 Hey, Psych2Goers! Thank you for all of the love and support that you've given us. Psych2Go's mission is to make psychology and mental health more accessible to everyone. Now, let's begin. Have you ever heard of the term metacognition? It's a higher form of thinking that gives you the ability to be aware of how you think, which is what separates us from other mammal species. Being self-aware by reflecting and evaluating your thoughts and feelings is important to help you understand yourself better and to figure out your strengths and weaknesses. This is why having a lack of self-awareness may lead to unrealistic ideas of your own abilities. So, here are 10 signs you may lack self-awareness. Number 1. You have trouble understanding your emotions. Are you prone to emotional outbursts? Do you find it hard to explain how you feel? The ability to process emotional information and use it for reasoning is called emotional intelligence. And research has shown that it may be linked to self-awareness. In a 2015 study in New Zealand, people who were given self-awareness training saw increases in their emotional intelligence. So, if you have trouble describing or processing your feelings, it may be a sign you lack self-awareness. 2. You shut people down when they question your beliefs. Have you cut someone off because they could argue against you? Many people agree to disagree on topics like politics and religion, but refusing to hear someone out may be a sign you lack self-awareness. According to a 2018 study published in Current Biology, people with radical political beliefs had lower levels of metacognition than their non-radical peers. Actively trying to understand people with different views helps you think about why you believe what you do. So, avoiding these conversations to critically reflect on your beliefs may mean that you lack self-awareness. 3. You make excuses for your failures. You praise yourself when things go well, but blame others when things go wrong. This is called self-serving bias, which is the habit to credit good things to yourself and blame others for the bad things. People who lack self-awareness struggle to think critically about their strengths and weaknesses. It may find it difficult to tell the difference between their mistakes and things that are out of their control. 4. You find it difficult to empathize with others. Is it hard for you to relate to other people? A 2018 study published in the Mindfulness Journal found a connection between higher levels of self-awareness and empathy. Since empathy comes from using your own emotions and experiences to understand others, it may be harder for those who lack the self-awareness to empathize. Study also linked mindfulness practices like observation and non-judging exercises to increased self-awareness and empathy. So, it might be possible to increase your self-awareness through mindfulness exercises. 5. You can't explain the reasons for your actions. Do you have trouble explaining your actions? Part of self-awareness is being able to analyze yourself from an outside perspective. Those with lower self-awareness are less likely to think about the reasons behind their actions and feelings compared to those who are more self-aware. If you don't have high levels of self-awareness, it may also be harder for you to find personal meaning in your actions. 6. You suppress your emotions. You sometimes feel the need to suppress or hide your emotions. If you lack self-awareness, you may suppress your emotions without ever taking the time to feel and process them. Bottling up your emotions has been linked to serious negative psychological and even physical consequences. It may manifest an increased emotional intensity, stress, or symptoms of depression. Awareness is the first step to finding a healthy outlet for these emotions. 7. It's hard for you to make realistic goals. Are you honest with yourself about what you need to work on to accomplish your goals? A study in the European Journal of Personality explored the relationships between self-awareness and the ability to identify obstacles that would prevent you from reaching your goals. People with high self-awareness were able to list more obstacles than those with low self-awareness. Those lacking in self-awareness might not have been able to identify as many obstacles because they overlooked their personal weaknesses. 8. You lack a sense of identity. A key part of self-awareness is knowing who you are. Research suggests that people who are more self-aware are more likely to make choices that symbolically represent their identity. Whether it's what they wear or what they post on social media, they actively work to present an image to others that is consistent with their internal identity. This is why a lack of self-awareness may be linked to feelings of uncertainty over your identity. 9. You have trouble keeping yourself on task. You keep getting off task due to distracted thoughts. Studies have shown that your mind wanders from your current task much more frequently than you realize. People with high levels of self-awareness are better able to recognize when their minds are wandering and refocus their thoughts on the task at hand. Of course, mental disorders like ADHD can also make it difficult to concentrate, so it's important to consider the other factors as well. 10. You struggle with time management and self-control. Do you have trouble managing your time and making healthy long-term decisions? People with lower levels of self-awareness are more likely to make decisions that help them in the short term, which can lead to procrastination and poor decision-making skills. On the other hand, people with greater self-awareness often recognize their tendency to procrastinate and take action to prevent it. If you lack self-awareness, you may blame external factors for preventing you from getting things done instead of acknowledging your poor time management skills. Do you relate to any of these signs? If so, what do you plan to do next? Let us know in the comments below. If you found this video helpful, be sure to like and share this video with those who might benefit from it. Subscribe to Psych2Go for more content. The references and studies used are added in the description below. Thanks for watching and we'll see you in the next video.