Your meanest friend just wants the best for you, scientists say

A new study at the University of Plymouth found that people who insult their friends aren’t necessarily mean-spirited — some just want the insultees to benefit in the long run.

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Scientists surveyed 140 adults and asked them about hypothetical situations.

“We identified several everyday examples where this might be the case — for instance, inducing fear of failure in a loved one who is procrastinating instead of studying for an exam,” psychological scientist and the study’s author Belén López-Pérez wrote.

The researchers found that subjects who were mean to their partners were more likely to be empathetic and want their partners to succeed.

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