Why Being Wrong Is Actually Good for You

(air swooshing) (button clicking) (gentle music) ♪ Headspace Studio. ♪ Hi, friends. It's Rosie here. Welcome to Radio Headspace and to Monday. Let me ask you something. When was the last time you were completely, undeniably, embarrassingly wrong about something? Not just a little mistake, but one of those digging your heels in, doubling down kind of moments? Yeah, I've been there too. But here's the thing. What if being wrong isn't a bad thing? What if instead of seeing it as a failure, we saw it as a doorway to growth? So two years ago, I had a very strong opinion about something health related. I had just read one study, heard one expert say it, and that was it, I had my stance, and I was sure I was right. And because I was so sure I didn't bother questioning it. I confidently gave people advice. I repeated the same talking points over and over until I came across more research. I listened to different perspectives and realized, oh wow, I might have been completely off. My ego did not like that. I had to sit with this uncomfortable truth. I had been confidently wrong. There's a Buddhist teaching that says, "Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology. All systems of thought are guiding means. They are not absolute truth." The point is, when we cling too tightly to being right, we actually stop learning. But when we're willing to loosen our grip, to stay curious and to admit we might have missed something, we make room for real wisdom. And honestly, in today's world, this is harder than ever. We live in a time where information is everywhere. We have access to an infinite number of articles, opinions, and expert takes, and not all of them are factual. Think about all the wellness trends that have popped up over the years. Some of them are genuinely transformative, while others not so much. I remember when I first got into wellness, I read somewhere that taking an ice cold shower every morning was the key to boosting energy, improving circulation, and basically unlocking super human resilience. So naturally, I decided to go all in. Every morning, I brace myself, turn the water all the way to cold and stand there shivering like a cartoon character stuck in a snowstorm. At first, I thought, okay, this is supposed to be uncomfortable. Maybe that means it's working. But after a few weeks of dreading my showers and feeling more exhausted than energized, I finally did some deeper research. It turns out cold exposure has benefits, but only if it's done in moderation. Also, ladies, it's different for us. So do some homework. Sure, I could have just ignored that new information and kept forcing it because I wanted to believe I was doing something good for my body. Instead, I let myself update my perspective. I stopped torturing myself with the polar vortex showers at 6:00...