The Benefits of Disagreeing

Over the past few years, life on campus has felt increasingly polarized — and increasingly hostile. When divisions run deep, it can feel safer to stay in your corner and avoid those whose beliefs you do not share. Yet research shows the opposite approach is often healthier: engaging with opposing viewpoints can make you more confident and open-minded, improve your wellbeing, and help build a more tolerant community.

For example, researchers have found that reading well-reasoned arguments from the “other side” leaves people with more favorable impressions of their opponents (Stanley et al., 2020). Over time, exposure to diverse ideas can also soften extreme views and deepen understanding of each other (Broockman & Kalla, 2020). In thoughtful dialogue, disagreement can become a force for connection, helping students accept one another and contribute to a less polarized campus environment.

If direct conversation still feels daunting, there are gentler ways to start. Even imagining a respectful interaction with someone from another group has been shown to reduce anxiety and increase tolerance (Crisp & Turner, 2009; Miles & Crisp, 2014).

And when you do open yourself to other viewpoints, something else happens: you clarify your own. By testing your ideas against different perspectives, you sharpen your arguments, strengthen your sense of what matters most to you, and often feel more confident and less anxious as a result.

The next time you encounter a viewpoint you don’t share, try listening with curiosity. Let generosity, not judgment, guide your questions, and look for shared values. Behind most disagreements lie not just differences, but the enduring questions that unite us all.