Humans want to connect with other humans, to share their thoughts and wishes and dreams. And we want to be with other people, physically; we want to dine with friends and family, attend events with them, and simply be in their presence. We want to be part of a community.
Yet, simultaneously, we jealously guard our privacy and our space. Is it any wonder, then, that we frequently misread others’ signals and misinterpret their moods? The upshot is that we must try to be far more discerning in our reading of other people. And, by the same token, we need to be conscious of the way we behave so we can help others know how to read our moods. As a rule, the vast majority of people don’t want unpleasantness; we can help avoid it by being observant and by being more emotionally articulate.
