detrimental it is to let situations last that can lead to bad consequences in the long run.

They don’t lie and they don’t tolerate lies

Psychology professor Daniel Arely takes a closer look at this topic in his famous book  The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone – Especially to Ourselves .

According to the author, we all consider ourselves honest people. We like to forget the times when we lied to others. On the contrary, we try to maintain an impeccable self-image.

People who are really honest do not tolerate lying to themselves or to others. They don’t like to lie because it creates an uncomfortable cognitive dissonance that affects their identity and self-confidence.

Honest people have calm personalities and a calm mind

According to Dr. Anita E. Kelly, a psychology professor at Notre Dame University in Paris, says honest people are happier and healthier. Based on this study, we can conclude the following:

Being honest, not lying and being real with yourself and in what you say creates a greater sense of well-being. A person’s health is a direct reflection of his inner balance and peace of mind.

They know how to build meaningful relationships

For these people, dishonesty is unnatural. This also applies to showing little or no integrity. For them, these are cognitive dissonances. They make them feel uncomfortable.

So honest people place great value on building relationships based on trust. They always make sure to portray their true, authentic selves in a sincere and respectful way. In turn, they also ask this of the people who are part of their daily lives.

This may explain why honest people have so many trustworthy people in their lives. The number of friends they have is of no importance.

All they care about is surrounding themselves with people they can rely on. One of the characteristics of honest people is that they want to surround themselves with sincere people with whom they can have a reciprocal relationship.

Decision

Finally, we should mention one more aspect. Honesty is an ethical principle. It is a value that helps to create a more integrated and healthier society.

We all believe that we possess this dimension. Yet we do not always apply them in a genuine and respectful way. We often tell white lies. Those are the lies we use to hide our true feelings.

We also cannot always express our true thoughts. It is okay to filter the information we will give. This depends on the situation we are in. Yet honesty is still a very important pillar of respect for ourselves and for others.