Why we interrupt the people we love the most

We interrupt the people we love the most. But why?

It’s not because we’re rude.
It’s because we’re comfortable.

Which is a strange way to express affection, when you think about it.
But humans are strange, so here we are.

Why it happens:

1. We assume they’ll forgive us
   • You wouldn’t dare cutting off your CEO mid-sentence.
   • You wouldn’t interrupt your dentist while they’re holding sharp objects near your face.
   • But your partner? Your best friend? Your mom? Oh they can handle it.
   • And they probably will. Which is why you keep doing it.
2. We’re too comfortable
   • Conversations with close friends and family are more relaxed. (They should of course be).
   • Less formal, more chaotic. More emotional.
   • We sometimes interrupt because we assume they already know where we’re going.
3. We’re just a little bit selfish And that’s okay.
   • We interrupt because our own thoughts feel urgent, exciting, or just too damn brilliant to keep to ourselves.
   • Reds do it because they are impatient.
   • Yellows do it because they can’t hold a thought for more than three seconds.
   • Blues avoid it, unless you’ve really messed up a fact.
   • Greens just wait for it to end so they can go back to their quiet, lovely lives.

Quick tip:

Next time you feel the urge to interrupt, ask yourself:

“Am I adding value or noise?”

If it’s the latter, take a breath.
The world won’t end if you let someone finish a sentence.

A colourful moment:

A woman I know from a friend of a friend once said,

“I love my husband, but he interrupts me all the time.”
I said, “What colour is he?”
She said, “Yellow. Why?”
I said, “Because I already knew.”
She said, “I’m green….”
I said, “I knew that too.”
She said, “You’re interrupting me.”
I said, “Sorry.”

Very yellow.
Very green.

See you next Wednesday.
//Thomas