
Do you have a friend who responds to almost every anecdote you tell with "Oh my gosh, me too! This reminds me of when that happened to me." or perhaps you are that friend? Maybe you instinctively aim to bond with others by talking about experiences you've had that feel similar to what your friend has just shared.
In psychology, this is called "self-disclosure" – a habit of disclosing something about yourself to another person, often in an effort to forge a connection.
But while this practice feels incredibly natural to some (more commonly extroverts than introverts), it can rub others the wrong way, as a recent viral tweet showed:
Normalize not bringing up a similar story about yourself when someone is telling you something about themselves, just listen
— Mitchelle Karoro (@KaroroMitchelle) June 28, 2023