My mentor Dr. Jeste recently came out with his book “Wiser”, describing what Wisdom is and how it plays a role in our happiness. He posits that Wisdom is a potentially modifiable trait with seven primary components: acceptance of diverse perspectives, decisiveness, emotional regulation, prosocial behaviors, self-reflection, social advising, and (to a lesser degree) spirituality. For him, Wisdom is more than the sum of IQ, EQ, and Social Intelligence. His team has developed a 7-question wisdom scale. To determine how wise you are based on the SD-WISE-7, read seven statements- and decide how much you agree with them on a scale of one to five. One reflects “strongly disagree” and five “strongly agree”—and negatively worded statements are reverse-scored.
- “I tend to postpone making major decisions as long as I can.” (Decisiveness)
- “I avoid self-reflection.” (Self-reflection)
- “I avoid situations where I know my help will be needed.” (Prosocial behaviors)
- “I often don’t know what to tell people when they come to me for advice.” (Social advising)
- “I remain calm under pressure.” (Emotional regulation)
- “I enjoy being exposed to diverse viewpoints.” (Acceptance of divergent perspectives)
- “My spiritual belief gives me inner strength.” (Spirituality)
Dr. Jeste is quoted stating, “There are evidence-based interventions to increase specific components of wisdom, which would help reduce loneliness and promote overall well-being.”
How can you be wise?
- Honest Self-Reflection is a must
- Enhance Compassion, self-compassion, and Gratitude. Role play the other side in your mind.
- Avoid impulsivity but own up to your short- and long-term decisions. Your past will teach you a lesson.
- Reach out and diversify your experiences